I overheard a guy at the supply house say he never uses a moisture meter on concrete slabs under 5 years old, and it made me rethink skipping that step on a recent job in a 3-year-old building.

He said 'the cure is never done,' and now I'm wondering if anyone else has a hard rule about when to always check, no matter the age.

3 comments

3 Comments

felix_black2mo ago

My old boss used to say that... got burned on a two-year-old slab that felt dry as a bone.

harpery472mo ago

My uncle's deck collapsed last summer because the posts looked fine on the outside. It's that same idea, where something seems totally solid until it's under real pressure. I see it with people too, acting all put together until life throws a little weight on them. The outside look just doesn't tell you much about the inside structure.

jamie_carter872mo ago

Yeah, I used to think a slab under a few years old was a safe bet too... but then I saw a tile job fail on a four-year-old basement floor. The installer didn't check, and the whole thing started weeping adhesive a month later. It looked and felt completely dry. Now I just check everything, no matter what the building age is. That little meter saves so much headache.