Home project help

[TacoTraveler]

I am looking for suggestions and advice on a do it yourself home project.  I am looking at installing and engineered wood floor below grade.  The house is about 18 years old and has a dry basement. What flooring would you recommend the ones with a MDF core or a wood core.  What is the current suggested underlayment and does anyone recommend any particular brand. Two walls are poured concrete with no good way for a baseboard.  The other two are framed with a 48” door on one and a 6-foot opening on the other.  How do I handle the edges on the poured walls and the door thresholds?  Or should I give up on wood and go with a tile floor?

 

[tjbnwi]

LVT.
http://www.flooringmarket.com/_e/gdept/10/konecto.htm

Tom

 

[Billedis]

If you have a Floor and Decor store in your area, check out their Vinyl planks, and water resistant laminates.  They have some products that look and feel like real wood.  Bill

 

[Holmz]

... Or should I give up on wood and go with a tile floor?

Tile or acid stained concrete or epoxy paint all can look nice, and may be better suited to what could be a damp basement.

What are you using the basement for?

 

[rizzoa13]

Pvc core laminate or engineered work great for wet locations.

 

[Brice Burrell]

He said the basement is dry.

If it really is dry, as in completely dry,  you can pretty use any floating or glue down floor.  If you have moisture coming up through the concrete you'll need a vapor barrier and probably limited to products that are to some degree moisture resistant.     

Baseboard can be glued to the concrete walls.  You can butt the flooring up to the thresholds, caulk the expansion gap.  If there aren't actually thresholds, you can undercut the jambs and slide the flooring under. 

 

[nickao]

I am a wood guy, but if the floor is suitable tile or stone floor is most likely the way to go. There is tile in perfect condition that is 4000 years old that we know suffered flood conditions. If you ever get a foot of water in the basement you will be glad you went tile.

That being said and again being a wood guy I just laid down a vapor barrier and then 1 1/8" T&G plywood right over the concrete. Then I used 3/4" REAL hardwood flooring. I never had one issue with cupping, gapping or curling whatsoever. BUT my floor was truly dry. And I will be using this technique on my current home as well.

I manufacturer and sell  Engineered Wood Floor products for a living and have done so for 12 years. I use 3/4" solid hardwood flooring in every level in all my homes, take from that what you will.

Tape a piece 3'x3' plastic down to the concrete with duct tape around the perimeter and wait a few days. Is there moisture under the plastic?

And for the record if I was to get a foot of water on that floor I would be, well in deep water. I just know I can't get water in my last and current locations, no sump needed etc. So I dont advise what I did unless you are at grade or higher. I don't even advise engineered or anything other than tile if there is any chance that can ever flood. If you ever had water before down there or if a burned up sump can cause a flood just go tile. They have tile  that even looks like wood so there are loads of choices.,

 

[Holmz]

Nice post [member=3373]Dovetail65[/member]
There is even wood look latex moulds for stamping the engineered concrete topping products.
Depending in the use of the room may determine the ideal way to go.

 

[TacoTraveler]

Thanks for the info so far.  Let me answer some questions and elaborate on some things.  The basement is finished with carpet in all but the service areas.  I took up carpet in this room that we are converting into a bar area.  There were no signs of moisture just a crack in the concrete that I filled with epoxy.  I plan on testing the moisture with a sheet of plastic this weekend.  We have had rain for the last week so it is a good time to test it.  The basement is a walk out and is 6 to 7 feet above the creek in the back yard that has not come close to the house even in the 200-year flood we had in 2008.  I am thinking of the engineered wood flooring for economy and the look of wood.  I do not like plastic that looks like wood or wood that looks like plastic.  I do not trust the box stores products or their expertise.  I plan on going by a supplier that my son-in-law uses in Indianapolis and check them out.  I hope this helps in understanding what I am trying to do.

 

[Paul G]

Personally I'd use tile. Some of the wood plank tile available these days looks very convincing and no worries about moisture, be it vapor or spills (nothing ever gets spilled at a bar [big grin]). Just gotta be mindful the floor is flat with the long tiles. 

 

[Holmz]

The following examples may not be what you want, but they show some possibilities.

Stamped wood pattern in concrete topper:

Epoxy coating over concrete:

We did a blue/green acid stain on 2 rooms in the house.
Basically grind the skin off the floor, put down the floating layer of white topper, stain, neutralise, epoxy coat.

The color/paint is easier still. Grind the skin for some bite, paint
In theory one can spill the claret on the floor and just wipe it up in the morning. I have tested the theory one or twice [wink]
Overall we like it.

It can look stunning, but the drawbacks are:
1) Slipper as an ice rink when wet.
2) Easy to get a patina of scratches in the epoxy
3) When aluminium-oxide is mixed with polyurethane the floor no longer pops, but it not longer as slippery.
4) You definitely need a dust mask and a turbo cup wheel on a grinder, a RAS or a proper floor grinder.
5) Even doing it yourself you need some supplies and tools, which all have cost.
6) It is a lot more work as a DIY.

I am no expert, but we have done 2 floors with the acid stain.
In my mind I like:
- concrete, tile, or epoxy on concrete.
- Wood on top of beams
- In a bathroom/Kitchen/wet-area (even on beams), then some concrete or tile based product.

 

[W_P_L]

I am looking for suggestions and advice on a do it yourself home project.  I am looking at installing and engineered wood floor below grade.  The house is about 18 years old and has a dry basement. What flooring would you recommend the ones with a MDF core or a wood core.  What is the current suggested underlayment and does anyone recommend any particular brand. Two walls are poured concrete with no good way for a baseboard.  The other two are framed with a 48” door on one and a 6-foot opening on the other.  How do I handle the edges on the poured walls and the door thresholds?  Or should I give up on wood and go with a tile floor?

Install a subfloor like in the link below, fully frame, insulate, vapor barrier, and drywall the bare concrete walls, and your're ready to install your wood flooring.http://barricadesubfloor.com/barric...MIurzmisHa0wIVgWl-Ch1_oAz9EAAYASAAEgIM8_D_BwE

 

[Bob D.]

Big difference in how the various materials feel under your feet.

Tile, stamped, or etched concrete are of course hard materials and if this area will have kids playing on the floor its pretty much indestructible but a very hard surface for knees and elbows. Easy to maintain/clean. Handles spills or water no problem.

Wood on sleepers or Dri-Core subfloor would have a little flexibility under foot and still pretty easy to care for. Doesn't like water in excess but can tolerate the occasional spill if picked up immediately. Wood on sleepers offers the chance to add radiant heat under the floor which can make a quite comfortable and efficient dust free heat source unlike forced hot air.

The various sheet goods is another area which was not mentioned by many.

You had carpet so you know the pros and cons of that material.

 

[Dane]

I've finished numerous basements and by far the best approach that I've come across is to lay Delta-Dri from Cosella-Dorken, which is a dimpled plastic sheet that just rolls out over the concrete with taped seams.  That provides a bullet proof moisture barrier with an air gap.  You can then install any floating floor over it like cork, personally.  No need to glue anything, no subfloor to install, and any moisture issues, short of flooding, are protected against.  It's also very shallow, like 1/2", so no issues with headroom, door undercuts etc.

I don't recommend any of the pre-fab basement floor products that are OSB with plastic or foam laminated to them.  Lots of issues with failure at the seams over the years.

 

[MarkBrenners]

I totally agree with Dane, don't take a pre-fab basement floor. Even if you manage to install them without problems the floor will not last very long. You can better pay a little more for a good floor that lasts much longer.