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Raising a Basement Floor?
I plan on raising my basement floor in a couple of weeks. I know the basics of what I'm doing but I seem to have varying opinions on the topic of plastic/vapor covering. From all the research I've done online, it says to put down a sheet of 6 mil plastic under the studs directly onto the concrete, but I have also heard that it's best to put a sheet of roson paper in between the plywood and whatever finish I choose to do, not the plastic directly on the concrete. I would simply like some more opinions.
Thanks
Answer for the first response ... I already had it professionally waterproofed. This is simply for aesthetic purposes.
Chris,
I'm not sure if there's a vapor barrier underneath. I'm guessing no because we had a nasty flooding problem a while back. That's why we waterproofed the basement. We had a very expensive system put in to prevent any more water from coming in. The basement has been bone dry for over a year now. The problem is that part of the preperation for the waterproofing was to rip the basement apart to concrete. All the mold and mildew was eliminated and we put up a vapor barrier on the wall. The floor is now just ugly and, in the winter, cold. We want to make it a play room for our kids, and eventually a bedroom for them so we want to make it a nice aethetically pleasing room. I just need to know if it's more effective to put plastic directly onto the conrete, or put the plastic on after it's raised, and under the finished floor, which will most likely be carpet or carpet tiles.
Thanks for your respnose, and/or future ones as well.
2 Answers
- Anonymous9 years agoFavorite Answer
If the house is relatively new, there will already be a vapor barrier under the slab. In this case you could just glue or nail the plywood directly to the slab - or use sleepers. If you're uncertain whether they used a vapor barrier under the slab you should do a test. Place a 3 foot square piece of 6 mil plastic on the floor, seal fairly tightly around the edges. Wait a couple of days and see if any moisture collects under the plastic. If it does, you're going to need to allow that moisture to migrate through the flooring and evaporate - in other words, don't use plastic. If you cover the slab in plastic it will trap moisture between the plastic and the slab where it will grow mold and potentially become a nasty problem. You didn't say what you want to cover the floor with, that would make a difference in the approach. For carpet, there are pads designed for concrete floors which are resistant to mold growth and breathe very well, you may not need to put any wood down at all.
- i_was_myselfLv 79 years ago
I'm uncertain what the goal is here. If it is to waterproof the surface my preference would be drainage layer products such as plakton, and dryfloor. They provide a resin/plastic drainage layer and give you the ability to put untreated plywood a inch above the concrete with no worry about water damage no matter how wet the basement is. This is the correct way to add a finished floor to a potential wet area.
If your floor is perfectly dry, you could apply the plywood directly to the floor. It will be a mold disaster if the basement gets wet. You will have the same problem if you put untreated studs on the cement floor.
Roson paper isn't a vapor barrier. It is used to provide breathability for wood. In other words is used by people who use air leakage as a safeguard, but don't want wind blowing through a crack. It is a traditional technique that usually results in a house falling apart faster.
If you want a vapor barrier you should use either roofing felt or plastic. Rosin paper should reserved for a temporary cover to prevent damage during construction. Or where vapor barriers are not wanted.
Again I don't know exactly what your situation is so I can't give you an answer suited to your situation.