Adapted construction techniques or a special drainage system, such as perimeter drain tile and a sump pump, may be necessary to ensure that the garage floor remains dry enough to maintain a safe, healthy living space. Thanks from Chicago! Im assuming the damp floor is due to the humidity in summer. We are putting laminate wood flooring in a basement of a our 1 year old home. I had an idea to modify your method and I wanted to run it by you. Its a great system for any minor moisture issues. My basement is currently finished on the outside walls and flooring. 1. All I find is bad reviews. Im more familiar with the Sikaflex, its a good product. Todd- What can you tell me about using Platon for a dry/insulating layer instead of foam? Todd great site. Weve found that installing the sheets vertically is MUCH easier than horizontally. DRI-Core is a great product and weve used it before. 4)for the utility room that has furnace and a storage room, would you reco I just stop the sublfoor in those areas at the partition walls, or try and install into those rooms. The fine line between a perfect world on a piece of paper and the reality of construction. I would try sealing a small area, then testing with a piece of plastic taped over it to see if there is any moisture build up. On the floors, I used 1 high compression XPS with 3/4 Dryply over the top, tapconed to the concrete floor. Any weight concerns.not putting a pool table down thereheaviest thing would be an elliptical. It was built in 2001. Thanks!! I hope youve signed up for my FREE Weekly Newsletter that offers lots of great tips for your home. Would I be able to put 1 XPS glued down with the foam adhesive, and then lay my flooring right on top of this. I was then going to use 1 1/2 foam board on the concrete walls and build my 2 x 4 walls with batt insulation inside the foam board on the walls and on top of the T & G OSB. Retired and this will be my man cave!. Much more costly? Right now we have cement floors. I really enjoy sharing my experiences with folks so Im happy you found the site. Yes. Instead of cutting tapered ones Id run them perpendicular to the slope and cut each row a different thickness. Lets start with what are your goals? Im finishing my basement this summer and I am so grateful to this site for all the info it contains. This should eliminate the need for either the composite decking base or for any pressure treated lumber. Just a little concerned with height (will need to cut bi-fold doors down), but still want to get decent insulation to have a warm floor. Can I put trim over it to make it look nice? In fact, concrete needs water in order to continue the chemical reaction that creates strength. I hope youll consider signing up for our FREE Weekly Newsletter. 3. There is so much misinformation out there concerning basement finishing that I almost gave up my project. Also what do you with the walls around them ? It really wouldnt be much different than installing the tubes on foam board under a concrete slab. Im not sure Id do that.Ive never done itbut the foam may cause some issues with that floor.Id probably stick to fiberglass in that situation. Honestly there really isnt much difference. Im not adding any heat to the basement yet but my family has already noticed the basement is warmer. Background #1: I have a 2 year old home. I highly recommend Tyvek tape because it seals VERY well to foam board. Good luck. Are you going to remove the beam that is supported by the columns? Would the 3/4 be ok? For leveling yes, for insulating no. Greg At least here in this part of the Country most inspectors are used to the detail. If you really want to go that route Id try to find a really good urethane foam adhesive as urethane adhesives work very well. heres my odd question: i live near seattle and our 1979 home doesnt have quite the seismic restraint i would like to see, especially since we have cripple walls on 3/4 of the basement walls. It might be possible to install the extra strong foam board, then the membrane, then scratch coat, then tile but Ive never done it so I hesitate to recommend that approach. Todd Scanned in teh FH article, but see no way to attach it to the comments. The basement so far is quite dry (sandy soil and good foundation drainage). You can screw the sub-floor through the foam and into the concrete. While not warm its surely the safest. If anything, put down poly under the plate. #2 does the air space created by the sleepers contribute any insulating effect or add to comfort in some way? I want to put down XPS sheets, but since XPS foam needs to be in direct contact with the floor, do I need to level out this problem with a floor lever first before applying the foam? There are groutable vinyl tiles on the market today that look very nice, get the look of tile without the cracking potential. 6. First off your site is great and very helpful. Frank If youre going to put down flooring its worth putting down a poly vapor barrier, unless you do the 3/4 foam complete over the whole floor (sealed well). 