Basement Flooring
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| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
I’m in the process of finishing a basement rumpus room for the kids and would like to put 1/4” rubber flooring over the basement concrete floor.
– is there moisture test I need to perform before covering the concrete and potential limitations on floor coverings?
– Are there flooring products/procedures that work best in the basement?
During home construction, a curtain drain was installed up slope, burrito footing drain tile installed properly, and gutter downspouts tight lined away from the house. currently, there are no signs of excess moisture in the basement and no dank smell.
Thanks
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Replies
Frank,
As long as your basement shows no signs of water entry or moisture problems, I see no reason why you can't install the rubber flooring.
That said, any time you are installing flooring on a basement slab, you have an opportunity to improve the floor's R-value. Do you know if your slab has any foam insulation underneath? What is your climate zone?
If you live in a cold climate and your slab is uninsulated, it's always a good idea to install at least 2 inches of rigid foam between the slab and the new flooring. If you go this route, you'll probably need to install plywood subflooring on top of the rigid foam.
Frank,
In addition, if you live in a humid or semi-humid climate, there is a good chance that any humidity or moisture wicking through the concrete slab dries out before it shows. If your slab does not have a moisture/vapor barrier under the concrete, I would consider applying a concrete sealer and/or epoxy on top before I install the 2” rigid foam and plywood Martin talked about. I would even consider doing same on unfinished walls.
Are you gluing the rubber? You may find this informative for gluing and/or epoxy. http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-003-concrete-floor-problems/?searchterm=slab%20covering
Thanks for the feedback. I do have 2 inches of foam under the slab.
I've opted for a floating click cork floor and the installation instructions detail a 6 mil vapor barrier under the flooring However, that seems contradictory to the building science article above which advises no barrier - concrete should breath to the interior of the space . Half of my basement will be finished, other half utility space...so will it breath to through the utility space? Is concrete that smart?
thanks
Seattle, marine zone 4