why can't i use 3/4" wood flooring below grade..?


  #1  
Old 09-25-05, 10:23 PM
badtzmat
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why can't i use 3/4" wood flooring below grade..?

i will use a dricore subfloor. I want the ability to stain the foor to my liking. i want a rough, worn floor look with a white guash(sp?) finish. i have not found any engineered floor that is unfinished. laminate floor is just ugly.

thanks for any help...
 
  #2  
Old 09-26-05, 07:09 AM
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You should probably ask this is the wood flooring section.

It is not recommended to install solid would below grade. See http://www.nofma.org/installation1.htm due to moisture problems.

If you feel you can effectively control the moisture, risk future problems and don't mind voiding the manufacturer's warranty, you could install it. I would imagine everyone on here will say don't do it. I have never seen solid installed below grade. Maybe someone here has seen it done succesfully, with serious moisture control measures. No matter what you do installing solid below grade is a big risk, its up to you to decide if the risk is worth the reward.

good luck
 
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Old 09-26-05, 09:48 AM
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If the OP follows the steps clearly written on the NOFMA website and he has no major moisture problems, then I would say go for it. There is nothing like real wood.

Some people fear things that may never happen.
 

Last edited by em69; 09-26-05 at 10:05 AM.
  #4  
Old 09-26-05, 04:19 PM
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If you do the dricore and put a vapor barrier down then you should be fine doing the wood in the basement. I have done it several times and we haven't had any call backs. We always make sure we inform the homeowner of the risks involved but as you said, real wood just looks better. If you have a big flood then any flooring will be ruined, not just real wood.
Good Luck
Bryan
 
  #5  
Old 09-26-05, 08:11 PM
badtzmat
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where should that vapor barrier go?

Originally Posted by duneslider
If you do the dricore and put a vapor barrier down then you should be fine doing the wood in the basement. I have done it several times and we haven't had any call backs.
what sandwich level should the vapor barrier (6mm ??? or rosin paper??) be placed and will i need a plywood base above the dricore before i lay the wood floor?

thanks much

matt
 
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Old 09-27-05, 01:10 AM
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There is an "unfinished" engineered wood floor that would work well for you. Can be nailed or glued down, plywood or concrete, above or below grade. I have been hearing good things about it.
http://www.owensflooring.com/plankfl...rformance.html
 
  #7  
Old 09-27-05, 04:56 AM
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Originally Posted by badtzmat
what sandwich level should the vapor barrier (6mm ??? or rosin paper??) be placed and will i need a plywood base above the dricore before i lay the wood floor?

thanks much

matt

6mil poly on top of the concrete
Dri-core on top of the 6mil poly

I don't think you will need additional plywood over the Dricore base.

Jerry mentions "engineered flooring"...I agree this is a good idea.
 
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Old 09-27-05, 06:58 AM
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BAdtzmat -

I am in the middle of installing a dricore subfloor (200 pieces!). The bottom of the pieces ARE a vapor barrier. Sometimes you can nail directly to the dricore and sometimes they recommemd another plywood layer. There is also a finish on the top side that shouldn't be punctured more than necessary. Check out their website and installation instructions. There is a lot of great info there.

Good luck!
Tom
 
  #9  
Old 09-27-05, 07:53 AM
badtzmat
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differences between dricore and subflor advance?

Thanks to all that have posted with help. i believe i'll just have a few more questions.

so it seems i won't need a vapor barrier with dricore or subflor advance? correct?

any differences between dricore and subflor advance? does anyone prefer one over the other? for what reasons?

http://www.dricore.com/en/eindex.htm

http://www.subflor.com/index.asp
 
  #10  
Old 09-27-05, 09:00 AM
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use 3/4" wood flooring below grade..?

How do you get a vapor barrier with a bunch of indivdual pieces that interlock without a gasket? Do you tape the seams and the perimeter?

I am have a hard time understanding how you do as good job where you really need it as you can do on a wall.

Dick
 
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Old 09-27-05, 09:27 AM
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You guys are leading him right down the road to failure.

Below grade is a moisture factory. Your solid wood will be toast one day. Maybe not tomorrow, next week or next month, but it WILL happen.


The Owens Plank unfinished engineered, that has the same amount of wear layer as a solid ¾" solid, is the best suggestion I have heard yet.
 
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Old 09-27-05, 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by badtzmat
Thanks to all that have posted with help. i believe i'll just have a few more questions.

so it seems i won't need a vapor barrier with dricore or subflor advance? correct?
6 mil poly is very cheap and you should still put it on even with the dricore.
 
  #13  
Old 09-28-05, 10:54 AM
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Concrete ---

The dricore fits together very tight. On most of the sections I can't even see the seam. The installation calls for minimum 1/4" gap all the way around the floor, so that it "floats." This allows for air flow underneath to help dry out any moisture. The moisture leading to mold problems occur when the moisture doesn't have a chance to dry out.

Adding an additional vapor barrier may trap moisture between the layers and make the problem worse. If you have a visible moisture problem, nothing you can do by adding a barrier will help. You need to fix the problem at its source, which is usually from the outside.

Absent any obvious problems (as in my case), Manufacturer instructions say no vapor barrier, so I'll go with them.

Bad --

Haven't tried the other product, but so far the dricore installation is going very smoothly. Overall, very easy to work with, but creates a very fine dust when cut with a table saw. Feels great to walk on. Took about 3 courses for the sections to lock tight and be heavy enough to get a feel for how it will end up. So far I haven't had to use any of the leveling "feet" (I must have gotten lucky with a level floor). Took me about 3 hours to prep the floor and cut and straighten the first row (long story, but in order to keep a full section in front of my sliding doors, I had to trim the rest of the first row - about 34 feet long). After that I ran the next 4 courses in 2.5 hours. I'm about halfway done.

Good luck,
Tom
 
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Old 09-28-05, 04:37 PM
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Prayers and good luck! I hope your floor doesn't cup or buckle from the higher humidity known to occur in a below grade situation.(that's why basements always smell musty)
 
  #15  
Old 09-29-05, 08:14 PM
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Solid hardwood is not recommended below grade due to moisture issues and the dimensional instablity of solid hardwood. Thus, engineered wood products offer the opportunity to have wood below grade. Engineered wood products offer greater dimensional stability.

Each manufacturer of engineered wood products has very specific instructions re: moisture content and issues, subfloor prep, vapor retarder, underlayment, expansion gap, and installation. Failure to follow manufacturer's instructions voids any warranties.

www.DoItYourself.com forums offer advice to DIYers with projects. It is not the purpose of this website to recommend brands or sources of products.

For the technical manual on solid hardwood flooring installation, go to www.nofma.org
 
  #16  
Old 09-29-05, 08:38 PM
badtzmat
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why isn't it to recommend brands..?

i am here to learn about brands and things that people have used to make their home their castle. i found every comment in this thread to be forthcoming honest and most importantly... helpful.

thanks to ya'll

matt
 

Last edited by twelvepole; 09-29-05 at 08:55 PM.
  #17  
Old 09-29-05, 08:56 PM
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If searching for brand or performance recommendations of products, there are websites available that offer such ratings. As indicated, www.DoItYourself.com forums offer helpful advice for DIYer projects.
 
 

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