There is a huge misunderstanding of the severity of elevated residual moisture in concrete. Failure to properly test concrete and dry can lead to damaged/failed resilient new flooring, water migration to sill plates, cabinetry, drywall, concrete curling/cupping, cracking, expansion, tile repositioning and create bad indoor atmospheric conditions. Potential moisture-related issues are alkaline salts, concrete carbonation, sweating slab syndrome, efflorescence, cellulosic staining and discoloration. The effect on floor coverings from residual moisture in concrete slabs or moisture passing through concrete slabs from underlying soil has been demonstrated to be a crucial aspect to this process. As a result of the significant finding, in the early 1950s the Resilient Manufacturers Association (RMA) developed a moisture test method that is widely adopted by the flooring industry today.
Slab curling problems arise when a slab dries at a differential rate – faster on the top while remaining wet at its lower surface. Differential stresses due to shrinkage at the top and restraint at the bottom cause the slab's upward curling, leading to uncontrolled cracking.