I was planning on using 1 T & G Pink Board on my basement floor and then putting 3/4 T & G OSB on top of it and then using tapcons to screw it all directly into the concrete. 4) Could I use 1/2 OSB instead of a 3/4 subfloor? Does this technique seem like a sound way of tying into existing insulated walls? 4) xps on floor and walls what should I do first? Good luck. The concrete floor shows no sign of them installing any columns either. Looking at probably $4K to $6K for that without electrical or plumbing type work. I would recommend a sump pump system or exterior drainage improvements. Could install the high density foam in those areas, then be sure to screw the 3/4 floor down very well, probably 12 to 18 inch centers, in addition Id probably use an underlayment like Schluter Mat. Install a floating subfloor using two layers of 1/2 -nch plywood. The code requires that stair heights match within a certain tolerance. Todd thanks for the feedback. The house is about 7 years old and there are minor settling cracks from one side of the basement to the other (no evidence of any water problems) Do I need to seal/repair these cracks before I put the pink board down? Use flowable fill to level the bathroom floor. Space the panels 1/4 inch apart, with a 1/2-inch gap around the perimeter. The second scenario would be if I go on the wall first, I would use the composite decking under the pressure treated plate, then finish the wall framing. All Rights Reserved. We lived there before we rebuilt the house and never had any water problems and no smell/mold with carpet over slab. If anything, put down poly under the plate. Thats exactly what Id expect to find and thats exactly why I tell people they need 1-1/2 or more of XPS. If it were my house Id remove it and install XPS or Foil Faced PolyIso in the rim joist area. Be sure to fix any problems in the concrete floor such as cracks, spalls and water problems. thanks again for your diligence in responding to all these questions. Or, as demonstrated here, you can cover the slab with rigid-foam insulation, add two layers of plywood, and then add the finish flooring. I think either will work fine. cant you just nail plywood panels directly to foam to better distribute the weight instead of all the weight being in area on foam where sleepers are? I have height constraints so my only option after insulating the floor is to use pergo and possibly groutable tiles, which is no big deal considering it has always been a cold floor, just painted and partially carpeted.

Just wanted to leave a note that I have gone over these questions and responses at least three times over the last few years. If you can install a layer or 3/8 or 1/2 over it the floor will be even better. Thanks, Mike. If it can support tractor trailers I think youll be fine. Can I skip the insulation and put down Advantech over cement and tile over that or use a moisture barrier?

Is there a rule of thumb as to how old the house should be to see the reaction to serious flooding events? It was my understanding that the barricade had channels that helped drain and dry any water that gets under it also so I was leaning that way. 3. 3. Does it even need to be leveled? What do you usually do with the foam and sunfloor in that area? First, you say, We recommend using 3/4 thick pressure treated decking. Im having trouble finding any decking material that isnt trex or a trex-like material which just seems like a big unnecessary expense. Learn how your comment data is processed. The idea here is to give good separation between concrete and other building materials that might be conducive to mold and mildew. Any recommendations either way? BUT .

Foam is used under your roads especially near bridges. There is some load bearing framing in the basement. Tony looks like youre ok with the 7 requirement, and in some places you can drop lower for a beam. Cost for something like that will vary greatly. This method works great if you dont have many doors and you can deal with the higher sub-floor at the stairs. My laymans instinct is there is not much to cause movement anyway, so any attachment scheme will work fine. I hope youll consider signing up for our FREE Weekly Newsletter, its full of tips, advice, product reviews and much more.

