I have been thinking about the same thing. What I think I will do is build a sand-filled stage and seating platform directly on the concrete, and only use Dricore where the floor is not already covered by the stage and seating platform. Since my Sub will go on the stage, this will work. Where are you planning on putting your sub? Are you building a stage?
-
Our native mobile app has a new name: Fora Communities. Learn more.
- Status
1 - 20 of 72 Posts
Dricore only recommends that if you are resting stud walls on top of the dricore, but nevertheless I agree with the recommendation. I'd screw the pice of Dricore that the sub is going to be sitting on directly to the concrete.
Either that, or get a heavy enough sub that it isnt an issue
Andy K.
Either that, or get a heavy enough sub that it isnt an issue
Andy K.
I put down around 500 DriCore panels in my basement last fall - at that time they had two differing sets of directions when it came to prepping for carpet installation - their website said one thing, and the printed directions at the store said another. One said to use the L brackets, and the other said to use tapcons ever 6 feet around the perimeter and one in the center of the room. Personally I went with tapcons. (the only area I carpeted was my 15x24' HT - the rest got a snap-and-lock wood floor)
I have my Paradigm Servo 15v2 sitting on the floor, and I have no rattling from it. (at least not on the floor ) I don't have a stage, but my risers are sitting on the DriCore, separated by Auralex U-boats.
Fatman is right - that hollow sound is from improper shimming. The problem with shimming is that unless you've got a pretty small area you have to shim for, once you start it's hard to get away from having to use them. I work with a guy who put in DriClre and said he didn't have to shim AT ALL, but I wasn't that lucky...
I have my Paradigm Servo 15v2 sitting on the floor, and I have no rattling from it. (at least not on the floor
) I don't have a stage, but my risers are sitting on the DriCore, separated by Auralex U-boats.Fatman is right - that hollow sound is from improper shimming. The problem with shimming is that unless you've got a pretty small area you have to shim for, once you start it's hard to get away from having to use them. I work with a guy who put in DriClre and said he didn't have to shim AT ALL, but I wasn't that lucky...
Quote:
You mean... like my curved walls? THAT was interesting!
Quote:
If I remember right, I did it over a span of a couple of weeks - but mainly because my knees and back got mad at me after a couple of solid days of working, so I gave it a bit of a rest. I have 5 curved walls that I had to work around, so that slowed me down. Plus after a while I just kind of got sick of doing it, so that slowed me up a little too. It's not tough, it's just repetative and not all that challenging to do so it got kind of boring.
Tips... find some good, comfortable kneepads.
ALWAYS use a tapping block - the grooved eges of the panels are too fragile to NOT use them. A rubber mallet would probably work too, but I liked feeling the solid connection through the hammer/block once the panels met together.
A pry bar is your friend. So is a good sized carpenter's square.
Be sure to leave your panels in the end-use room for 24+ hours before installing, and when putting them there, scatter your piles throughout the area. Once you get into the 2nd course away from the walls, it goes pretty quick and you'll waste a lot of time standing up and walking back and forth to get panels. Even better... get someone to be your helper so you're not getting up and down all the time.
I'm not a toolbelt person so it helped me to leave tape measures and carpenter's pencils scattered through my work area (one with me at the floor and one in my workshop at table and jigsaws) so I wasn't constantly wandering around looking for my tapemeasure and pencil.
And if you haven't bought your panels yet, watch for deals. Home Depot occasionally offers a $100 gift card with $XXX purchase of DriCore.
Read the instructions and you'll be OK. I did mine last fall, so I've probably forgotten some stuff. Siropa - aren't you doing yours now? Did I miss anything obvious?
| Originally posted by siropa I don't remember how many panels i've put in my basement so far, but its about 1/3 of the space. they go down really fast. unless you've got a lot of angled walls or something you have to cut. its really easy to do. |
Quote:
| Originally posted by mich5 MrSquid, How long did it take you to finish 500 panels? I think I need about 350-370 panels for my basement. How difficult/easy is dricore work with? Any tips?. |
It's not tough, it's just repetative and not all that challenging to do so it got kind of boring.Tips... find some good, comfortable kneepads.
ALWAYS use a tapping block - the grooved eges of the panels are too fragile to NOT use them. A rubber mallet would probably work too, but I liked feeling the solid connection through the hammer/block once the panels met together.
A pry bar is your friend. So is a good sized carpenter's square.
Be sure to leave your panels in the end-use room for 24+ hours before installing, and when putting them there, scatter your piles throughout the area. Once you get into the 2nd course away from the walls, it goes pretty quick and you'll waste a lot of time standing up and walking back and forth to get panels. Even better... get someone to be your helper so you're not getting up and down all the time.
I'm not a toolbelt person so it helped me to leave tape measures and carpenter's pencils scattered through my work area (one with me at the floor and one in my workshop at table and jigsaws) so I wasn't constantly wandering around looking for my tapemeasure and pencil.
