Washington, DC
Scope/Solutions
During tenant fitout renovations on the sixth floor, the carpet installer reported debonding of the leveling compound and difficulty bonding the roll carpeting to the applied leveling compound. SGH investigated the flooring installer’s concerns and advised the project team about carpet installation procedures.
SGH reviewed the product specifications and visited the site to document existing conditions. We measured the relative humidity and pH of the concrete floor slabs, tested bond strength of the leveling compound, and evaluated the ability of the cured leveling compound to receive flooring adhesives.
We observed the leveling compound was adequately bonded to the existing slab and the flooring adhesive was bonded well to the leveling compound. At carpeted areas, we determined the leveling compound did not receive a primer and had absorbed moisture from the water-based carpet adhesive, delaying the adhesive’s drying. SGH recommended the installer allow additional drying time prior to testing the carpet’s adhesion in areas where the carpet was already installed, and apply a primer to reduce the drying time and improve adhesion to the leveling compound at other areas.
Our investigation helped the project team understand how the various flooring materials performed and our recommendations allowed the team to move forward on the project without remedial work.
Project Summary