garage cheaply Would you recommend spray-foam sealing the membrane edge before installing the XPS panels or just gluing the panels over and sealing them tight? David I wouldnt put them over the laminate. If I use these panels do they need to be secured to the concrete? Air flow is good! Chris There are many variations on the floor and yours is another method that many people use. Really need to see what the carpet installer recommends for the carpet on the concrete. Thanks for the great advice, its working! Also, there is old vinyl flooring which is (mostly) intact. Some options I thought of: 1. layer of mil plastic (sealed and taped), then some 1/2 foam(taped at the seams), a thin carpet pad, and then the carpet? 3. Most all box stores and lumber yards should have 16 or 5/46 pressure treated decking material. Yesits exactly what Id expect to happen. Good luck. What about the walls? Also, which size Tapcon screws do you recommend for 3/4 in foam board over the vapor sheet covered by 1/2 in plywood? If you want extra vapor protection you could put down 6 mil polly ahead of the foam. Want to save 10% on a major purchase at Lowe's? As a single woman, I feel empowered to do great things to my home on my own. I was unable to find high load foam in less than full lift quantities. I am looking ahead and Im thinking about putting a laminate hardwood down. or are some concrete wall (that youll frame in front of), and some walk-out (only wood framed) walls? Thanks again for the help. Sometimes sleepers are easier to fasten down then you can get a good solid plywood layer down. You techniques and building science are definitely sound, and endorsed by other contractors. I am thinking about installing the foam insulation against the walls and installing 2x4s, and some sort of paneling like you did for your storage room. It appears to be CertainTeed fibergalass with perforated white polypropylene backing. The 3/4 foam will provide some comfort (very little vapor barrier) however trying to attach 7/16 sheathing over it will be hard to do. South side of the house has the most moisture but there is a small amount on the north side. I think Im going to re-tape it with Tyvek brand because it doesnt seem to be sticking very well. I do have a sub pump set up but it runs every 2 to 3 min without any effect on the water level under the floor. Yes 5. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Im going to be filling in a low spot where an old sump pit was with some quikrete and top it with self leveling underlayment, but the whole slab is sloped from all sides towards the old pit. Thanks again! Depending on how you answer those then you can select a method. For the foam insulating layer, be sure to use compression-grade rigid foam panels, which are designed for installation beneath concrete slabs and will bear up under the weight if the new floor will continue to support vehicles. Option 2. add foam to the step above; So it would be poly foam advantech, Option 3. thicker foam and advantech no poly. This would keep me under 3/4. Add a second layer of 1/2-inch plywood over the first layer, running this layer perpendicular to the first, with the same spacing. If you use poly you are correct, there will be some holes, its still better than no poly. I am planning on just bring the foam & plywood flooring 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the drywall walls, and spray foaming the gap.

like Conseal 1000? Remodeling my basement, on top of the concrete floor there is an asphalt tile that is a real pain to get off was wondering if I had to remove that before putting the floor down?

How To Insulate Basement Walls Insulating a basement properly is rather challenging in cold climates.

Find Remodeling Contractors. 1. Have you any thoughts about this product? Does the specification for it mention what type of sub-floor restrictions if any it has? 4. My house has a perimeter wall with beam/post supports sitting on reinforced footings I recently installed into my poured concrete basement slab. No, I was referring to this article from 2009: http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/5-thermal-control/basement-insulation/?searchterm=vapor%20barrier, The best insulations to use are foam based and should allow the foundation wall assembly to dry inwards.. Mike Youre very welcome and I hope youll come back often for other projects! If you agree that I am on the right track you will have succeeded in removing a HUGE road block in my project!!!! I have also read about keeping the vapor barrier on the warm side however since vapor comes from the concrete in this case it may be a bit different. How would you address sloping floors using this subfloor method? With flooring over it it will be quite stable.

The number will really only depend on how well the sheathing sits down on the floor. For really dry basements you can put the foam directly down. 1.

We are putting laminate wood flooring in a basement of a our 1 year old home. Rather than removing the rest of the tile and doing that hellish job, could I put Delta FL or a similar product, then lay vinyl planks on that? Main question is how to make the floor level enough for tile and create warmth and a vapor barrier. the sill plate there is likely treated (though i have yet to open the wall to verify). In response to the comment regarding placing a vapor barrier down, then the tiles, i was in contact with a rep for barricade tiles and I asked: Should we install a 6 mil vapor barrier first, and then place the tiles on top of that, for better protection vs possible moisture seeping through the tiles up into the finished floor?, Response from the rep: No, do not install vapor barrier. If water gets under your floor you need to worry about any wood, carpet, etc that has food for mold. However, I think putting it over the Delta-FL would be ok. Could contraction cause a problem with such an arrangement? Leave a 1/4-inch gap around the perimeter. Background #3: We do plan to put a pool table in the basement. Be sure to seal the foam seams. when installed on XPS? The trouble with plywood on top of that product is youll have to fasten it down, resulting in holes in the membrane. I think Ill look into the flush beam, i have a 30x40 ranch and it seems as though that would be pretty straight forward. This way you help prevent water from coming up from below. I wouldnt do the utility room floor. My experience tells me that the poly wont hurt their product and it wont affect how it sits on the floor. (: I have one room that has a low point at 77 and everything else is ok. We water proofed the basement, but I would still like to keep the drain open. Put the non-load bearing walls on top of the AdvanTech. Question: What are your thoughts on forgoing the radiant heating if I insulate with this method? I have a question, and could really use your advice I insulated my basement with 2 XPS, sealed the joints with Great Stuff, and sprayed 2lb closed cell foam in the rim joists. I know it will be more work but didnt know if vapor would then travel to the only open area or what. So any choice in the insulated sub-floor must account for that minimum height including the finished ceiling construction. Is the need to foam all edges and create a vapor barrier not as great with the floor?

