A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part. Jon,--thanks. 3,056,074CA Patent No. It turns out Joe isn't much of a fan of plastic sheeting anywhere, I guess! tall dimples to create air space and a moisture barrier between the concrete and the plywood. Opening basement windows helps reduce negative air pressure, diluting radon with clean outdoor air. Also if we should put anything else below the pad. It is the only carpet padding I am aware of that has an R-value of 4.5 and contains no BHT, which makes this padding very mildew resistant. Which type of dentition is present in scoliodon? I don't see any downside to installing polyethylene, as long as you make sure that the interface between the polyethylene and the carpeting doesn't squeak when you walk on it. At least 95% of heat loss will be from leaking windows and doors, lack of insulation in the attic not the floors. A carpet remnant (permeable) is laid not installed; it's a large area rug. What Is the Optimal Temperature for a Greenhouse? Install dimpled polyethylene to create an air space between the concrete and the finished floor, sealing off dampness and giving moisture a chance to dissipate. It reads as if Mark is going forward with the carpet after considering the risk, and will just have to manage the indoor humidity carefully in summer. The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. It may turn out to be slightly less than this (my Manual J program didn't give me credit for the approx. Our basement, with no headroom to spare and the needed soft surface for a basement rec room. info@insofast.com, Monday Thursday: 8am 5:30pm See what goes into waterproofing a basement, too. Epoxy and Concrete Paint. If you're going with just the vapor barrier under the carpet approach, use something a LOT heaver than 6 mil polyethylene, since it will behave a slip surface under the carpet underlayment and will likely abrade through in high traffic areas well before the carpet needs replacing. Add an insulating layer under your carpet or floor-covering - try a fibreboard underlay or polyfoam board. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. This is your one-stop encyclopedia that has numerous frequently asked questions answered.
Basement Carpeting: Installing Carpeting In a Finished Basement, How to Remove and Replace a Small Concrete Entry Pad, How to Finish, Frame, and Insulate a Basement, How to Install Basement Windows and Satisfy Egress Codes, Basement Waterproofing: How to Install a Basement Drainage System, Metal Studs: How to Use and Frame With Metal Studs, Damp Basement: Finding Leaks and Water Sources, How to Install Under Cabinet Lighting in Your Kitchen, We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer). You can attach wood sleepers to the floor, fill the gaps with rigid-foam insulation, and then apply a subfloor and finish flooring. It's also the best carpet underlay for underfloor heating as it allows heat from the underfloor panels to escape into the room efficiently. You then have two options, depending on your circumstances.
Also, be sure your basement floor is level. As the walls cool the warm air, moisture is created, just like condensation on a cold beer on a hot summer day. The simpler solution would to use something other than carpet, something that won't grow mold, or trap materials that can grow mold the way a carpet can. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested! 6 mil polyethylene) under the carpet pad and carpet? Saturday / Sunday:CLOSED. Glued down: Bond the panels in place with a 3/8 bead of PL Premium 3X Stronger Construction Adhesive along the dove-tailed ribbing of each stud. When I tore out the old carpet it was quite filthy, but I cant say I saw any visible mold, etc. As a general rule, you can lay carpet over concrete. Do Not Sell My Personal Information CA Residents. You must be a magazine subscriber to access this feature.
Call us today to explore our great products! Before you start, make sure the concrete slab is in good condition, level, and free of excess moisture. Sealing your basement floor before installing carpet is a. When sealing basement floors and foundation walls the best concrete sealers to use are the Lithi-Tek 4500 primer followed by the Siloxa-Tek 8510 waterproofing sealer. A forum community dedicated to Do it yourself-ers and home improvement enthusiasts. Since I cant expect any drying from the inside down under any circumstances, it seems best to at least reduce the possibility of moisture coming up. Whether you plan on finishing your basement space or keeping it in its original state, it is important to apply a waterproof sealant to the concrete floor in order to lock out moisture. Do not use on coated surfaces.
