How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|....................|
|====================|......................|..... ..............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ...............|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|


Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

Not to kill your project but are you absolutely sure the basement is dry
with an external drainage system that works. Also, attach some clear
plastic to the concrete floor with duct tape, about a foot square, and check
overnight for moisture under plastic.


"Kbalz" wrote in message
...
I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|....................|
|====================|......................|..... ..............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ...............|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|


Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

On Apr 21, 1:53*pm, "Art" wrote:
Not to kill your project but are you absolutely sure the basement is dry
with an external drainage system that works. *Also, attach some clear
plastic to the concrete floor with duct tape, about a foot square, and check
overnight for moisture under plastic.

"Kbalz" wrote in message

...



I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|...........*..........|
|====================|.......................|.... ...............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ................|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|

Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Right but even if its dry basements can get wet from pipes etc
breaking, area rugs are often best.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

On Apr 21, 2:53*pm, "Art" wrote:
Not to kill your project but are you absolutely sure the basement is dry
with an external drainage system that works. *Also, attach some clear
plastic to the concrete floor with duct tape, about a foot square, and check
overnight for moisture under plastic.

"Kbalz" wrote in message

...



I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|...........*..........|
|====================|.......................|.... ...............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ................|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|

Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Art - we noticed some small moister in a spot where the wall meets the
floor last week. All of our outsides roofs channel rain down to one
area of grass on the mentioned side of the house.. this area of grass
is behind and above an outside retaining wall, which lines up with the
'wet wall'.. Basically a lot of water can get put into a small area..
So I do need to figure that out before I do anything for sure. This
wet wall is also one of the walls the previous owner did not finish. I
can see they put some sort of filler in the wall from inside the
house, but that has failed.

My plan this summer to to install some outdoor gutters, channeling the
water away from the house using underground conduit (like 20 feet away
from the house), next spring I'll see how much that helps.

ANYWAYS ignoring that - I was just really curious on the floor, so I
can start building an appropriat budget for next year assuming gutters
fix my wall.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

On Apr 21, 4:02*pm, ransley wrote:
On Apr 21, 1:53*pm, "Art" wrote:





Not to kill your project but are you absolutely sure the basement is dry
with an external drainage system that works. *Also, attach some clear
plastic to the concrete floor with duct tape, about a foot square, and check
overnight for moisture under plastic.

"Kbalz" wrote in message

...

I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|...........**..........|
|====================|.......................|.... ...............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ................|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|

Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Right but even if its dry basements can get wet from pipes etc
breaking, area rugs are often best.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

ransley - I'll run that idea by the wife, area rugs on the concrete..
not.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

ransley wrote:
On Apr 21, 1:53 pm, "Art" wrote:
Not to kill your project but are you absolutely sure the basement
is dry with an external drainage system that works. Also, attach
some clear plastic to the concrete floor with duct tape, about a
foot square, and check overnight for moisture under plastic.

"Kbalz" wrote in message

...



I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old,
the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner
framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the
slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion
that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
........................................|......... .............|..........*..........|
====================|......................|...... .............|
====================|----------------------....................|
=======main==========|............................ ..............|
======room===========|__________________| |____/
=========================================|
=========================================|

Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will
have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best
approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors
before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors?
Thanks.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Right but even if its dry basements can get wet from pipes etc
breaking, area rugs are often best.

We have used commercial grade carpet tiles in basements. If they get wet for
any reason, it is simple to pull them up and dry them off then re-install.
When finished you cannot tell anything ever happened.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

Kbalz wrote:
I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|....................|
|====================|......................|..... ..............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ...............|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|


Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.

1. You are not posting to Google Groups, you are posting to Usenet via
the Google Groups portal. Your message is going all over the world, far
beyond Google.

2. But to answer your questions- if basement is dry and warm, tile can
go right on the slab, and slab-rated padded carpet can also. Transition
strips will handle any problems with different heights. Do NOT glue the
carpet down, whatever you do. When basement floods, and most do
eventually, it will be hell to get up and dry out. Many people recommend
the tacky-bottom carpet squares that you can peel right up and take out
in the yard to dry, and even wash at the car wash if needed. Installed
carefully, they don't look too bad. Do walls and paint first. I'd
install a curb around the water heater, and put the washer in a catch
pan, to keep minor leaks contained. If you decide to go with a subfloor
for a warmer feel, get the squares with bumps on the back that allow
water to run underneath, and put moisture sensors down there, or have
some provision to easily peek underneath, like a lift-up panel in key
spots. Figure out the slope of your floor, and do not block the path of
water to any drains or sump pits. Look closely at your sliding door- did
they raise the sill above slab level, expecting a floor to be installed?
If not, that will be the hardest part to deal with. A thick floor will
also make the bottom step on the stairs feel wrong.

3. Personally, I prefer an all-concrete basement, but that is just me.
Easier to clean, for the type of stuff I like to do down there.