Are you sure that youve got no water problems? Id bring the flooring up tight to the foam. The intent is vacation home and we are about to renovate the garage into bedrooms. 6mil poly, 1 foam and then the Avantech? Any potential leakage would still get to the drain and there would be an air gap too. I would leave the gap open, that way if any water does get behind the XPS is will fall into that gap. Stairs are designed such that each step rises the same amount with only a very small allowance for differences. 1. Following the slope is also fine so long as you dont mind the slope. Youll need several inches to install a drop ceiling is why I was asking, further reducing the available head-room you have. You can attach wood sleepers to the floor, fill the gaps with rigid-foam insulation, and then apply a subfloor and finish flooring. Beneath the subfloor, we are putting PT sleepers around the perimeter of the room and then encasing the foamboard between the sleepers, alternating with sleepers in between each foam board sheet. So around here we try to have stairs be 7 rise with a maximum deviation of 1/2 from stair to stair. Depending on the age of the tile there is a very good chance it contains asbestos. It certainly wont hurt.how much good it does is hard to say. Thank you for the reply. With all the rain weve had the floor is dry, and Ive done the plastic taped to the floor test and no moisture. 2. Regular 1 blue board or pink would also work fine. Should I use a vapor barrier? As mentioned in one of your responses that I could go with foam and advantec board on top of it without using sleepers if height is an issue.But if i use less than 1 inch of foam, you recommend using poly first, then half inch foam and then 3/4 advantec. It doesnt really matter much which you frame first, if you do the wall first you might need blocking in the wall after the floor goes in to help with base trim. I am going to be working on the flooring in my basement. 1/2 will work if you dont have sleepers. It will oxidize and corrode. 3. If glueing sleepers is a bad idea, is that just your opinion or is there some documentation I can refer my builder to (because unless he changes his recomendation, I will go with what he recommends). im not sure i follow you on the flashing. Will DriCore, Delta-Fl or Barricade tiles prevent inwards drying and cause wetness to be trapped underneath? (Vapor barrier towards the warm side???) Thanks. Thanks from Chicago! one other question, i have a plumbing clean out access in the floor. 1. Regarding the issue of flatness of the concrete: could self-leveling cement address this? Other structural methods can be used if there is major heaving or leaning of the slab. Thanks for your help, Frank. I have a basement floor that slopes towards a drain in the middle. 2) I was going to place OSB directly ontop of XPS (do you have a reco on thickness? Second, You say, This method works great if you dont have many doors and you can deal with the higher sub-floor at the stairs. Dealing with the higher sub-floor at the stairs is what Im unsure of. I really like this forum, it is very informative and useful. Complete one row at a time across the room allowing for a 1/4 gap around walls and room obstructions. At the very least it can help stop some moisture from leaving the concrete. The XPS acts as a vapor barrier and keeps that moisture from entering the framing. Due to ceiling heights, can we remove the sleepers, and put advantech directly on the Styrofoam? Im finishing my basement this summer and I am so grateful to this site for all the info it contains. Or are there concerns with water vapor having direct contact with the subfloor in that case? There is no moisture down near the floor, gradually more all the way up to the 2lb spray foam, which is right at ground level. There are no columns at all. If so Suggestions. I will note that Mike Holmes (of the Canadian HGTV show Holmes on Homes, Holmes in New Orleans & Homes Inspection) did a show on the same technique for finishing a basement, and has stated this method for numerous shows of basement (and upstairs) renovations. #1 The flooring can float (laminate), but the sub-floor should be fastened. Thank you. In an effort to save headroom in my basement, I would like to install pt 24 (ripped to 1 height) sleepers directly on the concrete 16 O.C, put 1 rigid foam in between the sleepers, and 3/4 T&G on top.

