Laying Laminate floor over concrete
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Hi, planning on installing laminate flooring in our basement. This will be over concrete with vinyl tile. We plan on removing the tile if needed. My question is, which is the best laminate to use when there is just a slight moisture problem. More condensation than anything else. What are the best ways of doing this?
8 answers
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The Laminate varies in so many ways...I know this...I will not Install 7mm Laminate ...It's nothing but pressed cardboard ..Like the old saying goes ... " You pay for what you get " , so that being said, " dig a little deeper in your pocket " when buying laminate..I like 10 to 12 mm Laminate when installing..They have padding with a vapor barrier in it ,and again you got to dig deeper in your pocket for that also ..You don't have to take up the vinyl either ..Just go right over top of it ..Before you start laying out your pad make sure you cut all your door jambs ..If you don't have a door jamb cutter , then you can use a Dremel ..You want to take a small piece of Laminate and place it on top of a piece of pad and go around all your jambs using this as a height guide ..Just press against the jambs and cut with the dremel on top of pad and Laminate ..
Terry's Flooring
on Dec 24, 2013
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I always start on an outside wall ( because it tends to be the straightest ) Keep the butt joints atleast 12" apart from each other ..It is a bit tricky starting out but once you get about 4 rows down it tends to go better ..Good Luck !!
Terry's Flooring
on Dec 24, 2013
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Unless you plan to redo your basement floor in a few years I'd strongly suggest you avoid wooden laminates on the floor. Even if your basement only has moisture from condensation. Wood soaks up water, and it is an organic material which makes it especially prone to mold growth. Then consider what might happen if there is a plumbing leak or a water accident upstairs (overflown toilette, backed up drain). If you want the wood floor look, I'd suggest inorganic faux-wood laminates or tiles instead. I've been working for a company that restores and repairs basements for the past five years. I often get to see the pictures of rotten wooden floors the production guys here have to remove out of basements. Not a pretty sight.
Cynthia Freeney
on Dec 24, 2013
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You can put Laminate in your basement by using the right padding without worrying about it rotting ..If a leak occurs up above , then that's just life ..
Terry's Flooring
on Dec 24, 2013
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We bought some solar looking material that was supposed to keep moisture from seeping from the bottom of the flooring. We laid that underneath the laminate. We were also told we could silicone the edges to keep moisture from seeping from the sides. We were also told that any major leakage, like washing machine failure or flooding was going to ruin any type of floor so not to worry about that sort of thing with laminate because laminate or not, you'd have to replace the flooring.
Through the Dutch Door
on Dec 24, 2013
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I don't know what your moisture problem is caused from - but I would think long and hard about trying to conceal the moisture and pretending it is not there. You may not see it, but if the moisture is coming up through the slab from the ground below you will not get rid of it by laying floor over it. You may succeed in trapping the moisture below the new floor but if bacteria and air can get to it...it will grow things you don't want to live with. If your existing tile does not show any problems (not sticking/ delaminating), then the moisture is probably not enough to be a problem if it can evaporate. With that being said, there are laminate flooring materials that look like wood that are really plastic composite materials that are installed on a foam like pad (floating floors) -- you can also get a moisture test to find out how much moisture you really have and contact technical support of the flooring mfg and they can tell you what their guidelines are (just find them on line, most have an 800#). Here is a good pdf from Armstrong that explains floor moisture.http://www.armstrong.com/common/c2002/content/files/74940.pdf. Larger flooring companies will have the meters and there are little drill a hole/plug in deals you can use that are like $12. The old fashioned way is to tape down plastic on the slab and wait and see how much moisture collects under the plastic. Hope some of this helps : )
Moxie
on Dec 24, 2013
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St James is a good Laminate , also Pergo is good , as well ...Good Luck !!
Terry's Flooring
on Dec 25, 2013
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If I was putting laminate floor in my slightly damp basement, I would put a DRI Core subfloor down 1st! It's made so that if there is a water problem the water runs under the special subfloor. You can get more info about it online. If it's more than you need, you can also install commercial grade insulation for cement floors. It's thick black spongy layer that you install before the laminate floor. It not only insulates the floor which should get rid of your condensation problem but it also deadens the noise when you walk on it. something to consider! Good luck!!
Sandra Hellewell
on Dec 26, 2013
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