Learned something the hard way about seam sealer at a job in Phoenix last week

I was doing a job for this older couple in Sun City, you know the retirement area outside Phoenix. They wanted new carpet in their living room and I figured it would be a quick in and out. But the second I pulled up the old pad, I noticed this weird oily smell. Turns out the concrete slab had moisture issues from a leaky AC unit years ago. I had to hit the seams with a special moisture resistant seam sealer that cost me like $60 a tube. Normally I just use the cheap stuff but the flooring supply guy at the shop warned me that the regular stuff would peel right up in that kind of heat and humidity. Has anyone else dealt with slab moisture problems in older houses? I'm wondering if I should start carrying a moisture meter on every job now.

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix24621d ago

Those 60 dollar tubes hurt but the Sun City houses are ALL built on slabs that sat for decades with no vapor barrier. I swear every other house out there has some kind of old AC leak or sprinkler issue that soaked the concrete. It's like nobody in the 70s thought about moisture under carpet. I've been doing this long enough to know that cheaping out on sealer guarantees a callback in 6 months when the edges curl up. Honestly a moisture meter is cheap insurance compared to ripping out a whole carpet job again. It's one of those things where spending a little extra upfront saves you a headache later.

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gibson.avery21d ago

Yeah you hit it right on the head with the slab thing. I had a job in Sun City last year where the customer swore up and down the slab was bone dry. Pulled out the meter and it read like 18% right where the old AC drip pan had rusted through. If I'd just laid pad and carpet over that it would have been a mold factory in a year. I always tell people even a cheap pin meter is better than guessing. The sealer costs what it costs but slapping down a couple extra coats on those suspect spots is the difference between a job that holds up and one that fails before the warranty expires.

lewis.finley21d ago

Those 60 dollar tubes hurt" is my new favorite understatement of the year. Around here they feel like they double in price every time I walk into the shop. But yeah paying for sealer hurts way less than explaining to a homeowner why their new carpet smells like a wet dog six months later.