Option B (in the photo) will work on a concrete floor that has no persistent dampness, seepage or leakage. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Our team has collected thousands of questions that people keep asking in forums, blogs and in Google questions. It will make carpeted, laminate, and wood floors feel softer and more comfortable. 10,773,882US Patent No. Add the plywood layer on top and anchor it to the concrete with 15 concrete screws (predrilled and countersunk) per 4 x 8-ft. sheet. Option B is sufficient if your floor is generally dry except for small amounts of moisture evaporating through the slab. The initial layer is a durable high-density polyethylene sheet or similar system that uses evenly spaced 3/8-in. Sealing all cracks and applying non-porous, thick epoxy coatings (over 10 MILS dry film thickness) would be a better step. Mark, Any suggestions would be great such as lbs density to type of padding to use. plywood, carpet pad and carpet as shown. Unless you can design or retrofit your basement slab to be warm and dry, avoid wall-to-wall carpet as a floor finish. Our experts have done a research to get accurate and detailed answers for you. Allow the concrete floor to dry thoroughly. It provides the best coverage and R-value and and functions as a moisture barrier in and of itself. Prevent damp basement floors from ruining carpet and other finished flooring.
For the best results, lift it up off of the floor and use boxes or crates to hold it up. TILE GUY - retired- TROY, MI - Method & Product suitability consulting. See here for an expert who recommends not using polyethylene. Yes, the slab in mid-summer will be above the deep subsoil temperatures, but determining how much above the deep subsoil temps is a complex to model with lots of important factors that can't be known without intimate knowledge of the local soil strata & types, the distance from the water table, etc. Where is the sanctuary basement fallout 4? Apply a concrete sealer to block moisture or install a vapor barrier on the concrete floor prior to installing the InSoFast panels unless youre working with new construction with a vapor barrier already installed underneath the slab. I helped a friend install them in his basement (CZ3) after he pulled up the carpet installed by the previous owner. My Manual J calcs indicate the floor will constitute 35% of my winter heat loss, which is a LOT considering the modest insulation of the walls and ceiling, and that the house has a relatively compact ground footprint (square shape, 1.5 stories). Were going to put wall-to-wall carpet down ( a long story, but thats the outcome). This method can be used for carpet, laminate and wood floors. There is a carpet cushion that a friend imports, made especially to insulate concrete floors and is also moisture resistant. Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you startyoull save time and frustration. And both of the options use the same layers of 1/2-in. Sealing the basement floor can help reduce the amount of radon entering the home. Insulate it quickly and cost-effectively with InSoFast EPS foam insulation panels! You can also install it yourself, however, you need many specialized tools. Paint is generally your cheapest basement floor option. Home House & Components Rooms Basement Basement Flooring, By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine.
Use Option A to keep your floor dry if you have damp floors in your basement. But if you use fiberglass insulation batts, then a moisture barrier will prevent water and moisture from entering your walls and creating mold and mildew.
Become a GBA Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more. In addition, carpet is one of the most flexible floor-covering materials, so even if your cement floor is not perfectly level, carpet can be installed right over it, without the need to level the floor or otherwise prep it first. The R3-R4 is enough to keep the temperature of the underside of the carpet warm enough to mitigate that issue. It also is not adversely affected by moisture contact. Tools and supplies? Are Expensive Building Components Necessary? Rinse the floor with clear, hot water. KILZ Bonding Primer. You can use epoxy on wood and concrete.