Honestly, floors are nice to insulate but not necessary. In fact, we wont build a house today without it! Going to be finishing basement and had questions about insulating the concrete floor. I get it because of all the interesting questions and the GREAT responses. Following your recommended methods for insulating floors and walls, should I insulate and put in the walls first, or the subfloor first? Hi Todd, Thank you for this great set of articles. My idea was to trim about 1 to 1.5 inches off the bottom of the last step(what is currently sitting on the concrete basement floor). right now i have fiberglass blanket against the concrete walls installed by the builder ? 2. 3.Or can I get away with 1/2 inch foam with poly under it as height is an issue? I just want to confirm that I dont need the 1/4 gap anymore since the wall foam board will go on top of it. Thanks for the suggestion Todd. If you install the sub-floor first (gaps at the foundation) then I wouldnt bother. based on the new finished basement slab elevation. 3. for my upstairs floor (which the basement is under): would my hardwood floors be warmer if i sprayed 1 of CCF on the underside of the subfloor? I can say that many of the blanket insulation products have worked ok and some have not. You can order them online at http://www.homedepot.com. Any suggestions for a way to go would be very helpful. I think as long as you put down the foam and seal the seams well there will be no issue. Its been 3 months and two floodings without a playroom or an office! Do you think 3/4 XPS is worth it? Tape the seams of the foam panels with heavy-duty construction tape. Im really not sure. I just wanted to say THANK YOU as I have used the techniques described here and have been beyond satisfied with the results. Todd, would you secure it to the concrete or leave it floating? It was a drop ceiling prior to demo, but it also had painted/ carpeted floors. Be nice. Just wanted to share that to everybody here in the forum.

It seems the original owner intended on using this room as a garage. I think that having the air space under the panels is sufficient to help with drying. I am trying to avoid any wood on the floor as I know that water mishaps are inevitable in the basement (hot water tank, washer, sink, watermain) so im not as concerned with the moisture in the concrete. Ive been looking for Foamular 250 1 for my subfloor however, Ive struck out everywhere only finding 2. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. An insulated floor can make a garage much more comfortable to work in during cold weather, and it can make a garage conversion much more pleasant to live in. I have a home that was built in 1920, Chicago, with cinder block foundation. Otherwise youll have a code violation and trip hazard. (6 years old)..I will only be finishing off roughly 3/4 of the basement..my initial plan for the floor was, poly liner, 3/4 osb then carpet..if I skip the foamboard for a cost savings, will the poly along be ok? Is it OK to bury the drain in the middle of the room with something like self-leveling compound? drop-ceiling type) or paneling. We plan on building a wall which will have 3 bedroom doors throughout the entire distance. 2. new home with no water issues. Steve Thanks for sharing. Aside from that if it were me, Id get up the old tiles, level the floor (either self leveler or wood sleepers), then foam, then sub-floor. Which type do you guys use? 1. :).

3) Are the PT sleepers truly needed? If the XPS is glued to the slab and the sleepers are nailed to it, since this is new construction, they would be attached to a very young slab. We have had record rainfall for the last couple of months and overall for the year and not a drop (knock wood) in the basement. I plan to get the finished part of the basement, spray foamed (closed form) for 2 inches but since there is not much space behind the furnace and the water heater, I am not sure what to do with it. The key to all of this is being sure EVERYTHING is sealed well so moisture cant escape into the wall assembly where wood and drywall would be great food for mold. Its why I write the articles. @ Betty The floor guys dont care much about the wall issues! The floors can be quite comfortable that way as well. These cookies do not store any personal information. But since the ground is so wet Im concerned about vapor coming up through the concrete. Can I use laminate flooring instead ? If it were my place Id at least cut a small hole and inspect it. I thought it would be good to place a 6 mil barrier too, but according to them, they say no. I am having trouble finding 1H.D. Use some of the sub-floor products like: DRIcore, TYROC , these will give you separation from the concrete with no insulation. I would use AdvanTech, regular OSB would be a disaster if you ever get water, pressure treated isnt the best option in a finished space in my opinion, chemicals! I am wondering if what I want to do is a good idea or bad idea: We have a basement in Maine that is unfinished. 2. What are your thoughts? So how did you do it? And as I understand it, sealants arent any more of a vapor barrier than the 3/4 XPS which has a permeability of about 2. Hi Todd, Guess what NO QUESTION! Is there a different subfloor strategy you would recommend knowing we have a good barrier under? Day 4 clean up, remove shoring. We will ultimately put down laminate flooring. Thanks! Good luck. Can I put trim over it to make it look nice? If you install sleepers there are fewer anchors but you need to nail/screw the sub-floor down to the sleepers. .just a thought on this topic: .would 3 tar-tape be effective on slabs cracks in this particular situation? Id use PT sleepers along with AdvanTech floor sheathing and call it good. The subfloor tiles are really great for folks with little DIY experience and clearance issues as they provide one of the thinnest insulated options. Now about half of the wall has mould growing and the drywall is very soft for about 2 feet from the floor. Wed like to finish the front section of our basement (11 x 17 x 80) in our 1880 fieldstone foundation New England home to use as play space and exercise room. No need to insulate the ceiling above unless youre worried about getting too much heat above. Hi Todd, Im looking to finish my basement (w/ no water issues) using the foam board insulation and framing recommendations youve made along with a Dricore subfloor with carpeting. XPS foam can be purchased in at least two compressive strengths. First you need to be sure the floor is clean. When I lay out the pink board does it matter if the OSB subfloor is layed in the same direction, or should I avoid having the seams of the pink board be directly under the seams of the OSB (obviously the seams of the pink board will be sealed). Is it common practice to build that strip footing in under the concrete floor? Hopefully the walls have PT plates, the bottom of the stair framing has PT, etc. There are a lot websites that recommend this type of installation but they are mostly forums and contractors/DIY websites. If the garage will still be used to store vehicles, smooth the transition between the raised flooring surface and the outside driveway by installing threshold strips of the appropriate size. Here is a link to their site: http://www.certainteed.com/resources/30211339.pdf. All Dow Spray Foam including Enerfoam, Great Stuff and Froth Pak brands are closed-cell foam. http://www.theenergyconscious.com/greatstuff-dow.html. I was also thinking going with the mold-resistant drywall. Do you know of any documentation that could stand up to the scrutinous permitting officials? In looking through NH codes, I found that NHs code is 7 minimum (https://www.concordnh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9288), so I may be in luck.

