I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately around subfloors and which one that should be used as there are different kinds you can install. You’ve actually got quite a few choices on the market today from either building one yourself to purchasing a manufactured system that will click and lock in place. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages and we’ll try and go through that here so you can make your own informed decision before you start to lay a subfloor.

First things first though, having a subfloor in your finished space is nearly a necessity these days if you want a warm finished floor without installing radiant heating. The concrete comes in direct contact with the ground beneath and because it’s porous and the ground below is naturally cooler, the concrete ends up being cold as well. Also, bare concrete can also emit moisture through it’s surface coming from through from the ground below. Because of that, floors installed directly on concrete can be subjected to mold and moisture issues seeping through and standing from the surface below.

A properly installed subfloor, can reduce or virtually eliminate any of those problems that may surface from those issues as it’s simply a raised, clean, flat surface that you would be able to install virtually any floor on top of it. Plus, because it’s raised, it has a natural insulating benefit by lifting the floors from direct contact with the cold, bare foundation. Let’s take a look at two of the most common that are installed in homes today.

Using A Traditional Subfloor

Probably the most common method for someone installing a subfloor is to create a frame, like you would frame a wall almost, of treated 2×4′s or 2×3′s. Once the frame and support members are in place, you’d simply install a layer of plywood over it to create a flat surface to install the finished flooring on top of. A properly framed subfloor will provide for a strong and sturdy platform that will allow you to put almost any kind of floor down that you’d like. It’s not that hard to do, in fact most people could do it in a weekend. But let’s take a look, high-level, at the steps you’d need to take to build one:

• A level and clean surface to work from. You need a good clean surface to build on so that’s your starting point. You can find some tips I wrote on how to level a basement floor on the site, but just make sure that there are no large hills or valleys in the concrete slab.
• Lay down a moisture barrier. This parts pretty straight forward but because you are putting down wood, you want something between it and the concrete even though they are treated. You can use either a thick (6 ml to 18 ml) plastic sheet or some heavy duty felt paper that’s used in roofing to create this barrier. If you’ve got the room to spare, thicker can sometimes be better.
• Build the subfloor frame. You will need a nail gun to make the job a bit easier in this step. Simply install the 2×4′s around the edge of the floor along the walls. You’ll use the gun to secure these to the concrete slab. Next, install the runners. Just like a wall frame, these should be installed on 16 inch centers. As you are building the frame, periodically check it with a level to see that you are still all “square”. If it’s not, use shims under the frame sections to keep it on level.
• Insulated subfloor. Now’s a good time before the surface is installed to think about whether you want to insulate the subfloor further. If you do, you can easily lay down some polystyrene foam board or insulation to add some additional warmth to the finished floor that’s going to go on top. This could help, especially in colder climates, to keep that chill at bay. There are other ways to install an insulated basement subfloor, but this is probably the most common from a DIY perspective.
• Lay down the plywood. You can use standard plywood for this but don’t use the half inch stuff, go for the 3/4 inch. If you can find it and can swing it, using tongue and groove plywood will make the job easier and a bit more solid. Now some people choose to screw the plywood down to the runners as the hold will be tighter longer, but you could nail them down just the same.

That’s about all there is to it. I’m not going to get into the whole discussion of organic versus inorganic material that can be used. If wood gets wet, it will rot. That’s why I stated to use treated wood for the runners and to make sure to use some kind of vapor barrier between them and the floor. This subfloor will work, but if your floor is moisture prone, it will likely end up with problems like most any other floors will until some kind of waterproofing protection measures are applied.

A Manufactured – Dimpled Basement Subfloor

The biggest problem, other than the moisture issue, with a traditional subfloor is that it can cause height issues for those basements that are already short on headroom. It simply raises the floor up too high after you put the finished floor on top of it.

For those more “vertically challenged” spaces, you can use a manufactured, dimpled subfloor. These are typically 24″ square or 16″ square tongue and groove tiles made of plywood or particle board that are attached on one side to a dimpled plastic layer. This dimpled layer keeps the subfloor off the cold concrete and provides channels for any moisture that seeps through to dry appropriately underneath. Because they are tongue and groove, you can simply snap them together like you would a laminate or engineered floor making the installation process quite comfortable and easy. The major benefit of these types of systems is that it only raises the subfloor slightly, most only up to an inch or so. The biggest drawback of course is price as sometimes these types of systems can be as much, if not more expensive than the floor you install on top of it.

