Dricore or other option for basement subfloor?
Getting ready to install flooring in my basement remodel. Concrete slab is in pretty good shape. A few hairline cracks in a few spots but nothing major. It’s dry, house was built in 2012 and has a vapor barrier beneath the concrete.
I’m planning to install 8mm LVP plank w/ pad but am not sure if I want to just lay it directly on the concrete as some have recommended. The floors definitely need to be leveled in a few spots and I’ll use self leveling concrete to do that.
Hoping to make a nice thermal break to keep the floors warmer. I’m trying to limit subfloor height to 1″ or less.
My old house had laminate in the basement with DMX Airflow (dimple mat) beneath. It was OK, but the floors felt squishy in spots which I didn’t care for too much.
I’ve been looking at the Dricore products (R+ and Insul-Armor) which both look like they’ll provide a warm level subbase. However, there is a premium and I’m not sure if these are worth it. Worth going with a product line DMX Onestep?
I know I can make my own subfloor with rigid insulation and plywood, but I’m trying to keep the assembly 1″ or less and I don’t want to Tapcon the plywood into the concrete.
Wondering if others had input/experience on the Dricore stuff. The Insul-armor that they sell is on sale at Lowes right now for cheaper than the regular Dricore but not sure if it’s worth the cost/benefit instead of just using a dimple mat product.
Advice and any input is greatly appreciated.
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I hate Dricore.
I hate it because of the way they market it. They imply rather heavily that you want an air channel under your floor to let the concrete "breathe."
You don't.
I'm going to self level and then use DMX one step to float a 3/4 engineered hardwood on top of it. I have under slab insulation and poly too. I would only use Dricore for a glue assist staple installation, but that requires tapcon fastening the squares and an extra layer of OSB or plywood. You lose more room height with that install, not to mention it's a bit pricey.
Take a look at DMX-1 step underlayment.
The DMX product is about 1,000 dollars cheaper than the Dricore, so it is definitely attractive thought. However, a bit worried about a "squishy" feeling when walking on it. Also was hoping to get some R value w/ rigid insulation.
The Insul-Armor that Dricore markets looks like an interesting product, just not sure if it's worth the premium cost.
Buy one roll for less than $100 and put it down with the LVP and walk on it. It should feel even better once its locked in place as a whole floor.
I've used DMX many times under LVP and it felt fine.
Long term, you don’t want anything with any kind of flex under LVP. The joints are basically micro-mitered, but not very resistant to breakage. I laid LVL down directly over tile (the product is specked to bridge 1/4” gaps) after hitting any high spots with a diamond cup. The LVL product (HD Lifeproof) is waterproof, and incorporates 1mm underlayment treated with an anti microbial. It ticked all the boxes for me.
In retrospect, I would have completely removed the tile and used self leveler everywhere (expensive!) as a base as the areas where this was done are perfect after 4-5 years, but with the tile substrate, you can detect floor variations as you walk around, even through they are not visible. With leveler, there are no seams or gaps anywhere, and direct to concrete will reduce the chance for mold etc. If doing a subfloor and space permitting (on a slab with no insulation), I would want 2” of higher density foam and a 3/4” T&G sub floor for LVL. Regardless you’d want a very smooth and level concrete floor to start.
The LVL directly over tile/concrete is much warmer on the feet just due to reduced conductivity/
If I end up going making my own Dricore w/ rigid insulation and plywood or OSB, what is the thinnest assembly I can use? I would want to use 1/2" foam, but what about the wood? Can that be 1/2" as well or too thin?