Slab on grade in Northeast? Brrrrr!
user-120813
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
This is the time of year when I feel foolish for buying a house with slab floors and mexican tile in most of the living areas (bedroom area has basement below). The house has a lot of charm, and the tile floor is a great feature in the summer time, but it is bone-chilling this time of year!
I think that the work involved with pulling up the tile to put down hardwood over polystyrene is formidable, and it’s probably not worth doing since the investment would price me out of the potential resale value.
Has anyone done this? Am I right to think that the work is too much to be worthwhile?
Replies
Sorry, don't have any info for you, but let me ask you a question: How much overall thickness to the floor would be added by installing hardwood and whatever substrate is necessary? And, what kind of problems (if any) and extra work would the extra thickness cause/require?
Irish,
The mexican tile install is about 1" thick, and I think a hardwood install would be about 2 to 2-1/2" thick, with the 1" polystyrene between sleepers, 1/2" or 3/4" substrate and 1/2" or 3/4" flooring.
It could work, but it's a lot of work, and it would create some problems with the existing door heights, cabinets, etc. Thanks for asking the question -- when I go through the math I realize that it's a bad idea.
I am installing a new heating system (hot water with radiant panels), and I've thought about installing a few hot water radiant ceiling panels to help counteract the cold floor.
Until then (in answer to Paul's suggestion), I have some rugs in each room to help out.
I was thinking in terms of good wool rugs too..
Excellence is its own reward!
Andy, Would well padded rugs for the winter serve the same purpose, yet give you dual season floors? I put an edge bound remnant in my bath over the ceramic tile, and love it for warmth and cushion during the winter. Paul
What about insulating your foundations? That's where the cold is getting in. Is it worth your effort to install 2" of rigid foam around the perimeter of the cold rooms?
BlueThumb,
That's actually the only practical thing I can think to do. It would mean a fair amount of digging, but it would be worthwhile, I think.
Thanks for the input!
I think BlueThumb is on the right track.
Slabs built to the prescriptive requirements of the MEC in much of the country require no more than 4' of 2" rigid insulation at the perimeter.
I have built homes that are slab on grade with this amount of insulation and single-digit temps don't seem to be a problem.
For that much digging, consider a compact excavator. The ones with an offset boom can get right alongside the house with no damage and make short work of the job.
DRC
Andy, I saw a nice looking installation of foam board glued to the slab edge and covered with stucco. The top of the foam had been cut on a 45 deg. and a small gap left between the top edge and the sheathing to spot termites. The owner said his ceramic floors at outside walls were warmer due to the foam board belt, about 12" deep. PaulEnergy Consultant and author of Practical Energy Cost Reduction for the Home
Save yourself a lot of time and misery by simply taking out your cold flooring (Ceramic tile etc.) and installing a warm insulated flooring like cork. A quality cork floor will feel like radiant heat and will last your lifetime.
Gabe