Basement Floor Covering
4/29/2008 at 1:13:40 PM
You have a cement basement floor and you swear that this is the last winter that you are going to freeze your toes going down there. Besides, the heat lose is becoming a big factor.
Well, you can just slap anything down, but you have to answer these questions:
1. Is it dry? If it is then you can proceed with a covering. If not you better call a basement waterproofing company. When it comes to water in the basement it's worth a service call to get some facts.
2. Is it flat? If not then find the highest point. Sometimes, you can apply a layer of concrete and smooth out the floor. If not you can do some planing.
3. Are the walls bare? If you are going to do the floor and the walls are bare you might be putting the horse before the cart. Frame your wall first using pressure-treated studs for the bottom studs. Before you insulate you can do the floor.
You can frame you floor in the same manner that you frame the wall. Get styrofoam insulation that will fit between the studs. Then cover the frame and insulation with vapor seal and, finally, nail or screw down the plywood. As it is a floor, don't mess with oriented strand board (OSB). This material is not durable enough for walking.
Speaking of OSB, there is a tile subflooring that features OSB as a top layer. It is a two-faced, 2-foot square tile that has a tongue-and-groove fastening system. The bottom is a plastic waffle which puts the board off the cement but strong enough to hold weight. The r-factor is almost that of the foam and frame.
Make sure you keep the drain access open!
6/1/2008 at 10:56:55 AM
These are all good things to remember.
What types of flooring work best in a cold basement when you want to warm the floor?
I have seen cork used in homes, in fact I have friends who swear by it. Would cork be a good choice in a basement though?
7/10/2008 at 1:52:19 PM
We install floors for a living and take care of walls and insulation too. As the original post stated, if you frame your walls and insulate it with a specific type of styrofoam, once done with that, then choose the type of look you are going for and voila! new walls. For the floors, it is the same concept. But first, make sure that your basement is completely weatherproofed (no leakage). The best way to even out the floors is to level quick it (a soupy form of concrete: it finds the low spots in the floor and fills them in). Depending on the way your floor is, you can frame that as well and insulate it with the styrofoam and then put a layer of plywood on top. From this point, any type of flooring will be sufficient....for tile or natural stone--either skim coat the plywood before installing or put down some backerboard for added insulation and a better bond for the tile--or roll out some padding and put laminate--I wouldn't necessarily go with hardwoods as it is a basement and there are too many risks...But you see, if done right, the possibilities are endless. Good Luck
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