Replies

1. 
   csnow | Oct 28, 2003 05:23pm | #1

   Reclaimed pine is nice looking stuff.

   Flooring on slab problems are all about moisture.

   In general, there are 2 ways your floor can get wet.  Moisture migration through the slab, and condensation when warm humid air contacts the cold slab.  So basically, you need a water/vapor barrier and a thermal break.

   Many ways to skin this cat.  I really like Tu-tuf as a slab liner.  This could be followed by a dense 1 inch foam board, followed by an underlayment.  That way you get a continuous thermal break.  In a cold climate, you might get a 'warm toes' bonus.

   The Trex idea would probably work ok too, but it is thick, and if your pine is thin, you would probably still need a continuous underlayment for good support.  Your floor would be getting high at this point.

   I like the Dricore idea for this type of project, but have not tried it. Thermal break and subfloor in one.  I would not be inclined to rely upon the Dricore as the vapor barrier, however. Too many gaps.

   Best of luck.

1. 
   Jtap | Oct 30, 2003 02:09am | #3

   Thanks for the help. What do you think of using that adhevise ice dam stuff on the slab before the dri loc goes down?

1. 
   csnow | Oct 30, 2003 06:25pm | #4

   I have though about the ice & water shield idea before for slab liner, but I really do not know if there would be issues.  Once saw something about it off-gassing, and thus being bad for interior use.  Also unsure about issues with concrete contact, since portland products leach alkaline.

   May also depend upon which product, since they vary greatly in composition.

   Short answer is, I have no idea!

2. 
   dthodal | Oct 28, 2003 05:46pm | #2

   My experience with wood over slabs has been to use double sheet of 3/4" cdx glued and screwed together. All joints are offset by 24".

   This technigue requires an additional 1-1/2" of headspace as the subfloor is higher. It requires the additionl expense of the cdx subfloor.

   Advantages include the cdx serves as a very good vapour barrier and reasonable thermal break. Cost for additional cdx may be less than other techniques used. The flooring can be fastened by edge nailing or face nailing (though I would use screws and plugs or ringshank nails). The double sheets can be forgiving to minor irregularitys in the slab.

   walk good