Degradation of components in flooring systems in humid and alkaline environments

Constituents from products that are used in the flooring on a concrete slab such as carpets of plasticised PVC and water-based adhesives sometimes degrade in an alkaline and humid environment. The concrete itself could be such an environment. In order to examine the effect of different levels of alkalinity and humidity on the mentioned products a specialised procedure was developed. By this procedure it was possible to imitate the effect of an environment of alkalinity and humidity corresponding to a recently produced concrete slab on different substances and also collect volatile degradation products produced. Degradation of some of the constituents was dependent on the levels of alkalinity and humidity, although there were significant differences in the possibility to resist the environmental factors. For some of the components, an increase in alkalinity resulted in a much higher production of degradation products even when the relative humidity was kept on a comparatively low level. The results give basis for a recommendation not to adhere plastic floorings directly to a recently produced slab of high-quality concrete because the alkaline material in the concrete could cause degradation. 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.