I have a client that wants to put Dricore down as a subfloor over the slab in the basement and install prefinished hardwood over it. I have installed glue down prefinished HW (plywood back) over a slab but haven’t used the dricore system. Is it worth the extra money? (New construction, dry basement).
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My first thought is that if it is new construction, you don't really know necessarily whether it is a dry basement. It can take agood full seasonal change to show you whether it is going to remain dry through all the various changes Mother Nature can throw atcha
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I'm also looking at a job to finish a basement and the customer is interested in something on a rarely-wet concrete floor. I'm looking at Dricore ($4.99 per 2x2 piece at HD). I've also seen a similar system used by a basement-dry company that uses a plastic mat similar to Dricore, but it was covered by regular 4x8 sheets of plywood. Certainly, that must be a less expensive solution, but I don't know where to get the mat.
Has anyone out there had any good luck with these systems?
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
If you're looking for the mat, look for a local retailer of Delta-FL.
Aside from dry floor, two other advantages of Dri-Core or Delta-FL & OSB are:
1) Warmer floor
2) Softer floor. Can't imagine anything harder on your joints than hardwood or laminate flooring directly on concrete.
Regards,
Tim Ruttan
Thanks Tim and Aimless! I'll certainly check into Delta-FL!
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Our local Home Depot and Lowes don't carry DriCore or Sub-Flor, nor do any of our local lumber yards. So to get the subfloor I wanted I had to order a role of Delta-FL. We put tongue and groove OSB over it and have been pleased. The place I ordered the Delta-FL from is WoodCraftSupplies.com, Barry Powell, 800-255-1335. Or I have an unused roll (328 sq ft) that I don't know what to do with. The Delta-FL plus traditional subfloor solution was MUCH cheaper per sq foot for us, especially after factoring in shipping.
Sounds like an interesting product...I checked out their website and was impressed, but could not find any info on its thickness.
How think is Delta FL?
Balkpark cost for a roll?
Without running out in the cold to check the roll in the garage, I'd guess around 3/8". It's definitely low profile, good for basements.
I live in the desert where people don't really worry too much about water, and they don't build houses with drain tile. I feel more confident about having it there protecting the hardwood against seepage, even if it never happens. The other thing it has done for us is warm up the rooms we have it in. In my daughter's bedroom I'd guess it's about 5 degrees warmer in winter than it was before we put it down (we switched from carpet to hardwood due to respiratory problems). In our bedroom, the combination of that and insulation on the walls means we turned off the heat and the AC into that room.
In an obscure corner of their site it says 5/16" thick.
I am planning on carpeting the basement. But doors are already framed...raising the floor level more than 1/2" is not feasable, therefore I could not do the plywood or osb they recommend. How tough is this stuff? if I carpeted right over it, would furniture legs crush the dimples?
Ballpark on cost? $200/roll? 400? 600?
Thanks!
Current issue of Fine woodworking has an article on shop floors which goes over most of what has been covered here. Might be a good read for those interested.
MERC
It cost me $0.51/sq foot which translates into $167.28/roll plus shipping ($20/roll).
I can crush individual dimples with my fingers, but if I walk on it (where my weight is spread out over my foot) it doesn't crush. Supposedly it can take the weight of a pool table. I'm pretty sure that the web site has info on how to install over it properly for different floor coverings.
I bought similar stuff that goes on the outside of foundations.I paid $.45 per square foot (plus shipping) in full rolls. But that was in 2001, so prices might have gone up some. And the floor stuff might be heavier than the foundation stuff. But that oughta at least give you an idea.
Lawyers don't give bad advice - They charge for it
A secondary advantage is that it provides a decent thermal break with the concrete. Even a "dry" basement will get condensation in the summer if bulk warm air enters. Wood could get damp, and cause troubles. There are other ways to create a thermal break, but this is a neat off-the-shelf solution.
Also, just because it is new construction does not mean it was done well. If there is no vapor barrier under there, your floor could see trouble.
David, check out the literature with Dricore. If I remember correctly hardwood was not one of the recomended floor coverings.
Have a good day, Cliffy.
I've installed Dricore or similar products over basement floors several times in the past couple years with excellent success. Carpet, laminate and hardwood flooring all work fine (strip hardwood was installed over dricore that we installed diagonally (45 degrees) so the hwd strips wouldn't co-joint with the dricore seams.
I think dricore or other dimple mat system is the way to go. I still use a latex concrete sealer (not a waterproofer) on the slab to slow the water vapor transmission unless I know there's plastic beneath the slab.
MG
Dave I have seen the plastic style squares from basement systems. I think they would work great.
http://www.basementsystems.com