Rant: Took a glue-down job over a stretch-in last month and it bit me hard

I had a choice between a nice residential stretch-in with cushy padding or a glue-down commercial lobby for a bank downtown. I picked the glue-down thinking it'd be quicker money, maybe $1200 for two days. But the concrete slab had moisture issues I didn't catch, and now I'm dealing with bubbling and a pissed-off client who wants it redone. Has anyone else gotten burned by picking the easy-looking commercial job over residential?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivermason11d ago

Yeah I heard moisture issues in commercial slabs are way more common than people talk about.

val_ramirez11d ago

Man I saw a job once where they poured a slab and two weeks later it looked like someone dumped a bucket of water in the middle of the warehouse floor. They tried everything, vapor barriers, sealers, even a dehumidifier the size of a small car. Nothing worked. Ended up having to rip out half the floor and do it all over again. Some builders act like moisture just evaporates out of thin air but concrete holds onto it like a grudge.

kai_burns7311d ago

Moisture wicking up through slab is usually capillary action, not trapped in the concrete like a sponge.