Trench Cuts in Slab Floor

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Edwardh1

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We have a slab floor office. Had carpets in it for years on a raised concrete slab floor . No issues.
Five years ago, we took the carpet out and put in sheet vinyl tile- a good grade. A year ago in the area where the tile is laid over some plumbing trench cuts , we get a black mark in the vinyl tile where the edge of the trench is, it is faint and has stayed about the same for the last year (not getting worse).

Guess is its moisture- question is if we ever take up the tile, how do you prevent it? What do you paint on to seal the edge og the trench cut, or does the cement that fills the trench have to be a certain type..
 

Dlarrivee

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We have a slab floor office. Had carpets in it for years on a raised concrete slab floor . No issues.
Five years ago, we took the carpet out and put in sheet vinyl tile- a good grade. A year ago in the area where the tile is laid over some plumbing trench cuts , we get a black mark in the vinyl tile where the edge of the trench is, it is faint and has stayed about the same for the last year (not getting worse).

Guess is its moisture- question is if we ever take up the tile, how do you prevent it? What do you paint on to seal the edge og the trench cut, or does the cement that fills the trench have to be a certain type..

The floor probably wasn't perfectly level before the tile was laid, and now there is a slight edge there... The black line is probably showing extra wear compared to the rest of the "flat" tile.
 

hj

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trench

The trench was probably saw cut which created perfectly smooth vertical walls. When the new concrete was poured, unless it was pinned to the old concrete which was unlikely, shrinkage of the concrete and/or the constant traffic over it could "push" it down a bit which would create a sharp edge. That sharp edge and the slight difference in elevation is causing what you see. As a practical matter, it would occur with most thin flexible flooring materials. Even a thin, hard pile carpet might get a wear line there.
 

Dlarrivee

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it is sheet vinyl tile, not ceramic, but thanks

I know what type of tile it is.

The tile itself is slightly flexible, where did you get the impression that I thought a ceramic tile was "telegraphing" an imperfection from the slab?
 
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