First off, thank you for the response. It really helped me understand the situation more clearly.

That would certainly explain why they couldn't detect where the moisture is coming from.

I was learning on them as experts in the flooring field. Similar to how I lean on my mechanic, doctor and others. If I had know about the possible slab issues (age, etc) I certainly would have considered different materials or pay more for the installation. :(

Oh well....

Unfortunately, your post gave me more understanding and information about what is going on than they have ( so far).

To be 100% fair, I do have a call into them and they said they would be in touch to talk about "next steps".

Do you think it would be in my best interest to have some other flooring experts/people take a look?

I've attached some pictures as well.

When it comes to building law, the rule of thumb is "The original professional must be allowed ONE attempt at 'fixing' the problem". This isn't always a hard and fast rule...but it will give you a decent set of rules to work with.

The "one attempt at a fix" refers ONLY to "installer mistakes" and not "home environment" issues like an old slab or leaking roof.

You are welcome to bring in an NWFA Certified Flooring Inspector (www.nwfa.org) if you wish to pay for a high-end inspection. The Inspector will help find the reasons for the failure....but will not "assign blame". In other words, s/he would point out that there is a lot of moisture in the slab BELOW the wood, but will not say why the moisture is there. An inspection report will state whether or not the planks had FULL coverage of glue (as per installation instructions) or not (installer error), but it will not SPECIFICALLY state "installer error".

The other "fun fact" about old damp slabs is they have issues when they are "capped". That's when a floor is installed OVER TOP of the concrete that prevents moisture from evaporating off like it used to be able to do. This often happens when part of the floor USED to be carpeted (carpet breathes really easily and allows plenty of moisture to wick off all the time) and then is "capped" with a sheet material or a glue down hardwood that used a moisture barrier glue (like in your case).

This "capping" then PREVENTS the moisture from evaporating off. That leads to TREMENDOUS amounts of moisture sitting IN the slab, building up pressure, trying to find a way "out". This massive build up of water (your dry sponge just became soaking wet) will then OVERWHELM the adhesive used (the 15lbs or 85% RH of the slab becomes 25lbs or 95% RH) and cause failure.

That's why it is SUPER TOUGH to deal with some of these old slabs...moisture readings TODAY cannot predict what can happen should the "capping" event take place. There is almost no way of knowing if it will occur.

It sounds like the installers (just by your brief description) took plenty of precautions...they probably did their due diligence but were unable to foresee the circumstances in which you find yourself.

Please let these guys continue for the next little bit. Second guessing them at this stage won't do very much good. Let them investigate. It will help them understand moisture situations...it is a point of learning that is always worth knowing.

And yes, eventually you will need to consult with a moisture mitigation company that specializes in "wet basements". They will have all the knowledge/tools needed to deal with an old slab sitting very close to the beach.

First off, thank you for the advice. I decided that you are 100% correct and I shouldn't pre-judge what has happened.

With that in mind, it has now been about 3 weeks since they came out the first time and inspected the floors. About two weeks ago, they had a more "senior" flooring person come out to do another inspections.

I gave them about one week to review the matter and called them for a status update.
They never returned my called.

Since then, they have been largely uncommunicative with me. I've been calling every couple of days asking for a status and get no return calls. While I am upset, I've decided that keeping things calm and non-aggressive. The lack of calling me back is not giving me a warm fuzzy.

I'm going to continue to call them for then next two weeks. Hopefully they contact me back and we can work through this. If not, I'll have to decide what my next steps are.

Last week, our neighbors who have a similar house as ours (built in 1956) had floors put in. I asked if I could see how it was coming along and they let me in. I noticed they were having a barrier put in between the floors and the slab. When I inquired the person installing the floor about the barrier, he stated "it's to reduce noise and also serves as a moisture barrier".

I'm going to call the nwfa.org and have a inspection done.

Thank your advice. If you have any more advice, I am all ears.

@Da Beave - I'm sorry the installers have gone to ground. It makes things tough to deal with. I'm glad you had a chance to see a different type of install (floating floor instead of a glue down application).

The sheet material (vapour barrier) is reserved for a floating floor (like a click together laminate or a floating hardwood). This form of vapour barrier has a more successful history when dealing with old/damp slabs. Even the best "limitless" moisture barrier adhesives can have problems - eventually.

For this very reason, a floating hardwood (usually an engineered product which is allowed to be floated...not all are) would have been the most appropriate choice for your situation.

I hope the NWFA Inspector has the ability to bring the installers back to the table. A well written inspection report will often force them back to the site to discuss the next steps.

Good luck. I'm very sorry you have to go through all of this.

I got a response from the flooring company. After there "investigation", this is what they said:

"Where it is coming in at will have to be something that you have to further investigate.

Some suggestions.

A leak detection company.

A relative humidity test where they drill the concrete.

Gutters to help remove water from the sides of the home.

Maybe look at your neighbors home shedding water toward you deck and yard. They also have no gutters.

The deck seems not to dry out up against the home and I’m not sure what is going on under it.

You moved the trailer, that was shedding water toward the house which is good.

Tree root damage?

With older homes, sewer and plumbing can have problems.

Sometimes they have to run a camera in the lines and take a look.

Water table issues"

As I stated previously, was leaning on them to be the "experts" in this field. They did some "tests" but was I some how suppose to already know this information?

Sorry, but I am deeply frustrated.

They don't seem (so far) to want to offer much of anything but I have not started pushing them yet. I'm trying to remain calm and collect facts.

I have the NWFA inspector coming tomorrow.

Did anyone inspect the condition of the slab after demo? Was there any visible cracks? Did the cracks get properly repaired? What type of moisture testing was made to the slab, before declaring it is dry and safe to move ahead with installation?

A calcium chloride test would help determine if, additional vapor barrier is needed aside from the adhesive. Clearly your situation calls for a 2 coat epoxy or polyurethane moisture barrier.

If, the slab is not flat within tolerance. There will be pockets of moisture trap below, causing this type of issue.

Was the purpose of the adhesive is to act as a vapor barrier? Was the correct trowel used? Is there 100% adhesive coverage?

More questions to ask for your investigation.

Thank you. I'm going to draft up these and other questions and send them today.

On a side note; I never saw any cracks and they were never brought to my attention. That's not to say they were or were not there. They did repair some areas of the slanb that was flat enough. That was mostly in the living room as I recall.

I'll let you know what happens and again, thank you for the information and thoughts.

Thank you for the information Lady Driver. I appreciate it.

I have done multiple remodels in older Florida slab-on-grade houses and there is always moisture in the slabs, even miles inland. The summer water table is often at or near grade, making glue down wood flooring a bad idea. In fact, the floating floors were the first wood products to be used on slabs, always with a continuous vapor barrier. Otherwise it was all tile and terrazzo.

I find fault with your installers - they should have recommended against a glue down wood product. But perhaps they are new to the area and thus ignorant of regional requirements.

I just reread the post (and answers) and I realized the install was from 2017. How long is your "labour" warranty good for? Is it 1 year?