3) Continuing on the above weight concern, regarding the stairs I have yet to build, should I build these to the basement floor (allowing for height of floor on bottom step) or build these onto the sub-floor? You just need to compare pricing and what options are most important to you. That way, i can have water mishaps and not have to gut the place and start over like I am doing now. If you think of them as a large radiant heat/cool surface then its pretty easy to realize that insulating the walls is a good idea. I have engineered floors in my home and they work great. Depending on the age of the tile there is a very good chance it contains asbestos. There are purist that would cringe and wig out over this issue. Great article. one more for you. I just want to be thorough and do things right the first time. There is a drain in the floor that I wanted to keep functional so I was thinking about leaving a 3/4 space between the XPS sheets with the spaces pointing towards the drain. 1. when placing 2 inch xps board on walls what is the correct finish where it meets the the concrete floor? Thanks! same cripple wall: if i did spray foam the cavity where the fiberglass currently resides, and then plywood, would installing 1 or 2 XPS on the plywood (with CCF along the edges), be a good approach instead? drop-ceiling type) or paneling. If so, youll find a good advantage even if you use 1 of closed cell foam board. Basement walls are typically about 50 to 60 degrees year round. I would love to see what you think. Foam is used under your roads especially near bridges. The projects have turned out great. 3. 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). You can install any type of flooring at this point because of the sturdy sub-floor. 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. A concrete floor with minor unevenness can be leveled out with floor leveling compound. Just follow the next link: I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I am removing drywall from finished, uninsulated stud walls in my basement and will have closed cell spray foam applied. Thank you again for helping the general public with your insight. If not, is there a problem installing these over the existing Delta-FL? 3. Your method will work fine. I dont want to use spray foam on the walls becasue if I have to take it off for any reason I heard its hard to come off Whats your option on that too? Again I dont think it will hurt anything to use it, I just think its a bit of belt and suspenders. I guess Id put down some poly, then the Tuff-R. Steve Thanks for sharing. Also Im installing a bathroom with a custom built shower and was wondering if I should put foam under the shower or omit it here. This doesnt seem like a great ideait creates a double vapor barrier situationpossibly trapping moisture around the plywood. I now need to insulate the exterior walls and the 2 walls that border the garage area. How does it match up against the dricore? Also, there is old vinyl flooring which is (mostly) intact. Thats exactly what Id expect to find and thats exactly why I tell people they need 1-1/2 or more of XPS. I would like to insulate my concrete basement floor, however, the floor is slanted which leads to a drain. Youll need to adjust accordingly. Ideally I could give myself some peace of mind by checking the air periodically to confirm it is within safe limits. http://www.homeconstructionimprovement.com/how-to-insulate-basement-walls/, Todd- Fantastic website! Tariq When you use thinner layer of foam you need to install a vapor barrier. They both have pros and cons. He has written more than a dozen books related to home renovation, repair, and maintenance and contributed to another dozen. I do not have a moisture problem as far as I can tell sump well is dry 100% of the time, not moisture marks on the slab or walls. 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. Any suggestions for a way to go would be very helpful. We went 15 into a hill that has a natural sprng in it. i assume youre implying that i shouldnt seal the gap between concrete and plywood so that air/moisture can pass through. If youd like to help me out you can LIKE us on face book or SIGN UP for our email subscriptions. Never attempt to convert a garage to living space if there is a major problem with the slab. 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. Mark The moisture is located between the foam and concrete correct? 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. It really depends on your budget, the level of comfort you want, etc. 1. 