Is A Moisture Barrier Necessary For Vinyl Flooring

These are typically used for floating floor applications.

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. Where is the wall located. In existing spaces oil based paints or vapor barrier latex paints offer an effective moisture barrier. Moist concrete concrete may seem very dense but it is actually full of small pores that will absorb water from the ground.

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. 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. This is also an extra piece of protection if you have any water leaking underneath the vinyl planks.

This practice has been linked to moldy buildings and other air quality problems. They have the potential to release moisture into the structure creating an inward vapor that doesn t exist with vinyl siding. 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.