Unusual wood floor on sleepers, radiant
I’m looking at installing a wood floor on sleepers over an existing ceramic tile on concrete slab with hydronic radiant (pex) already in place. It’s a dance studio; want to install as semi-permanent but removable floor. A more resilient floor, to have basket-weave understucture to add springiness. Finished floor is strip, tongue-in-groove of beech I think. Don’t want to remove tile in case want to take up wood floor later.
Small area with walls on 3 sides. Looking at feasibility of doing this. Just a step-up to the level of the wood floor. Not concerned about any small loss of heating since dancers like it cool. Here’s my worry: is there gonna be any humidity problem on the understructure or underside of the finished floor from that radiant heat over slab-on-grade? Any condensate, mold issue, etc.?
Excuse my ignorance about hydronic; it just sounds like something to look out for. If need be I could put louvered vents in the side that doesn’t butt up against a wall.
Any advice?
Replies
Well that is a little different.
What about engineered hardwood laminate "click" flooring. To take it a step further (no pun intended) Pit a Delta FL membrane or DRIcore subfloor panel under the engineered hardwood laminate.
Dave
The floor is a specially manufactured dance floor that comes with all its own innards and finished floor. Uses 2x4s and then the basketweave strips sit over that, then the finished floor. Its designed to work all as a system to protect the dancers' joints with more give to it. My only concern is whether it's gonna create a mold problem between it and the tile. And if increasing the air circulation to the innards by venting the open end would be helpful--or necessary. 'scuse my ignorance about hydronic radiant infloor heat. It just sounds like water and humidity coming up off all that concrete, pex and tile.
Well, it always helps to research things like this. When I looked at the "system" it had a layer of synthetic rubber padding that had to be laid smack on top of the ceramic tile (to cushion the floor). That has to be an invitation to mold. So I'm running away from this project.
Thanks, anyway, folks.
This sounds like an interesting process. Post some pics as you proceed.
Are you concerned about the step up in this area,around 3-1/4" ?
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
I'm not gonna have anything to do with it because of the big mold-fear bugaboo (read my post just before yours).But, dance studios do this alot and a lot of nightclubs do, too. Step up is just considered like a change of level and gets railings all around the higher level, leave an opening to channel the cattle through.