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). I am thinking to put in Barricade (2x2 subfloor tile backed with XPS) for the insulation value. Local building supply companies dont carry high compressive strength xps. Or, as demonstrated here, you can cover the slab with rigid-foam insulation, add two layers of plywood, and then add the finish flooring. Thanks again for all your knowledge and assitance! We lived there before we rebuilt the house and never had any water problems and no smell/mold with carpet over slab. So if I were to install the frame directly against the concrete I should first put a vapour barrier in between the concrete and the frame? Todd I live in Lubbock Texas had a lot of rain basement is leaking had about 36 gallons of water I wet vac.up. This is a tough question. No real rule of thumb, I just try to point out to folks that while two, three or even four years might seem like a long time its nothing in the life of a home. My ceiling at the highest spot in the floor is only 86 1/4, not counting a 2-3 drop ceiling due to existing plumbing. Ben You can do it either wayId install it after the framing though so I wouldnt have to worry about smashing it. How far apart should the sleepers be spaced? Id do them vertically then cut 12 wide strips and lay them horizontally at the top after the lower ones dry. Its a one component Polyurethane foam, and is a closed cell foam. This detail doesnt give me all that much heart burn. Question #1 Would an adhesive be sufficient for holding the concrete, xps and advantech together without fasteners? So sure, 3/4 will work, less R value but still way better than no insulation. Essentially that means the top cured faster than the bottom and the edges of the slab curled up. Todd, Your site is the best. At least as strong as the OSB on the Dri-Core? 3. If there are none or very few then the carpentry side of things is somewhat straight forward for a good crew. Friend of mine said to use swimming pool paint to seal the basement floor and walls. Lots of jobs being completed correctly because of your help. Seems to be a closed cell XPS also goes by Green Guard. It really depends on how well everything sits down. 2) Tile the bath room floor as is, building up the level in the center with cementboard in the center and feathering to the sides with mortar before laying Ditra over top for the tiles. If you do the wall first then the sub-floor I think you might consider sealing the gaps to prevent moisture from coming up to the finished floor edges. Subfloors and Underlayment for Ceramic Tile Floors, Laminate Underlayment: What to Know Before Installation, Sealing Your Garage Door to Make It Weathertight, How to Prep a Garage Floor and Apply Epoxy, An In-Depth Look at the Pros and Cons of Concrete Flooring, Fiberglass vs. Clint Thanks for the kind words..never any dumb questionsso hopefully I can help.
retaining basement waterproofing typical timberwise tw36 fastrackcad Kurt AdvanTech is an amazing product. Thanks. Troy The thickness of foam on the floor isnt anywhere as critical as walls. Having said that, if you go to your local lumber yard (one that has an engineering department or specification group) they can generally design the header and tell you what size options are available. Regardless of the approach you choose, XPS has a fairly high compressive strength. I wouldnt bother removing the old wall. Todd,since I do have an issue with height,could i use 1/2 inch foam & put a laminate floor on top,water is not a problem.Thanks for the help. Caulking? In fact, if that sump pit is not longer used, Id fill it in first and then level the floor above it as best you can before you install the foam. 1) I was going to go with 1.5 XPS, tuck tape seems, foam around perimeter that meets ICF foam wall. Those might be very expensive to re-route. A few questions i have 1. I just had a new garage built with a workshop attached. Bearing walls work great in a basement, however, they typically need a thickened slab/footer in order to transfer the bigger loads. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Home Construction & Improvement is a Trademark of Front Steps Media, LLC. 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). 2 questions #1 after reading i assume it is best to fasten floor into place as opposed to a floating floor. I think Im going to re-tape it with Tyvek brand because it doesnt seem to be sticking very well. We do however have an insulated panel to offer. This would help you get the concrete floor closer. #1 The flooring can float (laminate), but the sub-floor should be fastened. Currently we have load bearing beams ran down the center of the house with temporary jacks supporting it. R4 is better than none :) Poly certainly is a good idea. You canbut if you stick with your plan at #1 things will be even worse as the glue wont hold to the paint. typical details call out drilling 2-3 diameter holes, about 6 of them, per 4x8 sheet, to allow moisture to escape. My plan is to use poly, 1 of XPS, PT sleepers, and 3/4 advantech. On this route, do I still need the 1/4 gap between the floor foam board and composite decking? Trying to save myself some work, guess not. So: insulate wallsbring flooring within a quarter inch of wall.spray foam the 1/4 gapstud out on top of subfloor.. Sound OK? A follow-up question on GSPro foamboard adhesive: do you have a rule of thumb for how panels you can bond out of a can? Victoria