--
aem sends...

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

Our basement was finished by the builder when the house was being built.
All walls studded out first. Floors last. Just use a threshhoold between
carpet and tile. Also concrete cracks and may crack tile with it.


"Kbalz" wrote in message
...
On Apr 21, 2:53 pm, "Art" wrote:
Not to kill your project but are you absolutely sure the basement is dry
with an external drainage system that works. Also, attach some clear
plastic to the concrete floor with duct tape, about a foot square, and
check
overnight for moisture under plastic.

"Kbalz" wrote in message

...



I'm planning to finish my basement. My house is only 4 years old, the
basement is concrete walls & floor slabs. The previous owner framed &
insulated most of the walls, two walls remain un-framed.

The basement has one main room, with a bathroom and utility room
(furnace & wash/dryer). The bathroom door is in line with the slider
to outside. My floor plan was to have large tile floor in the
bathroom, but use the same tile in the main room for the portion that
connects the slider door and bath room door. The rest (85%) of the
main room would be carpet. The utility room also would be tile.

Not sure how well this will show up in google groups, the dots are
tile, equalsigns are carpet:

----------
outsidewall-----------------------------------------------------------
|..........................
(bar).......|......................|.............. ......|
\slider................................
\bathroom........|.....utility........|
|........................................|........ ..............|..........*..........|
|====================|......................|..... ..............|
|====================|----------------------....................|
|=======main==========|........................... ...............|
|======room===========|__________________| |____/
|=========================================|
|=========================================|

Not to scale of course but my point is that the main room will have
two different floor types (carpet & tile). Whats the best approach to
finish the floors?

Also, do I finish framing the walls first, or do the floors before the
walls? Or do I drywall the walls / ceilings THEN do the floors? Thanks.-
Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Art - we noticed some small moister in a spot where the wall meets the
floor last week. All of our outsides roofs channel rain down to one
area of grass on the mentioned side of the house.. this area of grass
is behind and above an outside retaining wall, which lines up with the
'wet wall'.. Basically a lot of water can get put into a small area..
So I do need to figure that out before I do anything for sure. This
wet wall is also one of the walls the previous owner did not finish. I
can see they put some sort of filler in the wall from inside the
house, but that has failed.

My plan this summer to to install some outdoor gutters, channeling the
water away from the house using underground conduit (like 20 feet away
from the house), next spring I'll see how much that helps.

ANYWAYS ignoring that - I was just really curious on the floor, so I
can start building an appropriat budget for next year assuming gutters
fix my wall.

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

On Apr 21, 7:14*pm, aemeijers wrote:

1. You are not posting to Google Groups, you are posting to Usenet via
the Google Groups portal. Your message is going all over the world, far
beyond Google.



- Show quoted text -

'Far beyond Google' - not possible, Google reaches very far! But
really I didn't know about the usenet, pretty cool thanks.

Final question - I'm finishing walls with drywall, do I leave a gap
(half inch) from the bottom of the drywall to the concrete if I do a
subfloor or not, or both?

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

It would be typical to block drywall off the floor, but the reason
is to be able to plumb the sheets and/or get a snug fit to the
ceiling rock. Baseboard will cover whatever happens at the bottom
within reason.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Kbalz" wrote in message
...
On Apr 21, 7:14 pm, aemeijers wrote:

1. You are not posting to Google Groups, you are posting to
Usenet via
the Google Groups portal. Your message is going all over the
world, far
beyond Google.



- Show quoted text -

'Far beyond Google' - not possible, Google reaches very far! But
really I didn't know about the usenet, pretty cool thanks.

Final question - I'm finishing walls with drywall, do I leave a
gap
(half inch) from the bottom of the drywall to the concrete if I do
a
subfloor or not, or both?

How do I know if I need a subfloor?
 

Kbalz wrote:
On Apr 21, 7:14 pm, aemeijers wrote:

1. You are not posting to Google Groups, you are posting to Usenet via
the Google Groups portal. Your message is going all over the world, far
beyond Google.


- Show quoted text -

'Far beyond Google' - not possible, Google reaches very far! But
really I didn't know about the usenet, pretty cool thanks.

Final question - I'm finishing walls with drywall, do I leave a gap
(half inch) from the bottom of the drywall to the concrete if I do a
subfloor or not, or both?

You always leave at least a 1/2 inch gap at the bottom of drywall, if
for no other reason than to avoid wicking water from trivial floods.
3/4" is better, if you have a 1 1/2" sill plate. It also makes it easier
to get a tight center joint on wall. Hang top panel first, and jam lower
up against it with the little fulcrum doohickey they sell in the drywall
tool aisle. You do top panel first so you can jam it tight against the
ceiling panel for a nice tight joint. You did do the ceiling first,
right? (None of this applies if you are doing a drop ceiling as would be
typical in a basement- you use a chalkline on the studs to line up the
top panel in those situations.

--
aem sends...