no gaps? Obviously there is no perfect solution. I have a question about insulating my basement floor. Ive had small periodic leaks from the windows and the first floor in high winds and every time I get it fixed it seems like another pops up in a year or two. He has written more than a dozen books related to home renovation, repair, and maintenance and contributed to another dozen. Lay sheets of high-density rigid foam over the polyethylene. This would help you get the concrete floor closer. I intend to follow your recommendations for wall construction but am stuck on choosing the best flooring option. 1) putting down 1 t&g Dow foam to the wall 2) tape the seams 3) put 3/4 t&g floor decking down leaving 1/4 gap from the wall 4) use Great Stuff to fill the gap between the wall and the decking. Do you want to remove the furnace? When slab insulation is provided, a sheet polyethylene vapor barrier should be located over the rigid insulation and in direct contact with the concrete slab. If soid leave a small gap between plywood and top of wall (plywood needs to be attached to plate for seismic so not a big gap). Maybe Im just overthinking this, but I really want my basement to not smell like, well, a basement. Can you comment on the following? Day 2 cut old joists. i suppose if i left a gap for that moisture to escape, that moisture would just rise up and be trapped in the cavity between my finished basement wall and the subfloor joists of my main living floor (which doesnt sound great either). Im about to redo the lower level of my bi-level (living space is on slab and one wall is earth bound). Since a heavy pool table is 1,000lb, no problem. 1/2 is more of a pad than an insulating layer. I plan on using 1 1/2 rigid foam panels on the walls before framing, but still am up in the air as to how to insulate the cellar floor. Much more costly? Ive been reading some of the post about the Advantech and I like the idea mainly because its seems like this method would not cut down on my ceiling height. In your situation you might want to consider not insulating the floor or possibly installing an electric radiant heat system covered with a thin layer of flowable fill. We live in the MidWest so the basement gets cool under your feet. I would lay a sheet of poly down first, even though youll be drilling or shooting fasteners through it into the concrete. I plan on using 2 XPS on the walls and then insulate the floor the way you described. Condensation. In fact their specs say you need a sub-floor capable of meeting a L/360 Deflection limit. Use foam board adhesive along the bottom of the sleepers and also attach the sleepers to the concrete using masonry nails or a. Now my questions our basement is poured concrete with pieces of metal in concrete about every 4 feet they kinda look like a divider and are only about eighth inch thick. wouldnt this save money and ceiling height as well? Great site! I dont think they carry the 250 in 1 size (or at least not in stock.however they do have 3/4 250 in stock). I have the following questions about your described design. 4.

If I use the compound, is 2 3/4 too thick? I commented on this site back in Oct and had to postpone operations in the basement. floor buildblock decking icf roofing roof downloads slab floor concrete edge insulation heat insulate loss insulated around homestylegreen



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