I was at the lumber yard today and was telling the guy that I had to go back and fir out the first floor slab on the house that I just framed with 5/4 and then 3/4 plywood. It’s baseboard heat with oak flooring. He told me about this stuff and showed me a couple rolls of it and told me that you put this down on the slab and nail the plywood right on top of it, no sleepers/firring.
Has anyone ever heard of this stuff befor or ever used it?
This is what one part of the website has to say.
Benefits
- Moisture and vapor control
- Air gap separator “thermal break” for basement floors/slab on grades
- Eliminates carpet rot
- Improved finished flooring lifespan
- Minimal reduction of head room
- Extremely durable and strong
- Supports high loads
- Fast and easy to install
- Material is environmentally safe
- Much more affordable than standard subfloor systems
- Ergonomically friendly
- Makes floors softer to walk on
| What happens to any moisture that collects under the DELTA-FL product? Won’t it affect the concrete? Because of the “air gap” created by DELTA-FL’s dimples, the concrete can still breathe and dry. When the DELTA-FL is installed, a space of approximately ¼ of an inch is left next to the walls for air flow and expansion. DELTA-FL is not meant to protect against flooding. Under normal circumstances — that is, if the humidity in the air in the home is not excessively high, and the drainage bed installed under the concrete is not itself saturated with water for extended periods of time — DELTA-FL’s air gap is more than sufficient to ventilate the concrete and protect its integrity. Is DELTA-FL able to support heavy furniture or objects like a pool table or exercise equipment? DELTA-FL can support over 6,000 lbs. per square foot. A car could be parked on top of it without any effects. Its strength is far beyond the normal requirements of use within the home. Do I need any special tools or equipment to install DELTA-FL? DELTA-FL itself requires no special tools beyond a utility knife to cut it to size. Butyl tape can be used to seal the seams if desired. Installing the plywood or OSB on top of DELTA-FL requires an electric hand drill to create pilot holes for concrete anchors (i.e. Tap Con screws), which are spaced approximately 24″ inches apart along the edge of each panel. The anchors are then sunk in place using a hammer. Is DELTA-FL an environmentally safe material? DELTA-FL is made of high-density polyethylene plastic. It is non-allergenic, non-polluting and inert, meaning it will not react or combine with other substances. Mold won’t grow on DELTA-FL. It’s impermeable to air or water. In other words, it’s about the most environmental product you can put on a floor! However, the most important aspect of DELTA-FL — environmentally speaking — is the protection it affords you against mold and mildew. Certain types of molds that grow in damp basement conditions can, in fact, be dangerous to your and your family’s health. DELTA-FL puts an impermeable barrier between the floor you walk on and dampness arising from the concrete slab. This puts a end to mold that might otherwise grow in carpeting or furnishings and prevents that typical, musty, “basement smell”. For more information on where to buy DELTA-FL, email us or call us at 1-888-4DELTA4 |
http://www.deltams.com/photo/photo_deltafl.html
http://www.deltams.com/deltafl/insttech.html
Joe Carola
Replies
I've got it in my house (I think I was the first person in my area to use it). It does evertyhing the say it does. It's on the slab in my basement, but I've got a floating laminate floor on it....floor just goes on over the Delta FL. isntalling the FL is just rolling it out and cutting it to fit, couldn't be easier. I think it's a great product.
cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, N.S
We installed a product called Sub-Flor in our daughter's room earlier this year. It is Delta-FL with tongue and groove OSB glued on top, the DIY version of what you are planning (we don't have a source for just the Delta-FL around here, and couldn't find a distributor to sell us what we needed of the Delta-FL, but we found one who would ship the Sub-Flor). So far we have been very pleased, in spite of the expense. We installed engineered bamboo on top and the floor feels great. There is a slight give to the floor and steady temperature that makes it feel like you are above grade. You don't even have to level the concrete or make pressure treated shims, you can do the levelling with stacks of the Delta-FL.
I highly recommend this product and we are planning to use it in our basement bedroom.