And if you haven't bought your panels yet, watch for deals. Home Depot occasionally offers a $100 gift card with $XXX purchase of DriCore.
Read the instructions and you'll be OK. I did mine last fall, so I've probably forgotten some stuff. Siropa - aren't you doing yours now? Did I miss anything obvious?
yes i've got a gradual slope, but i've only got 1 drain in the basement so its a slow enough slope to not effect the panels.
I tried a rubber mallet first and it still dinged up the edges some. plus its was easier to tap a block of wood with the hammer than that little edge. rubber mallet kept hitting the floor and bouncing
Mr Squid: I never even thought about those curves in your basement. sure glad I didn't have that. you should have put your panels down before you put up the walls. much easier to install that way i'm guessing. but I haven't done it so far like that either. unfortunatly I had my walls framed out before I decided to go with dri-core. I did my theater first and I did with plywood and green treated firing strips. when I realized how much work that was, it was dricore for everything else.
I tried a rubber mallet first and it still dinged up the edges some. plus its was easier to tap a block of wood with the hammer than that little edge. rubber mallet kept hitting the floor and bouncing
Mr Squid: I never even thought about those curves in your basement. sure glad I didn't have that. you should have put your panels down before you put up the walls. much easier to install that way i'm guessing. but I haven't done it so far like that either. unfortunatly I had my walls framed out before I decided to go with dri-core. I did my theater first and I did with plywood and green treated firing strips. when I realized how much work that was, it was dricore for everything else.
Quote:
Framing on top of the DriCore is called "foresight" - and that doesn't work when you're making things up on a daily basis. (probably isn't the best for sound transfer either) I was in the same boat - the DriCore was on my wish list when I started, but I wasn't certain on it until I was done with my framing.
It wasn't TOO bad working around the curves - but it was a lot tougher than getting the wood floor to work around them. THAT was the easy part!
I should say, in my carpeted area I have no hollow sounding spots when you walk - even though I DID before the carpet was laid down. (I do have a fairly thick carpet and pad though)
And yes - the 1/4" spacers... I had that in my list of tips but pulled it out because it's in the instructions. But thanks - I forgot that we're MEN dammit - we don't need no stinkin' "instructions"!
| Originally posted by siropa Mr Squid: I never even thought about those curves in your basement. sure glad I didn't have that. you should have put your panels down before you put up the walls. much easier to install that way i'm guessing. but I haven't done it so far like that either. unfortunatly I had my walls framed out before I decided to go with dri-core. |
(probably isn't the best for sound transfer either) I was in the same boat - the DriCore was on my wish list when I started, but I wasn't certain on it until I was done with my framing.It wasn't TOO bad working around the curves - but it was a lot tougher than getting the wood floor to work around them. THAT was the easy part!
I should say, in my carpeted area I have no hollow sounding spots when you walk - even though I DID before the carpet was laid down. (I do have a fairly thick carpet and pad though)
And yes - the 1/4" spacers... I had that in my list of tips but pulled it out because it's in the instructions. But thanks - I forgot that we're MEN dammit - we don't need no stinkin' "instructions"!
OK. It seems simpler than I thought, which is a good thing. I am doing drywall which is much harder than I thought it would. Well, it evens out...
One questioin, though... Why a pry bar? I can see the good knee pads, good size square, but not a pry bar...
One questioin, though... Why a pry bar? I can see the good knee pads, good size square, but not a pry bar...
Quote:
The panels are tongue and groove - they get installed with the tongues at the bottom and on the left, grooves at the top and on the right. (that is, if you're standing on the most recent panel you've installed and looking down the next row to be installed)
When you get to the end of the room you'll put the last panel into place as close to the neighboring panels as you can - but at this point it's tongues aren't yet in the grooves of the panels below and to the left. Use the prybar against the wall to seat the tongue into the groove of the panel below it, and then use the tapping block to seat it into the panel next to it.
You could go in reverse with this (tap into the side panel first and then pry back away from the wall to seat into the panel below) but then you've got more resistance due to the seated tongue and groove on the side panel and you're putting more pressure against your drywall and risk a dent in your sheetrock.
| Originally posted by mich5 OK. It seems simpler than I thought, which is a good thing. I am doing drywall which is much harder than I thought it would. Well, it evens out... One questioin, though... Why a pry bar? I can see the good knee pads, good size square, but not a pry bar... |
When you get to the end of the room you'll put the last panel into place as close to the neighboring panels as you can - but at this point it's tongues aren't yet in the grooves of the panels below and to the left. Use the prybar against the wall to seat the tongue into the groove of the panel below it, and then use the tapping block to seat it into the panel next to it.
You could go in reverse with this (tap into the side panel first and then pry back away from the wall to seat into the panel below) but then you've got more resistance due to the seated tongue and groove on the side panel and you're putting more pressure against your drywall and risk a dent in your sheetrock.
1 - 20 of 72 Posts
- Status
