Is A Moisture Barrier Necessary For Vinyl Flooring

Avoid fully impermeable barriers such as polyethylene or vinyl wall coverings on spaces that are air conditioned.

Is a moisture barrier necessary for vinyl flooring.

Floating floor installations when installing laminate or other floating floors over cement vct ceramic tiles or kitchen vinyl use 6 mil poly sheeting plastic as the moisture barrier. Moist concrete concrete may seem very dense but it is actually full of small pores that will absorb water from the ground. All laminate flooring requires an underlayment to allow the floor to float and give the locking system its strength and in particular cases you will need to use a moisture barrier bestlaminate blog a helpful resource for your laminate vinyl and hardwood flooring projects. Some underlayments have a built in moisture barrier.

Omit plastic when covering bare wood subfloors thereby allowing the subfloor to breathe. A moisture barrier may or may not be needed to insure good adhesion of your vinyl floor so do your homework to avoid problems later on down the road. They have the potential to release moisture into the structure creating an inward vapor that doesn t exist with vinyl siding. This practice has been linked to moldy buildings and other air quality problems.

This is also an extra piece of protection if you have any water leaking underneath the vinyl planks. In existing spaces oil based paints or vapor barrier latex paints offer an effective moisture barrier. If you are adding an exterior wall anywhere in the house and you answered yes to either of the above questions you should consider using a vapor retarder.