Replies

1. 
   jet | Jul 31, 2002 03:13pm | #1

   The neighbour accross the street put laminate flooring in the basement about a year ago. They have had no problems yet. It is put over a false floor though. I would say that it is probably the only way to do it as most basement cement floors are far from flat and level.  IMHO go for it.

1. 
   bill_1010 | Jul 31, 2002 06:49pm | #2

   check for moisture, tell them to put a plasitc sheet about 2ft by 2ft, and tape it down. Let it sit for 4 days or so and if any moisture has condensed in that plastic youll have moisture problems. If you do they just need to put down a nice moisture barrier down.  Thick plastic sheeting taped on the seams. then put your strips down then the flooring.

   Moisture will ruin most any floor made of any absorbant material over time.

1. 
   Adrian | Jul 31, 2002 07:46pm | #3

   I have a laminate floor in my basement. I used a special sub-floor/moisture barrier underneath made by Cosella-Dorkin called Delta-FL (http://www.deltams.com/deltafl/index.html). It's a dimpled, heavy plastic sheet, and the dimples interlock at seams. I went this way because the headroom in my basement would have been reduced too much if I went with sleepers and a subfloor; this combo only cost me 7/8 of an inch or so. The Delta-Fl wasn't well known around here (brought in specially for me), easy to istall and does what it is supposed to.

   The floor I originally put in I lost to a flood soon after it was down. I corrected that problem, and put down the same floor again (reused the Delta). It's not my favourite type of flooring by a long shot, but for this application it was a good choice.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

1. 
   Edgar76b | Aug 01, 2002 08:14am | #4

   Any info on the cost? How is it sold?

    What is the recomended ply wood sub floor thickness?

   Am i correct it gets screwed to the concrete thru the Delta-FL?

   I guess you want to lay it all down before the sheetrock goes on?

   Thanks in advance the answers, and for this post it may be useful to me next month.

1. 
   Adrian | Aug 01, 2002 02:50pm | #5

   There is no ply involved if you use a laminate floor, or probably any floating floor.....the Delta comes in rolls, you just cut it to length and lay it down, overlapping the seams. A layer of foam or the bubble stuff as an underlay for the laminate floor, then the laminate floor floating on top. That's it. As I recall, the manufacturers info was a little vague when it came to laminate floors, but I got the distributor to confirm with them that that installation was acceptable(I didn't want to be dealing with one of those finger pointing situations down the line).

   It comes in rolls....going on memory here, but the manufacturers specs probably spell it out....I think it was about 4'wide. I ordered two rolls to do the finished half of my smallish-medium sized house, plus a landing (something like 375 sq. ft when you took out some utility areas), and I was able to return one because you can use scraps in odd places as long as you overlap the required amount. I think it cost me about $215 Cdn a roll. Installation probably took twenty minutes max. I had to bring it in through a lumber yard, even though I'm a contractor...wouldn't sell direct to me.

   Drywall was already up in my situation (remodel). The thing to watch is not to bring baseboard right down on top of the floor; the idea is to protect the floor, but allow any moisture that is down there up into the room where you can deal with it with air exchange, dehumidification, or whatever.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

2. 
   Edgar76b | Aug 01, 2002 04:03pm | #6

   Thanks , It was a little confusing your link described it differently. Sounds like a cheap solution . I see where I went wrong .

   Edited 8/1/2002 9:05:43 AM ET by Edgar76b

3. 
   Adrian | Aug 01, 2002 04:21pm | #7

   It was confusing, that's why I had the distributor go the source.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

2. 
   BossHog | Aug 01, 2002 04:46pm | #8

   Adrian -

   I saw that stuff on their website, and thought it was interesting. But it seems like it would make popping or crackling noises when you walked across it.

   Doea yours make any noise?

   "According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful." - Jay Leno

1. 
   Adrian | Aug 01, 2002 06:44pm | #9

   No....you've got the whole weight of the floor holding it down. It's a floating floor, of course....feels a little different, and I suppose it makes some small noises that are alittle differetn than other floors, but not in a bad way. cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.S

3. 
   ahneedhelp | Aug 01, 2002 06:49pm | #10

   Adrian -

   I contacted the company about the Delta-FL and received literature and contact name, this is after I came upon info on the product on the internet and decided it's perfect for a basement retrofit.

   However, there seems to be a lack of supply channel as you experienced.

   I am suppose to contact them again with some measurements and my impression is they would supply the stuff direct if there are no outlets in my area.