Infloor Infloorboard - Manual (Page 30)

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INSTALLING INFLOORBOARD™ OVER CONCRETE
While successful installations of Infloorboard™ over concrete have been done it is not a
preferred application due to the difficulties of sealing concrete and attaching Infloorboard™
to concrete.
All concrete slabs give off supplementary moisture whether above, on, or below grade. This
can cause problems for any board product installed over it, including Infloorboard™. A
different product,InfloorboardII™, is being be developed specifically to float over concrete
and allow for an easy installation of a continuous vapor barrier. Infloorboard™ may be
installed over concrete using the following methods only when the installing parties are willing to
assume full responsibility for the installation and all issues regarding moisture and attachment of
Infloorboard™ to concrete. When installing Infloorboard™ over concrete, the following con-
siderations must be carefully addressed:
It is strongly recommended that all slabs below grade and slabs on grade be sealed against
moisture penetration before installing Infloorboard™. A product such as Hydroment
Ultraseal may be used. Infloorboard™ is then glued down using wood flooring adhesive
rated for use with radiant floor temperatures. Remember that while a slab may appear to
be, or actually be, dry during one time of year, this may change as environmental conditions
change. Below is a procedure for testing the moisture of above grade slabs, such as between
floors in commercial construction. It is the contractor’, as well as the installer’s responsibili-
ty to test all concrete substrates, both new and old, for moisture content to determine they
are sufficiently dry to install Infloorboard™. Moisture in the concrete should be tested
according to ASTM F 1869 (Calcium Chloride Moisture Test using the Quantitative
Method). With a calcium chloride test, the maximum acceptable reading is 3 lbs./ 4 hours/
1,000 Sq. ft. New concrete slabs and basements must be cured for a minimum of 60 days
prior to installation. Determine that the existing or new slab is sufficiently dry, and do the
sealing of the slab before you proceed with any Infloorboard™ installation.
Recommendations for floor coverings installed over Infloorboard™ that is installed on con-
crete:
For masonry tile and stone flooring it is recommended that backerboard be used over
Infloorboard™. Conventional mortar bed or thin set installation may then be used as
shown in the details. For vinyl, resilient flooring and carpeting it is recommended that 1/4”
underlayment plywood be installed on the Infloorboard™ before the finish flooring. Carpet
pad should avoid being stapled due to tubing being obscured. As with all radiant heating
installations, a thin conductive rubber pad and short, high density carpet should be
used.Use of vinyl floors and associated adhesives and materials should be checked for tem-
perature limitations. Conventional and floating type wood floor systems may be used
directly over Infloorboard™. Floating laminated wood floors are preferred. Traditional
strip wood floors require that 3/4” T&G plywood is first glued to the slab and then
Infloorboard™ be installed on the plywood. The tubing is visible when installed in
Infloorboard™, so hardwood may be carefully directly nailed to Infloorboard™ or floating
methods may be used as shown elsewhere in this manual. See additional notes on installing
wood floors elsewhere in this manual. Infloorboard™ should be installed such that the
hardwood runs perpendicular to the majority of the tubing runs. For details of installation
of flooring materials above the Infloorboard™ layer, refer to the details on the previous
pages for additional information and requirements, but refer to the following pages for
details of how to intall Infloorboard™ itself over concrete. So for example tile would be
installed over Infloorboard™ with a backerboard layer, crack isolation membrane, mortar,
etc as shown on previous pages, but the Infloorboard™ itself should be installed as shown
on the following pages.
FLOORING COVERING INST
ALLA
TION