Concrete Slab/Floor Covering Issues

Summary Report On The Inter-Industry Working Group On Concrete Floor Issues (PDF) summarizes the content of a meeting of representatives from the construction industry, flooring manufacturers, specification bodies, and technical societies, convened to address problems frequently encountered in the application of various finish floor covering materials over concrete slabs on grade. Identified issues include:

Delays while waiting for concrete surfaces to dry or reach an acceptable pH level

Substrate cracks reflecting through many "bonded" floor coverings

Floor flatness variations that affect floor covering installation

Moisture-related floor covering failures, after installation, such as blistering, debonding, adhesive oozing, and microbial growth

This author does not recommend this document for the casual reader. However for professionals struggling with the issue of such floor covering failures, this represents an excellent summary of the state of what is known about these problems. For the student of construction, this document might also serve as a good example of how even seemingly simple applications--such as vinyl flooring adhered to a concrete slab on grade for example--can at times present a myriad of potential pitfalls.

More information:
Concrete Floor Flatness, on this site, discusses standard methods for setting the flatness of concrete slabs.