Vapor barrier on hard dirt
#1
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Vapor barrier on hard dirt
Hi, I was planning on using 12 mil plastic as a vapor barrier in my crawlspace. Upon closer inspection, a lot of the dirt down there is rock hard and somewhat jagged in places. Not a lot of room to move around so I don't think I could really break it up without having it take weeks. So instead I though maybe I will use a 20mil barrier instead. Would 20mil be sufficient or is there maybe something else I should do? thanks.
#2
Is your concern that the dirt in the crawl space will rip the vapour barrier? 12mil is pretty durable, and I can't imagine there being an issue with 20 mil unless you have some really sharp rocks sticking out of the floor.
#4
It won't hurt anything to go heavier. It really depends on how much room you have to work, how sharp the surface is and how much care you are able to take when placeing it.
#6
In addition to Keith's comments I would add that a lot of guys will lay carpet remnants down in high traffic areas, just to protect the plastic and it's easier on the knees. Contractors will often do this because they don't want to be the ones that rip the poly and then get blamed for it.
Hope you are rolling the poly up the walls and sealing all edges and seams with mastic.
Hope you are rolling the poly up the walls and sealing all edges and seams with mastic.
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yes I am going up the walls and sealing it. It is my understanding that I would want to stop the poly at the top of the concrete footer and not cover any wood with it, so as to not trap moisture.