What does this under-slab vapor retarder final checklist cover?

12 items across 4 sections, covering slab edge and turn-up, penetrations after the pour, record before cover, handoff and deviations. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The concrete foreman with the GC's superintendent, confirming the edge condition after strip and before the floor finish goes on.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the slab is placed and forms are stripped, before floor finishes cover the slab edge and turn-up.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

4 of the 12 items call for photo evidence, 5 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails an under-slab vapor retarder final inspection?

The sheet turn-up trimmed flush or torn away at the edge during strip, breaking the tie-in that was sound before the pour. Penetration seals disturbed by post-pour trades, leaving a gap around a stub-up that the finish floor will sit over.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Under-slab vapor retarder

Under-slab vapor retarder final inspection checklist

Under-slab vapor retarder final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against ASTM vapor retarder standards, ACI concrete guidance, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

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The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Slab edge and turn-up

Retarder turn-up intact at the slab edge
Sheet still turned up and tied in at the perimeter after strip, not trimmed flush or pulled away, edge documented before finishes cover it.
Exposed turn-up shielded from the next trades
Turn-up at the perimeter kept clear of saw cuts, grinding, track fasteners and stored material until the wall or base finish covers it.
Sheet left long at pour breaks and leave-outs
At construction joints, pits and leave-outs still to be placed, enough clean sheet left out to lap and tape with the next pour's retarder.
No photo
Turn-up ready to lap into the wall barrier at transitions
Where the details carry the turn-up into the wall's waterproofing or air barrier, the exposed sheet left clean and undamaged and that trade told it is ready.
No photo

Penetrations after the pour

Penetration seals undisturbed
Stub-ups and penetrations still sealed at the slab after other trades worked the floor, no gaps opened around them.
Coring and cutting through the slab since the pour logged
Any coring, trenching or stub-up relocation through the slab recorded with how the retarder below was patched or detailed by the design team.
No photo

Record before cover

Retarder condition documented before finishes
Pre-pour and edge photos filed for the pad so the barrier condition is on record before the floor finish is installed over it.
Every pour in the concrete log had a retarder check
Pour dates and areas in the concrete log matched one for one to a pre-pour retarder inspection, so no area was placed without the hold point.
No photo
Retarder product data and roll labels in the closeout file
Approved submittal, roll label photos and the tape and boot products used filed with the slab record for the owner and the flooring team.
No photo
Retarder limits marked on the record drawings
Record set shows where the retarder runs under the slab and any area poured without it, so later renovation and flooring work can find it.
No photo

Handoff and deviations

Retarder record sent to the flooring contractor
Which areas have a retarder below, and where it was damaged or repaired, shared with the flooring team so moisture testing and system picks account for it.
No photo
Field deviations written up for the design team
Any area where the sheet was left out, cut short, substituted or repaired off-detail written up for the architect or engineer of record to review.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

The sheet turn-up trimmed flush or torn away at the edge during strip, breaking the tie-in that was sound before the pour.
Penetration seals disturbed by post-pour trades, leaving a gap around a stub-up that the finish floor will sit over.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this under-slab vapor retarder final checklist cover?: 12 items across 4 sections, covering slab edge and turn-up, penetrations after the pour, record before cover, handoff and deviations. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The concrete foreman with the GC's superintendent, confirming the edge condition after strip and before the floor finish goes on.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the slab is placed and forms are stripped, before floor finishes cover the slab edge and turn-up.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 4 of the 12 items call for photo evidence, 5 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails an under-slab vapor retarder final inspection?: The sheet turn-up trimmed flush or torn away at the edge during strip, breaking the tie-in that was sound before the pour. Penetration seals disturbed by post-pour trades, leaving a gap around a stub-up that the finish floor will sit over.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 5 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.