Carpet on cement floor?

We had carpet on cement in our old place. Never gave us any issues. Floor was a bit cool during the dead of winter, but otherwise fine. Planning on doing the same with this build.

I bought Dricore for my basement theater. I haven't installed it yet, but I'd be really leery about putting carpet right on the cement, even if it was a historically dry basement. One basement leak or plumbing problem and you'll be replacing the carpet, thereby justifying the cost of the Dricore in the first place.

Is far as temperature, the Dricore flooring is going to MUCH warmer. Air is a great insulator and just that small gap will give you a lot.

If you want something cheaper you can use 2x4's and plywood with a polyethylene vapor barrier, but that's definitely not easier than Dricore and it really isn't THAT much cheaper either. Maybe half as much? I'd pay the extra few hundred bucks for the ease of use of the Dricore.

I know some people have used DELTA-FL, not sure if its any cheaper than Dircore though

I went with Dricore and would use it again in a heartbeat. I helps make the room feel warmer and it also give a better feeling to the floor. Less basement like.

I put carpet on the cement floor when I lived in Chicago but I used a good moisture designed padding that was almost as expensive as the carpet. The floor was never cold and people never complained but I also had a fireplace down there that kept it warmer.

The basement I am finishing in our new house will have dricore probably just because it is widely available.
Here is a picture of my old basement.

I used dri-core in several basement remodels I have done - it does as claimed, goes in easily, and makes the floor feel much more comfortable. Dust mites love cool floors and carpet.

I'll be using it in my basement.

how about the infrasonic sounds, does it travel well?

I went with in-floor heating in mine but its not a practical thing to add if your not at the building stage. In my last house I used Dri-core and it works well I never had any issues and enjoyed the benefits of a dry,warm and comfy floor (of course now I have a really dry, warm and comfy floor but at many times the cost)

Cheers
Calvin

Our whole basement is carpeted, with no issues at all. I can't even say the floor is really that much colder in the winter. The only plus I can really see to a sub floor (non flooding area), is a much better tactile feel from your sub. I'd really like to not have had to use butt kickers for my tactile response, especially considering I'm running a PB12/2 Ultra.

Has anyone ever tried to "paint" their basement floor with one of those epoxy floor paints like I've seen in garages and then put down pad/carpet? Would this create enough of a barier for water coming up through the floor? Just a thought.

I skipped the subfloor/drycore and went with standard pad + carpet on concrete.


Just fine in the winter and summer. It is -4 F here right now, and the floor does not feel noticeably cold.


Nope, did not pay any attention - used the pad recommended by the carpet company.


No. The floor is not level, but not by enough to notice, you would never know it was not ruler flat.

No, flooding is a non issue where my house is built. I went to install underground sprinklers last year and after the first ten feet of trench gave up. My house is built on an old river bed and I guarantee if there is water in my basement there is going to be an ark sitting outside.

A bit off but would help your basement.

I'm also a member of Terry Love plumbing forum. Last year or two, I told them that I really want a basement free from water. They told me to add another sump pump. They recommended Aquanot II sump pump. So maybe, if you really want your basement to stay dry and not be bothered when you are sleeping, you might want to install this brand. They're claiming that's it's the most durable sump pump they ever had and had seen. I don't know if that's really how strong/durable it is.

I'm currently making the same decisions.

Our last house was on a slab, and padded and carpeted. That is no different than the situation in our new walkout basement. It seems to be common practice here with all the houses on slabs. I don't think I will be using anything under the padding.

Just to come at this from another angle, I went a slightly different way: 15 years in my house, water in the basement twice (although none since since regrading, new gutters, other mitigation steps). However, Murphy's law prevails. When I finished the room, the intention was to make it "recoverable" should a flooding occur. Instead of Dricore, I went with those 2' x 2' interlocking foam pads sold for kids playroom/work areas - you can find them at the Big Box stores. Over that went the carpet (in my case, I went with a bound remnant that fit the exact dimensions of the room). The idea is that in the event of water, I can roll up the rug, pull up the squares, and let everything dry out with minimal loss. Meanwhile, the closed cell foam provides a nice soft cushion for the rug, makes it "feel" warmer, and was far cheaper than the Dricore. YMMV.

No sliding issues, as they interlock tightly, and I installed them tight to each of the 4 walls.

Mississauga here...

We had a high quality underpad over a painted concrete floor, in a well insulated and dry basement. Every spring and fall, we'd experience a "creep" factor. Although we felt warm and comfortable, all of a sudden, we would feel chilled through to the bone. Only happens in a small window in the late fall and early spring.

I have no moisture issues, but I have been thinking about using Multy Easy Tile Active Floor tiles, at Home Depot. They are recycled tire matting in 18" interlocking tiles and with a plywood subfloor over top, should offer a sound insulated floor. Then I thought they might make a nice underpad without the plywood floor. I guess Badcrazy and I have been thinking along similar lines...

As for unleveliness of the basement, the one bad area was filled with a concrete leveler product from Home Depot. It was quick and easy to use. Otherwise, we don't notice the little bit of uneaveness of the floor.

There is a misunderstanding of what dri-core is and does.

In warmer climates and houses on slabs, it's probably not as necessary. In colder climates with a home that has a furnace and A/C on it's less of an issue.

Where I am, we have 100% humidity in the summer and 5% humidity in the cold winters. That cold ground and high humidity in the summer can cause very high humidity levels in a basement. This can be mitigated somewhat with a furnace and/or A/C running. I have neither (but do run a dehumidifier)

High moisture levels from cold floors and high humidity will cause issues over time.

Some basements stay very warm in the winter due to uninsulated floors above, furnace and boiler heat loss into the space, etc..... My situation is the opposite, boiler 'room' is separate, and floors above are insulated very well. In this situation, the basement can see 45 degrees in the winter.

It's important to understand that dri-core is not intended to mitigate a basement with any water in it (standing or visible); it's designed to mitigate the trapped humidity in the flooring by providing an R value with very limited headroom loss.

Any water issues should be addressed before building in a basement. If water gets under dri-core it will keep it from getting to the flooring above to a point, and the air gap will allow the floor to dry given time, but repeated water intrusion or water intrusion and high humidity will still result in a less than optimal environment.

The 'best' method is to paint the floor with dry-lock paint to seal the floor from moisture entering from either direction, then top that with dri-core sub floor.

Nope, none needed - squares are squishy enough to act as a pad. Although not exactly what I used, this is a close relative:

http://www.getrung.com/10mm-specs.html

Priceless!!!

Thanks. I will go this route as well.

Is this the padding you saw? I have it is my house and it is great. Keeps the kid's spills and the dog's accidents from soaking in or getting to the subfloor. With a steam cleaner we are able to extract any liquids from the carpet, and never have any issues with "re-occurring" stains later as we had with previous carpet & standard padding.

In our old house, I used carpeting that had the pad built in, and taped it down so it could be easily pulled up to dry if it ever got wet (had a few sump pump problems over the years). That was fine for the relatively little we used the basement.

I'm just now ready to carpet the basement in our current house. I talked to a few builders in past Parades of Homes, and the most common way around here seems to just to go right on the concrete, with some using an extra-heavy pad. Two neighbors did the same and were happy with it, and I'm planning to do the same.

Carpet with decent padding over the concrete is just to quick and easy. I have not seen anybody around here take any other direction ever.