I highly respect most of their work. There are some commercially available ones that can do thicker but they are usually installed by specialty contractors. This leaves an air gap between concrete and plywood, instead of locked in with foam. Basement smells and feels dry. I have a question on building a subfloor. Also, we want to install the subfloor layers before framing the basement walls. With all the rain weve had the floor is dry, and Ive done the plastic taped to the floor test and no moisture. The foam dents slightly when we stand on it now, with no laminate floor in it. Should be more than enough to handle Iowas winters. Initially I was planning to put tiles in the bar and the bathroom area over 1/2 inch cement board but the carpet installer who came to take measurement was concerned that the tiles would crack because of the foam present under the Advantech ? I have a question regarding insulating a poured slab cellar floor with Barricade. If so this is an offer you can't afford to miss! Youve discovered the epic battle all of us engineers face. 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. Questions: 1. There is an existing slab floor. However Im not sure Ill have enough clearance for everything and may have to cut down on the xps thickness as is. If I insulate the floor in my basement, I think I have two problems. Im going to start that project this weekend. Given that my basement is dry (well, as dry as basements are). I plan to use high quality exterior waterproofing techniques on the basement, one being Platon membrane under the slab as my vapor barrier (along with icf walls, platon or delta ms wall membrane, form-a-drain, and plenty of gravel). The difference in height from the high point to the low point is about 1-3/4 inches. Id love to hear all about it when youre finished. 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. The question is what should they be built on top of: the XPS, the sleepers, or the advantech? If I put a vapor barrier in anywhere then I cant glue the foam or flooring down and have to tapcon, which of course pokes a bunch of holes in my vapor barrier anyway. Is there a rule of thumb as to how old the house should be to see the reaction to serious flooding events? Given gravity and waters clever way of exploiting any imperfection in any seal, if water is introduced into a system where XPS is glued to the concrete, wouldnt that water get trapped somewhere where there is little mechanism for it to dry or drain out? None that could be considered official. Any inspector that questions it, doesnt really know the subject well enough. If that wont work for a subfloor, I could go with DriCore, but how well does that product tolerate height variation? I have some low spots Im going to try and fill in, but since Im not using 3/4 xps, should I use a thicker osb? Again its really important to check with your flooring folks to be sure the floor you select is rated for radiant use. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. My furnace and water heater are tucked in corner. The stairs are a bigger issue. thanks again. Would venting the Dricore to a mechanical room be sufficient to allow the condensation to evaporate? im not sure i follow you on the flashing. Since a heavy pool table is 1,000lb, no problem. For example, they might tell you for a 30 wide door opening that a triple 210 header will work. As the slab will only be able to dry upward, the slab should be allowed to dry before finishes are applied. In ripping out the current floor I discovered that the previous owners covered up the drain. then carpet. Quick question when it is mentioned to seal the seams on the xps panels, is this simply the Tyvek tape on the xps seams or do you recommend caulking in between the sheets of foamboard prior to taping? Yes 5. Id bring the flooring up tight to the foam. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I am tempted to tear everything out and ventilate the wall instead of insulating it not fun. Good luck. @ Jody If you go to a plumbing parts vendor you can ask them for a brass floor cleanout cover. Im thinking that doing the floor second will allow any water that may come down the back of the foam to go under the raised floor (Delta/Tyroc etc.) So how did you do it? Variation of 2 3/4 over ~25ft. Somewhere along while reading this forum, I got lost about doing the foundation wall and subflooring. In that situation I wouldnt recommend it as decking isnt really structural. It's especially important to control moisture in indoor locations to avoid damage to surface flooring materials, but it's important to control moisture even if the garage will continue to be a vehicle-storage space. I really appreciate your advise. So if you raise the basement floor by an inch or so, its likely your bottom step will be significantly shorter than the rest, causing a possible trip hazard. We used to do them horizontally but hey have a tendency to fall before the adhesive dries. The Dricore website recommends building the frame on top of the Dricore. If you do that Id recommend using an exterior grade plywood or OSB. Pull the plywood and foam in the bathroom. 