Home Depot (and probably others) used to sell a hardwood flooring system comprised of plastic underlayment w/adhesive strip and foam backed hardwood planks. For a dry, mold-free finished basement floor, always install a vapor barrier before laying a wood subfloor or carpet pad. Its ultra viscous synthetic latex resins make great replacements to tackless strips. InSoFast panels alone will raise the floor by 2- to 2-inches. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Any kind of persistent moisture will allow mold to get a foothold and soon ruin carpet or wood flooring. Before you proceed, consult a local building inspector to determine specific building codes for this type of project. I pulled it up to look at it looks like there is wood down and a pad with the carpet on top. on the surface or backing. Its the initial layer that differs. I think we are getting a good amount of heat loss through our floor and want to know a better way to insulate it and put new carpeting down. It can be used on uncoated interior/exterior surfaces such as: concrete, masonry, stucco, cinder block and any porous stone or brick. Concrete Stain and Sealer. Sealing helps protect the concrete from any spills, and give you peace of mind knowing the surface your carpet is setting on is as moisture proof as you can make it. Thanks very much for the input.
All this over our concrete slab. When posting in forums, letting us know your location will help others give better feedback/advice/solutions to your questions. We are working on a :budget restricted fix-up of a house near Dayton, Ohio (Zone 5). The 6-mil layer of plastic helps to minimize potential moisture migration up into the plywood. Both can cause a surprising amount of moisture to be put into the air. Subfloor over a concrete slab with wall-to-wall carpet. Sponge rubber underlay Sponge rubber underlay is very durable and great for sound reduction which makes it one of the best carpet underlays for concrete floors. D863,599CA Patent No. I wish it were practical for me to get a warm surface under the carpet and pad to reduce the amount of time the fibrous material spends below the dew point (an insulated sub-floor layer, etc) , but I think Im going to have to be content with something less ambitious. The previous owner had pets and of course pet urine soaked through into the concrete. The floor is concrete slab on grade, and has had asbestos and then vinyl tiles applied to it in the past, and most recently had carpet over this. Finally, note that these options will raise your floor by 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 in., so make sure this added height wont create problems. A similar product is DriCore R+ : a foam plus OSB click lock tile (so no tapcons needed). Concrete stain is another inexpensive option. It doubles as a seam adhesive to stop the edges of the carpet from getting frayed. I am going with a R-2.1 insulation pad with Shaw Anso Nylon. The versatile closed-cell, injection-molded InSoFast panels feature a continuous R-value of 8.5 to 10, rot-resistant framing, drainage channels, electrical raceways, and tightly interlocking tongue-and-groove edges that dont require taping. There are four basic methods for installing InSoFast floor insulation: Floating: The simplest, quickest installation involves placing the panels directly on the concrete without any adhesive. Designing a house to work well without mechanical dehumidification or air conditioning would be best practice, and that requires at least keeping the carpet underlayment above the outdoor dew point. Have you thought about converting your garage but are stumped about what to do with the cold uninsulated concrete slab floor? My question: In this situation, is it advisable to put down a vapor barrier (e.g. Fully adhered: If you want to install a tile floor, set the InSoFast panels in a bed of thin-set tile adhesive to create a solid base that eliminates movement. When youre converting your garage, theres little question that InSoFast panels are the best way to insulate the concrete floor. InSoFast is a style of engineered continuous insulation that comes in 24-inch x 48-inch interlocking panels of varying depths. But just sealing the cracks would be unlikely to reduce those amounts in the long term. Opening windows improves air circulation and ventilation, helping move radon out of the house and mixing radon-free outside air with indoor air. With an insulating carpet above the slab the slab temperature can be low enough to create a mold problem at the deeper levels of the carpet. Low spots should be filled in with concrete patch or concrete floor leveler. 2,761,810US & Foreign Patent PendingManufacturing in MA, MN, IDMade in the USA, (651) 653-3677 It still needs a vapor barrier, else all the moisture ends up in the room anyway through the edges. Heres a list. So, feel free to use this information and benefit from expert answers to the questions you are interested in! We recommend our users to update the browser.