Before you can start installing an insulated floating subfloor in your basement, the first thing that you are going to have to do is clean it out if you’ve got a bunch of junk down there. There could be a ton of different reasons to put down a subfloor, but one of the best reasons for this type is to help keep your space warmer when you happen to be below-grade and to protect your finished basement floor.

If you’ve got a concrete slab or even a finished floor that tends to get really cold, this could be an excellent solution. But to take full advantage of it and make the space warmer, you really need to make sure that you have already insulated the walls and ceiling as well if needed.

Of course, if you already have a finished floor and want to do this project, you are going to need to remove that first. If it’s reusable, great. If not, you may need to keep in mind that you’ll need another type of material to go on top of this one once it’s finished before you decide to tackle this project.

Once you’ve gotten all the “stuff” out, just make sure that you have cleaned and swept the floors as well. Then you are ready to start putting down the subfloor.

The subfloor system that we are going to talk about using down in your basement today is from DRICore. Although it’s a bit on the pricey side, I’m really impressed with this product. For one, this subfloor has a patented moisture barrier built right into it and will protect floors, furniture and electronics from potential water seepage in a wet basement. Plus, they are dead simple to install making for a perfect DIY insulating and waterproofing solution as well.

The product itself is actually made like engineered wood floors with a whole lot of pressure compressing a bunch of wood chips together. Afterwards, it’s all sealed up tight with a waterproof glue. For an extra layer of protection, there is a raised polyethylene moisture barrier that allows for any condensation or moisture that’s captured underneath to dry adequately and without harm to those items on top of it.

One thing to keep in mind though, just like any other flooring material, you need to let the panels acclimate in the room for at least 24 hours before you start working with it. Oh, that’s right, forgot to tell you that they come in panels that are easy to work with and approximately 2-foot square. The panels actually lock together like regular tongue and groove floors to make for easy installation with no additional steps like glue required.

This particular system is called a floating subfloor system because it doesn’t actually get attached to the concrete with glue or nails. It just sort of “floats” on top of the concrete. This is actually really good in this type of environment because it allows for the entire floor to contract and expand with temperature/moisture changes.

Another thing to keep in mind is you will need to use spacers around the walls like you would with laminate basement flooring. A quarter inch gap is really all you need. That gap is what gives the subfloor some of it’s durability allowing it to expand as needed. Plus, if your concrete floor isn’t as level as it should be, these panels come with shims designed to fit right over a portion of the moisture barrier panel to help level it all out. You’ll be able to tell where you need them by simply sliding one panel up to the next and see if there is a gap where they are supposed to come together.

Simply start in the furthest corner with the longest wall and begin piecing together the first row. Use a wood block and a hammer on the end of the second pieces to tap the boards together to fit in the grooves. When you get to the end of the first row, you’ll likely need to make a cut to a full panel for it to fit correctly. Just measure and mark the appropriate distance.

A table saw works great when needing to cut a DRICore panel. But if you don’t have a table saw, a hand held circular saw will work just as good. I personally don’t like to use jigsaws for this cut but if that’s all you got, it’ll work too. I save the jigsaws for more intricate corner/pole notch cutting, not when I’m cutting the piece basically in half.

Once you have your cut piece, it should just drop right in place. However, now you got a bit of problem getting the two pieces to fit together snuggly in the tongue and groove. Now’s the time for your first flooring trick. When you do a job like this, you’ll find that a tool called a pull bar quickly becomes one of your best friends. This particular one shown is a Sinclair pull bar that has a wide tail block and welded hammering area that will let you adjust and compress the panels in the groove quite easily.

All you have to do once the piece is in place is slip the tail block into the space between the wall and the panel with the hammer block laying across the piece you want to secure. Take your hammer and give it a few taps until the joints come together cleanly and then simply remove the pull bar.

But what about that other piece that was cut? Do you throw it away? Absolutely not, that’s the piece you can start with on the second row. No need to waste it here. Plus it gives you a bit of strength and security to your subfloor as well because using this piece allows you to stagger (or overlap) the panels so the seams aren’t at the same place. Ideally, you’d like the second row of seam’s to fall in the middle of the panels from the first row.

Now that you’ve got the hang of it, just continue building and cutting row after row until you have a finished floating basement subfloor. This system is perfect for finishing any basement but even better if you have concerns due to a low ceiling. It is a raised system, but it’s about half the height of a conventional subfloor coming in at about 7/8ths of an inch in thickness.