6. Or is there a higher R value you would suggest? Would you suggest using self-leveling compound in a situation like this, or something else? High humidity in the summer-professionally installed HVAC-integrated high efficiency dehumidifier. Mike Thanks for the kind words. Would 1 make that much of a difference in sturdiness from 23/32? or, waste of money? 1. Due to the layout of the stairs we cannot get big items into the basement. no gaps? Thanks for the page it is a great resource. Should I include 6 mil poly as well? I also want to insulate. Floors are a bit different in the fact that having a vapor barrier on both sides wont hurt anything. I do think you should stick to T&G as it really stiffens the floor. How much headroom do you have available?. The only downside is less insulation value and less protection from moisture. The garage floor is still bare concrete. You can try but it most likely wont work. Thank you! Have you used a product called TYROC over the concrete floors? My experience would suggest things just wont sit down all that great but it worth a try. Use flowable fill to level the bathroom floor. Todd Glad you found the site useful. I would like to insulate my basement floor, but have some cracks I would like to repair first. Thanks so much. I plan to use Dricore on all the floor except the laundry/mechanical and build steel stud walls on top.
I plan to secure strips of Advantech on top of and perpendicular to the sleepers and lay PEX in between the strips for radiant heat hence the 2-ich-thick XPS. I am heading to the lumber yard later today to pick up my wood for framming. The trouble with plywood on top of that product is youll have to fasten it down, resulting in holes in the membrane. It certainly wont hurt.how much good it does is hard to say. So around here we try to have stairs be 7 rise with a maximum deviation of 1/2 from stair to stair. Just to clarify I will not put insulation on floor, but Should I install the 2 XPS on the wall first? Is my thinking correct here or am I missing something? I have a couple questions about insulating floors. If your walls are up already i would just tuck that poly up the walls a few inches and tack it in place. I also did a detailed post with pictures when I took out my basement center lally column and installed some big MC-Channels. Maybe a product like AdvanTech or something like that. I also think you really should have 3/4 inch plywood over foam board. Will it be rigid enough for sheet vinyl? when installed on XPS? should i reuse this and lay down the 1 XPS over the top of it? And is it possible to avoid OSB entirely? Im not going to pass judgment on that product from CertainTeed. All of those are proven products with a good history. any signs of excess moisture? floor plate? I am in the Northern California Sierra Nevada foothills and its notorious for its ants they are small and dont bite but are a pain in the rear when they are looking for moisture/water. Alot of people are saying that TYROC is the next step in the progression of subfloor panels. Great site! Install a layer of rigid foam board insulation such as. This would save me the $$ on the shot blaster, leveling and a subfloor product. Steve From the sounds of it the concrete had an issue called slab curling when it was poured. So the questions is, will Delta FL do that? I believe the regular stuff is better, the harder it gets, the less permeable it is (my assumption here based on what Ive read about foams). John Im assuming youre talking about the floor correct? I just wanted to say THANK YOU as I have used the techniques described here and have been beyond satisfied with the results. As my wife would say: You definitely have a man crush on that guy! (Yes, that is the ultimate compliment!!!). The issue here is keeping that moisture away from materials that might promote mold. THAKNK YOU!!! Wet. I forgot to mention earlier that your site has been a great resource in my building project. Thanks for the help. Thanks Todd. My house has a perimeter wall with beam/post supports sitting on reinforced footings I recently installed into my poured concrete basement slab. are and a spray foam would be utilized to fill the gaps. Can my floor be insulated using sleepers to level it, or should I use self-leveling compound? Delta fl with 7/8 osb plywood. Still doing research Todd, what about delta fl? But thats just my 2 cents. Elizabeth 2-1/2 Tapcon screws should do the trick or you could try using powder actuated masonry nails. Id skip the blocks. The 1 thickness is mostly due to whats considered practical. 2a. 7. Im going to remove this section and then rebuild with 2inch on the floor and wall but Im thinking if I get weeping tile issue since its a 60 year old will the 2inch Foam on the floor be a good idea or would something like drycore be a better idea to channel the extra moisture.
Sitemap 13