According to marson :
On Feb 1, 5:36 am, franz fripplfrappl wrote:
I have a small cabin (20x24) located in an area with sandy soil. The
foundation is wood as is the floor of the basement which is 3/4" plywood
(presumably treated) over 2x8 floor joists.

I'm installing radiant tubing in the building including in the basement.

There appears to be no rot or weakness in the plywood flooring.

Looking for options for floorcovering: bamboo, ceramic

Any thoughts, suggestions or potential problems? One issue is IF plywood
ever needs replacing, perhaps I need something removable.

Well, I have heard of wood basements, but a wood basement floor is a
new one on me. I presume there is a space under the joists? Plywood
is somewhat vapor permeable, and if you cover the floor with something
vapor impermeable, you could potentially trap moisture under there.
So I would want a trap door somewhere to give the area a periodic
inspection.

I've studied PT wood foundations a bit, and have been in a couple of
PT foundation home. If done right (extra attention on drainage etc),
they work quite well. They really are all wood floor and walls.

The first thing you notice about them, compared to concrete basements,
is that they smell and feel different. Dryer, no musty smells, warmer.

I think you've probably hit the nail on the head - that it would be
relatively unwise to put in a highly impermeable floor covering for
risk of causing the subfloor to degrade. But I don't know "how unwise".
Perhaps some hidden venting would suffice (or already be present). Properly
done, there's already vapor barrier in it.

I think it would be a good idea to consult with a flooring manufacturer's
support line, explicitly mentioning "wood foundation".

Some google searching may assist. This is a good introduction
to them:

http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/cbd/cbd234_e.html

The OP should do some research to ensure that whatever he does
doesn't affect the existing foundation. Which may involve adding
more moisture barrier etc.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.