# Concrete pH test | Floor Prep Guide > What a concrete pH test measures, what a complete report shows, the red flags, and what to ask, with the pH limits manufacturers publish by floor type. Source: https://floorprepguide.com/concrete-ph-test --- [Floor Prep Guide](https://floorprepguide.com/) [Tests](https://floorprepguide.com/#tests) · [Methodology](https://floorprepguide.com/methodology) · [Sources](https://floorprepguide.com/sources) · [About](https://floorprepguide.com/about) # Concrete pH test Other names for this test: concrete surface pH test, alkalinity test (ASTM F710). [What the test measures](#measures) · [What a valid report looks like](#report) · [Red flags](#red-flags) · [Questions to ask the installer](#questions) ## What the test measures The test reads how alkaline the surface of a concrete slab is. NWFA leaves the acceptable result to the adhesive maker, so the test matters most under a glued floor. NWFA’s installation guidelines name the method: > The current method for measuring the pH level of a concrete slab surface is described in ASTM F710 (Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring). NWFA Installation Guidelines, Revised © 2025, p. 70 (PDF p. 74)[1](#ref-1) NWFA gives no pH figure of its own. The limit is in the installation document of the adhesive or the floor product, and the table under [Red flags](#red-flags) shows the ones the documents read publish. ## What a valid report looks like A complete report names, at minimum: - the method, ASTM F710; - the date of each reading; - where on the slab each reading was taken; - each reading; - the adhesive or product document the readings were compared with. On the acceptable result, NWFA defers to the adhesive maker: > Follow the adhesive manufacturer’s instructions on pH testing and acceptable results. NWFA Installation Guidelines, Revised © 2025, p. 70 (PDF p. 74)[1](#ref-1) Some product documents put the check on the installer. COREtec’s guidelines say: > IT IS, HOWEVER, THE FLOOR COVERING INSTALLER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THESE TESTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED, AND THAT THE RESULTS ARE ACCEPTABLE PRIOR TO INSTALLING THE FLOOR COVERING. COREtec Pro SPC Residential Installation Guidelines (Shaw/USFloors), Revision: 11052024, web page[2](#ref-2) ## Red flags Concrete pH test: published limits by floor type, from manufacturers’ documents. | Floor type | Published limits | Documents | Conditions | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Rigid core vinyl | [Only one company publishes a limit for this floor type in the documents read, so no range is shown. Its limit is quoted under the table.](#q-rigid_core) | | | | Glue-down LVT | Lower end: 5, 7 or 8 pH Upper end: 10 pH in each of the 2 documents | 2 documents [3](#ref-3) [4](#ref-4) | with MSI MS001 adhesive [3](#ref-3) section 5 prints between 5 and 10 [4](#ref-4) section 1 prints 7.0 to 10.0 [4](#ref-4) | | Laminate | None of the 6 documents read publishes a limit for this floor type. | | | | Engineered hardwood | None of the 4 documents read publishes a limit for this floor type. | | | | Solid hardwood | None of the 4 documents read publishes a limit for this floor type. | | | The limit that binds you is in your product's installation document. Rigid core vinyl: the one company’s limit, from COREtec Pro SPC Residential Installation Guidelines (Shaw/USFloors). > pH level of concrete should be between 7-10. COREtec Pro SPC Residential Installation Guidelines (Shaw/USFloors), Revision: 11052024, web page[2](#ref-2) 1. **Any floor type: the report calls the pH acceptable without naming the adhesive or product document.** NWFA gives no number to fall back on, so there is nothing else for the reading to be held against. The limit that binds you is in your product's installation document. 2. **Any floor type: an acid rinse was used to bring the pH down.** NWFA: > Do not use acid rinses to “neutralize” a high-pH concrete surface. NWFA Installation Guidelines, Revised © 2025, p. 70 (PDF p. 74)[1](#ref-1) 3. **Glue-down LVT: the product’s document gives two bands.** One glue-down document read, Shaw’s residential guide, prints different pH bands in two sections. In the section “1. Test Before Starting Installation, PH”: > PH reading must not exceed 10.0. Readings below 7.0 and in excess of 10.0 affect resilient flooring and adhesives negatively. Shaw Resilient Residential Installation Guidelines, glue-down, Revision: 04012022, web page[4](#ref-4) and in the section “5. Installing Resilient Tile & Plank, General”: > PH of concrete sub‐floor needs to be between 5&10. Shaw Resilient Residential Installation Guidelines, glue-down, Revision: 04012022, web page[4](#ref-4) The document conflicts with itself. A report that cites it should say which band it used. ## Questions to ask the installer 1. Which adhesive or product document did you compare the pH with, and which band in it? 2. How were the readings taken, and where on the slab? 3. If the pH was high, what was done about it, and does the adhesive maker accept that fix? References (4) References 1. 1 NWFA Installation Guidelines. NWFA. Revised © 2025. [https://nwfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/NWFA-Installation-Guidelines.pdf](https://nwfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/NWFA-Installation-Guidelines.pdf). Read 2026-11-13. [↩a](#m-method)[↩b](#p-owner)[↩c](#f-acid) 2. 2 COREtec Pro SPC Residential Installation Guidelines (Shaw/USFloors). Shaw (USFloors COREtec). Revision: 11052024. [https://pdmsview.shawinc.com/USFloors/COREtec-Pro/Installation/Residential-Installation-Guidelines-for-SPC-Produc](https://pdmsview.shawinc.com/USFloors/COREtec-Pro/Installation/Residential-Installation-Guidelines-for-SPC-Produc). Read 2026-11-13. [↩a](#p-installer)[↩b](#q-rigid_core-c0) 3. 3 MSI MS001 Adhesive TDS. MSI. revision: 081522. [https://cdn.msisurfaces.com/files/flyers/ms001.pdf](https://cdn.msisurfaces.com/files/flyers/ms001.pdf). Read 2026-11-13. [↩a](#c-glue_down_lvt-0)[↩b](#k-glue_down_lvt-0-0) 4. 4 Shaw Resilient Residential Installation Guidelines, glue-down. Shaw. Revision: 04012022. [https://pdmsview.shawinc.com/Shaw-Residential/Shaw-Residential-Installation/Resilient-Installation/Glue-Down/Resilient-Residential-Installation-Guidelines](https://pdmsview.shawinc.com/Shaw-Residential/Shaw-Residential-Installation/Resilient-Installation/Glue-Down/Resilient-Residential-Installation-Guidelines). Read 2026-11-13. [↩a](#c-glue_down_lvt-1)[↩b](#k-glue_down_lvt-1-0)[↩c](#k-glue_down_lvt-2-0)[↩d](#f-shaw-0)[↩e](#f-shaw-1) This guide is published by a company that sells flooring materials in the United States, including some of the floor categories and brands whose documents it cites. The company is not named here. It does not install floors, and no brand pays to be included or ranked. Page views are counted with Google Analytics; the privacy page says what is sent. Documents last read 2026-11-13; the sources page lists each one with its read date. 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