Here’s what I like about this insulated floating subfloor:

• You get a built in vapor barrier for protection.
• You get a finished surface that’s ideal for basement carpet, laminate, vinyl plank flooring, engineered hardwood and even tile.
• You get some insulating value as the floor is raised off the cold concrete slab.
• You get a professionally quality subfloor that’s do-it-yourself friendly and goes in quickly.

Here’s what I don’t like about this subfloor: cost. Period. That’s it. It’s simply the cost of the system. You’ll end up likely paying as much, if not more depending on what you use for the finished floor as you would for the subfloor. The panels cost about $6 each. So if you have about a 1000 square foot to cover, you are going to need an estimated 303 panels and at that price you are looking at around $1818. However, if you can swing it, this floating subfloor system is definitely worth it for a basement.

At some point, you may need to know how to level an uneven basement floor. Whether it’s for a vinyl installation that’s going to go over a moisture barrier or simply a tile installation that’s going to go directly on your concrete slab, if it’s not even you will likely have some headaches down the line. So before you go putting down that new floor, make sure your slab is level first.

As your home ages, your concrete basement floors will have a natural tendency to cure and settle/shift a tad simply due to the nature of the materials. These slight changes will likely cause your concrete to either crack or roll slightly leaving you with an unsightly surface to deal with. Lucky for you, it’s a fairly easy process to level the concrete surface making your project much easier to manage as well as add longevity to the life of the new flooring material. Just follow these 6 simple steps.

Step 1 – Get Materials To Level Your Floor

Unfortunately, this job really isn’t one where you are going to be running out in the middle of it to pick up something you forgot on your list. It’s best to make sure you have everything up front prior to starting this task. Here’s what you are going to need:

• Self-leveling compound
• 5 Gallon Bucket
• Stirring rod (even better if you’ve got a cordless drill and rod to mix with)
• Concrete trowel
• Concrete caulk
• Caulking gun
• Expansion tape
• Broom and dustpan

Now, I can already hear the questions formulating about “how much self leveling compound am I going to need” or “how much concrete caulk do I buy”. And my straight forward answer to you is this, I don’t know. It’s all going to depend on how many cracks you are going to need to fill and how big your concrete floor is that you are going to cover. If you take your measurements to one of your local home improvement stores, they will be able to give you a better estimation based on the compound you purchase to cover the square footage you’ve got. As far as the concrete caulk goes, you are going to need enough to fill the cracks in your concrete whatever that amount may be.

Step 2 – Clean Out Your Basement

If you’ve accumulated anything down in your basement, now’s the time to get it out. Old storage boxes that have been thrown in the corners, discarded furniture that used to hold a treasured place in your living room, maybe even a toy or two that’s been dropped down the stairs. Bottom line is if it’s on the floor, it needs to get out now. Find a new home for all these objects for the time being so that you can get started. Once everything’s been removed, use that broom and dustpan from the list and get it all swept up so that you are looking at a clean, dust and dirt free floor.

Step 3 – Repair The Concrete Cracks

Now that you can see your concrete floor again, it’s time to repair and chips or cracks that you may have in the concrete. Load up your caulking gun with the concrete caulk and then simply follow the manufacturers instructions. The only thing you need to pay particular mind to other than that is to get rid of the excess caulk that will extrude from the filled surfaces. Use your trowel and scrape it down like you would mudding tile. Before moving to the next step though, make sure that there has been proper time allotted for the caulk to dry.

Step 4 – Build Your Expansion Tape Perimeter

If you are going to use a lot of leveling compound and expect it to touch some walls or possibly even go wall-to-wall, you are going to want to build out a perimeter around your floor. Basically, all you do is take the expansion tape and cover up the 90 degree angle where your concrete floor meets the wall. Half of the tape should be on the concrete while the other half should be on the wall. This provides for a means of keeping your compound in a contained area as well as give the compound an ability to start self-leveling instead of running everywhere.

Step 5 – Level The Basement Floor

Now comes the part of the project where you are likely to get a little dirty. Take that 5 gallon bucket and start mixing out the self leveling compound as per the directions. This is where that variable speed cordless drill with mixing attachment will come in handy and save your back and arms a bit. If you’ve got one, I definitely suggest using it or you’ll simply need to use that manual labor to get the job done. Just be careful and don’t splash it everywhere so mix slow and steady. Once the compound is mixed to the right consistency, simply pour it in straight even lines along the surface of your concrete floor. You’ll likely be mixing and pouring for a little while. Once you’ve got the floor covered correctly, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Step 6 – Finishing The Newly Poured Leveling Compound

Here’s where you get to work the self-leveling part of the compound. Take your concrete trowel and start spreading the mixture around a bit. As you do this, be sure to work out any little inconsistencies that may be part of the mixture. The reason we are spreading it around a bit now is to help the compound a little in gaining that level surface. By spreading it around, the level compound will work itself back into a nice flat surface with a little help by gravity pulling it back into the uneven spots.

