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Concrete eating plastic

conwaynh85 | Posted in General Questions on

Hello all,
I just had a concrete floor poured over 6 mil poly.  The concrete contractor told me that the concrete will eat away the plastic.  Has anyone ever heard of this or removed old concrete and seen the condition of plastic below?  It seems as though it’s unlikely to me.  Thanks!

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Replies

  1. gusfhb | | #1

    How many decades has it been code?
    Astonishing that someone in the trade can be so uninformed
    I do recall the concrete guys scratched their heads at the perimeter insulation and poly under my slab......in 1987

  2. Malcolm_Taylor | | #2

    conwaynh85,

    "Concrete can eat plastic, but not all types of plastic. The alkaline content in concrete will gradually corrode some plastics so that this material disintegrates over a long period of time. There are other types of plastics, like PVC and Polyethylene, that are not subject to the corrosive properties of concrete."

    1. conwaynh85 | | #5

      Thanks Malcolm, I'm not particularly worried about it, but did want to hear from others if they heard of the rumor.

  3. Expert Member
    Michael Maines | | #3

    This is from a supplier so it can't be trusted as fully neutral, but it's a product I use and spec regularly and seems like relevant information: https://www.stegoindustries.com/blog/the-3-critical-problems-with-generic-poly-plastic-below-a-concrete-slab.

    1. conwaynh85 | | #4

      Great article, thanks Mike!

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