Finishing Basement: Laminate Flooring and Drywall
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 2
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Finishing Basement: Laminate Flooring and Drywall
Finishing Basement: Laminate Flooring and Drywall
I'm trying to finish my basement, and had a few questions:
1. I've narrowed down my choice of flooring to be Laminate Flooring (prob get them from SAMs). If I am laying it on top of the concrete slab, can I just lay down a vapor barrier first, then install the laminate on top of that? Anything else? I did not want to make the layer below the laminate too thick because I did not want to lose much height, and I also wanted to keep costs down.
2. The basement is currently just framed out. Which comes first: Installing Drywall on the walls, or installing the flooring (Laminate)? My current assumption is Drywall, Flooring, and then the trim/molding. If so, do I install the Drywall straight down to the floor on the framings, or put some spacing between the floor and the bottom edge of the drywall? How much?
FYI, I did the moisture test: taped pieces of aluminum foil on the floor and on the walls for 48 hours, and found no moisture under them. But I did get some mildew on the underside of my ping-pong table and mold/mildew on fabrics of things left in the unfinished basement (i.e. baby carrier) over 2 years. Since then, I have insulated all the poured concrete walls (3/4 of the perimeter of the basement) with Formular 150s, and 2x4 framing in front of them. I think the vapor barrier on the floor is enough?
Thanks for any input.
I'm trying to finish my basement, and had a few questions:
1. I've narrowed down my choice of flooring to be Laminate Flooring (prob get them from SAMs). If I am laying it on top of the concrete slab, can I just lay down a vapor barrier first, then install the laminate on top of that? Anything else? I did not want to make the layer below the laminate too thick because I did not want to lose much height, and I also wanted to keep costs down.
2. The basement is currently just framed out. Which comes first: Installing Drywall on the walls, or installing the flooring (Laminate)? My current assumption is Drywall, Flooring, and then the trim/molding. If so, do I install the Drywall straight down to the floor on the framings, or put some spacing between the floor and the bottom edge of the drywall? How much?
FYI, I did the moisture test: taped pieces of aluminum foil on the floor and on the walls for 48 hours, and found no moisture under them. But I did get some mildew on the underside of my ping-pong table and mold/mildew on fabrics of things left in the unfinished basement (i.e. baby carrier) over 2 years. Since then, I have insulated all the poured concrete walls (3/4 of the perimeter of the basement) with Formular 150s, and 2x4 framing in front of them. I think the vapor barrier on the floor is enough?
Thanks for any input.
#2
Good morning,
Yes, that is the order I would use to proceed...drywall, then floor then trim.
I would hold the drywall 1/2 off the floor at least. You can cut blocks to rest the drywall on to maintain your gap, if you're installing vertically...snap a chalk line if installing horizontally.
You'll need to follow the manufacturer's directions on the flooring. be sure to follow all the other recommendations about directing moisture away from your house. (gutters drainage,grade, etc) that you'll find in numerous other posts, here.
Connie
Yes, that is the order I would use to proceed...drywall, then floor then trim.
I would hold the drywall 1/2 off the floor at least. You can cut blocks to rest the drywall on to maintain your gap, if you're installing vertically...snap a chalk line if installing horizontally.
You'll need to follow the manufacturer's directions on the flooring. be sure to follow all the other recommendations about directing moisture away from your house. (gutters drainage,grade, etc) that you'll find in numerous other posts, here.
Connie