Special Note:

Here’s one thing to keep in mind when you do this. Most all self-leveling compounds take a long time to dry and cure properly when you are leveling the basement floor. Make sure you have planned for this and by all means, keep the kids, dogs and cats away while it’s curing or else you will likely end up with little footprints that you really didn’t want in the first place.

When you’ve successfully leveled the floor, you’ll see that it really is a fairly simple task to accomplish. Problem is, just because it’s simple doesn’t mean that it won’t take quite a bit of time to do from cleaning out the space to being patient and letting it dry. If you’ve done this particular job before, please feel free to chime in below and tell us how it went for you, send us a pic and show us what you did, or give your tip(s) for what you found to be the easiest way to level a basement floor.

Looking for something a little different for your basement floor? Take a look at the Blacksburg Barn Board laminate flooring if you are thinking about redecorating or remodeling your basement. This floor can bring a unique look to just about any room and can be something special in the right below grade installation.

This particular laminate is by Dream Home in their St. James collection. It does have some special features to it in that it is a V-groove laminate that’s 12mm with an additional 3mm of pre-glued underlayment already attached to each plank. The planks sport some very deep medium colored hues that’s sure to warm up an area that’s mostly thought of as cold and dreary. Not only will this flooring be very durable but it also comes with a 30 year warranty.

The St. James Barn Board laminate will give you the ability to create a simply stunning floor in your basement. The V-groove makes installation a breeze as their is no glue or nails involved. And as an added feature, the planks also come in random lengths which adds to the impression that you have a solid, real wood floor in your basement. This is an HDF Laminate that’s made for a floating floor installation.

Installation Tips For Barn Board Laminate Flooring

There’s really not a lot you have to watch out for with this flooring, other than if you are planning for a weekend upgrade you are going to want to get the packages in the room a little early. It’s recommended to get the flooring and store it flat in the packaging for at least 48 hours in the room where you are going to install it. This lets the flooring acclimate properly and you won’t have any surprises after you lay the floor down. Just like any other flooring, the concrete slab or subfloor should be a stable, flat, dry surface that is clean. One thing that is recommended is that if you are going to install it directly over a concrete slab is that you lay down some kind of moisture barrier first.

Because this flooring material is really easy to install, you can do it yourself without the help of a professional installer. So if you do this project yourself, here’s a professional installation tip to help you along the way and get that good-looking, unique floor. You don’t want the floor to be all uniform, take your time and mix up the planks as you install them. This way you won’t end up with too many light and dark panels sitting next to each other. Rather they’ll be more spaced throughout and give the look of a professionally laid solid wood floor.

One Word Of Caution

This flooring does not need additional padding underneath. It already has 3mm underlayment padding attached to the planks. Adding additional padding under the planks could actually cause the floor to weaken and break in the joints over time. It’s good to go right out of the box.

Why Would You Put This In The Basement

There’s some definite advantages to using this as your basement floor. First, you get the look of a real wood floor as the packages come with three different plank lengths in each box. As I said earlier, it’s got easy click installation without the need for glue or nails. It’s also a moisture resistant board with a pre-glued underlayment that comes to a total thickness of 15mm with a 30 year warranty.

Blacksburg Barn Board laminate flooring is a quality laminate that can be used on your basement floor today. With it’s easy installation and durability, beautiful color and attractive finish, you could have a new living room, family room, or even bedroom in your basement this weekend.

Hardwood flooring is some of the most sought after for almost any homeowner. The sheer depth and natural beauty that wood floors bring to any home creates a warm and comfortable feeling. However, they also come with a lot of problems as well. Take cost for instance, wood floors can run you thousands of dollars to install even in small rooms. For quality results, it’s not likely a DIY project and you will need a professional installer. And finally, we are talking about a basement here, these floors don’t do well with the natural moisture and humidity contents of a basement. But vinyl plank flooring for basement floors will solve all of those issues.

Using vinyl plank floors is a great option when you want the look of hardwood floors without the issues. But they come in so much more than just wood replica’s. You can actually get these in stone and ceramic tile look a likes as well, but the wood versions are some of the most popular for this type of flooring. Vinyl plank flooring is not only cheaper than real wood floors, but they are easier to install, easier to maintain, and are more durable making them suitable basement floor material.