The solution (which you already alluded to) would be to install 3/4-1" of EPS over the slab held down with a subfloor TapConned to the slab. The house is slab-on-grade with solid masonry walls (we are adding 1.5 of polyioso to the interior of them). See what goes into waterproofing a basement, too. For tack strip-free installation, use an industrial carpet adhesive called carpet seam epoxy. Screwed down: For any type of flooring, InSoFast panels can be attached to the concrete floor by installing concrete screws through the studs. For below-grade slabs, assume that the concrete floor will get damp at some point. JavaScript is disabled. I have a family room that is 24x11 and it currently has carpet on it. Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Friday: 8am 5pm Ideally, you will excavate the perimeter of your house about 2 feet, so that you can install a 2-foot-high strip of vertical rigid foam (1.5 or 2 inches thick) at the slab perimeter. Remove all dirt and debris from the concrete floor. Subflooring (a minimum of -inch is required on top of the InSoFast panels) and your choice of floor covering will reduce the clearance further, so plan accordingly for the best results. Instead, rent high volume fans and structural drying dehumidifiers. Enter Our Dog Days of Summer BBQ Giveaway Now! This feature has been temporarily disabled during the beta site preview. There is a down side to installing carpet on an uninsulated slab in your location. An epoxy-coated basement floor is one of the best ways to maintain and preserve your space. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sealing your basement floor before installing carpet is a good idea. Concrete provides a stable subfloor for carpet, and carpet can be installed on it using the tried and true method that virtually all carpet installation contractors use. 
US Patent No. Helping You to Do It Yourself! Dimpled polyethylene underlayment is available from home centers, flooring suppliers or online. But a mere inch of foam renders it irrelevant. Basement condensation occurs when warm, moist air comes in contact with your cool basement walls and floor. Mop the concrete floor using a bleach solution. KILZ Concrete & Masonry Bonding Primer is specially formulated to optimize the adhesion of masonry coatings. (30 mil polyethylene is probabaly enough, or perhaps EPDM membrane roofing.). Continue drying the floor until your dampness test with the plastic square stays dry overnight. Seal the concrete floor using a commercial sealing product. Draught-proofing - simply use sealant or caulking to fill the gaps between your floorboards and between skirting boards and the floor. Welcome to FAQ Blog! Des. For a dry, mold-free finished basement floor, always install a vapor barrier before laying a wood subfloor or carpet pad.
There are two ways to handle insulating concrete floors. Installing carpet also helps to insulate the interior of a basement by keeping the floor warm in cold weather. The walls of the home are solid masonry (a wythe of concrete "bricks" on the outside, with an inner wythe of CMU blocks covered with stucco/plaster in the interior). Martin, I had plans to install some perimeter insulation, but now wonder if, in the particular case of this house, it is worth the effort. Use fans and dehumidifiers to dry wet carpeting in the basement. Before installing carpet over concrete, it's best to ensure the concrete surface is smooth, level, free of imperfections and sealed. Option A can be applied on concrete where theres a higher risk of some dampness. Any kind of persistent moisture will allow mold to get a foothold and soon ruin carpet or wood flooring. We have now insulated the interior of these walls with 1.75" of polyiso, but that thick, cold block still sits atop the slab/footer and will be effectively keeping that slab edge cold all winter long even if I insulate the slab edge above grade and a foot or two down. Approximately 75% of the slab is covered with these tiles, and the rest has various amounts of mastic or glue. Radonseal is a silicate based sealer and just about every commerical construction job requiring a concrete sealer specifies that only a silicate based product. Install the UX 2.o or EXi 2.5 panel to warm up the garage and provide the perfect foundation for finish flooring, such as carpeting. 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Dry the FloorA dehumidifier can help draw out the water, or a floor fan can help circulate the air and speed evaporation of the dampness. From what I have gathered, Radonseal claims to be better at sealing then DryLok. Regular carpet paddings have a negligible R factor, certainly under 1. All, Lay the sheet over the concrete floor (dimples down), overlap adjacent edges and tape the seams. Installing Rigid Foam Above Roof Sheathing, Climate Activists React to Dont Look Up. Note that summer slab temperature will be above deep subsoil temperature and that it's indoor (controllable by the occupant with AC or dehumidification), not outdoor dew point that will determine if there is condensation in the carpet.