Moisture testing is the single most commonly skipped step in commercial floor coating installation — it takes time, it can delay a project by 24–72 hours to get accurate readings, and a floor that looks and feels perfectly dry can still be transmitting enough vapor to eventually lift a coating. Skipping it is the single most common cause of early coating failure we diagnose on facilities we didn't originally install.
Concrete slabs poured directly on or near grade — the vast majority of Florida warehouse, retail, and light-industrial construction — sit in continuous contact with soil moisture. Florida's clay-heavy soils hold and transmit that moisture particularly well, which pushes vapor up through the slab continuously, regardless of how the surface looks or feels to the touch.
Readings within acceptable range for the coating system being used mean standard installation can proceed. Elevated readings don't necessarily mean coating is impossible — they usually mean a moisture-mitigating primer, rated for the specific vapor emission level measured, needs to go down first. Skipping that step on a slab with elevated readings is exactly what leads to bubbling and delamination months or years later.
A legitimate commercial flooring contractor tests before quoting a final price, not after installation problems appear — because the results can change which primer, and sometimes which overall system, is appropriate. If a contractor's estimate doesn't mention moisture testing at all, that's worth asking about directly.
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