People install vinyl plank systems in their basements because it has all the natural appearance of a real hardwood floor or laminate, but it has a major advantage over both. Vinyl Planks are waterproof! This one factor alone makes them the perfect waterproof hardwood floor alternative for basement, especially for those who occasionally have a slight moisture problem that they have to deal with every now and then.

Unlike vinyl tiles, these planks actually look like wood floors. The tiles typically kept the look rather tile-ish as most of them come in only square form. But the planks, on the other hand, are long and rectangular like you would expect a wood floor to look like. But first, let’s take a look at a few of these.

Allure Vinyl Plank Flooring

Allure vinyl flooring can be picked up at most all Home Depot stores, the problem is they all don’t carry the same items at the same time. But you should be able to order it. You can expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $70 per case based on the type and finish you select. The planks themselves come in a pretty standard 6×36 inch shape like other strip flooring. The best thing about them is that their vinyl construction helps to make them resilient to scuff marks and scratches. Plus they are ideal flooring for a possible high-moisture area like a basement because they are water-resistant.

The TrafficMaster Allure collection sold at Home Depot is a beautiful collection. You can read the reviews yourself found around the internet and various forums, but overall the reviews have been extremely positive. There are some negative reviews but I’m under the impression that not all the directions were followed during installation as it seems that they are falling apart at the seams. Which leads me to believe that the rollers weren’t used as directed.

When it comes to blending performance and beauty all wrapped up in an easy to use do-it-yourself floor solution, Allure really fits the bill. Just take a quick look at the video and see for yourself how easy it is as well as how reliable it can be for just about any room in your home:

As a resilient floor, Trafficmaster raised the bar with their Allure planks and tiles. With their Ultra collection, they’ve combined all their revolutionary floating floor system with the industry standards click locking feature to result in luxurious, easy to install and durable floor that is 100% waterproof. This is great news as now you can get the wood look you love in basically any room in your home, including the basement. This flooring can go where few others can.You get the realistic look and feel of natural wood, exceptional durability and affordability, noise reduction and comfort all in one system.

Plus they are really easy to install. You’ll be telling yourself over and over, angle, slide and lock, that’s really all there is to it. When you hear it click, you know it’s set and that you’ve created a secure, water tight seal that won’t need a moisture barrier. Also, you don’t need a whole lot of tools to get the job done. All you really need is a measuring tape, straight edge and utility knife. For the cuts you make simply take your measurements, mark it, score it and snap it making it easy to get around doors and corners or whatever else you need to. You can also install Ultra over the top of most existing surfaces. It doesn’t matter if the existing floor is laminate, vinyl, wood or concrete, this Allure can go right on top.

Tough enough to withstand some of the heaviest traffic but also naturally realistic and beautiful, you can use these planks in all your rooms and not have to worry. Plus it comes with a lifetime residential wear warranty and a 10 year commercial warranty. And that wear layer is no slouch being 20mm thick. They come in 48 inch long by 7.5 inch wide planks.

For a basement though, these floors are perfect! Remember, if your basement is naturally dark though you are going to want a lighter floor to make the room seem lighter. The Allure Oak would be a good fit for a room like that. If you want something a little different, than they do carry a Lisbon Cork that looks phenomenal. If you do have sufficient light in your basement though, you may opt for a darker looking floor. The Ebony Rosewood is super dark and would look really nice in a more formal type of basement while the Vinyl Teak is a bit lighter and would be super cool in a more entertaining type setting.

Congoleum Vinyl Plank Flooring

Congoleum is the brand of another really high quality vinyl basement flooring. With a 25 year warranty, these planks bond securely to each other and can be installed over virtually any subfloor or underlayment or concrete. This is another brand that gets very high reviews and will work in your basement as well because it’s waterproof.

They really have two different lines in this model: Connections and Endurance Plank. Connections seems to have all the traditional woods covered with an outstanding verion of Weathered Pine while the Endurance have a more deeper and richer look to them. With Endurance planks, you can choose from cherry, oak, maple and a sweet looking rustic.

Cutting Vinyl Planks

One thing that you’ll have to do if you install this flooring yourself is cut it. Cutting vinyl planks really isn’t that hard and can be done likely with tools you already have. All you really need is a utility knife or metal shears to get the job done. Just make sure you mark it appropriately and take your time with the cuts and you’ll have straight edges in no time as vinyl planks are really a lot easier to cut than wood or laminates.