Project Basement Floors - V 2.0

Silverunicorn

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The new flooring for the basement arrived today, YAY!!!

This stuff won't care if it gets wet. Undecided if we'll put anything over it, but for now I think it will be just this for a while. Will update this thread as the install goes forward. Unfortunately, I have noe time this week, or even this weekend to get started. Sigh.

For now I will look at the boxes -

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There were some casualties, but I will have to cut some pieces anyway, so I think I can salvage these. The hazards of palleted delivery.

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Chris
 
what type of flooring are you planning on putting on top of it? hardwood/laminate like before or something more resistant to water damage? Im not sure if i understand the advantages of elevating the floor by the 1/4-1/2", as id rather any moisture to be on top so i could clean it up rather than have it fester underneath with the possiblility of mold.
 
Racedeck doesn't need anything over it, its not a subfloor, IT IS THE FLOOR. Got Racedeck in my garage and its awesome stuff. Check out the website:

www.racedeck.com

Brian

what type of flooring are you planning on putting on top of it? hardwood/laminate like before or something more resistant to water damage? Im not sure if i understand the advantages of elevating the floor by the 1/4-1/2", as id rather any moisture to be on top so i could clean it up rather than have it fester underneath with the possiblility of mold.
 
It looks like an elevated type floor system. It should be easy to stand on. I wonder if you can squeeze a few sensors under the floor Just in case the floor starts to get wet.
 
what type of flooring are you planning on putting on top of it? hardwood/laminate like before or something more resistant to water damage? Im not sure if i understand the advantages of elevating the floor by the 1/4-1/2", as id rather any moisture to be on top so i could clean it up rather than have it fester underneath with the possiblility of mold.

It is an open grid pattern, so any water that would come in the basement would drain through the floors to the sump pump. as brmoor said, it IS the floor. It would kust be our personal preference to put laminate over it. To me it is the same concept as Dri-Core. ANy moisture can "breathe" rather than sit there and mold up.

Racedeck doesn't need anything over it, its not a subfloor, IT IS THE FLOOR. Got Racedeck in my garage and its awesome stuff. Check out the website:

www.racedeck.com

Brian

It is a great product, and MADE IN THE USA!!! They are in Utah, and I almost did not go with them, but their customer service people are AWESOME! They were very patient with my questions, very friendly, sent me several samples (full size samples) while I made my decisions, and shipped VERY quickly. From the time I placed my order to the time I had the product was exactly 7 days (including a weekend). They shipped R&L Carriers, and that gut couldn't have been nicer either. THey are curbside delivery, but he was nice enought to put the pallet in our garage for my wife. Good tip for him!

It looks like an elevated type floor system. It should be easy to stand on. I wonder if you can squeeze a few sensors under the floor Just in case the floor starts to get wet.

I have sensors at the sump area now for just that reason. I am resigned to the fact that we WILL get water again, I won't kid myself. But if there is anything I can do about it, I certainly will do so.

Chris
 
ok, got it.. it looks pretty cool. now, being that there could be imperfections in the floor where it isnt perfectly flat will you need to put a leveler down to avoid any flex or noise - or to avoid any open seams (not that it looks like it would hurt the flooring).

I laugh when i hear about people using the Dricore stuff when they have had water in their basement.. at least this wont swell up if you get more than 1/2 and inch of water.

My concern would be how much circulation would require it to dry underneath. Ive had enough water in my basement to get nervous every time it rains. Ive had it come through the window wells (fixed that with a cast iron drain and 4" drainpipe to the front yard in each window well), i am now occasionally getting a seeping water that I dont know where its coming from. so i am going to tear down a wall in the basement to see if i can see where/why its coming in. i may also put in a red brick channel (i.e. poor mans french drain), to guide the water down the edge of the wall to the sump. its graded that way but seeping water doesnt easily follow that path. i do have flexpipe under the floor but i still get some water.
 
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ok, got it.. it looks pretty cool. now, being that there could be imperfections in the floor where it isnt perfectly flat will you need to put a leveler down to avoid any flex or noise - or to avoid any open seams (not that it looks like it would hurt the flooring).

I don't think so. The floor is pretty darn flat. That was one of the few things that impressed me with our builder. That, and the poured concrete walls.

I laugh when i hear about people using the Dricore stuff when they have had water in their basement.. at least this wont swell up if you get more than 1/2 and inch of water.

Yeah, we considered Dricore, but went with Delta FL instead originally. Basically, it is the plastic stuff that s on the bottom of DriCore. While it has the raised space to allow for water to run under it, which it did VERY effectively, once you get water higher than that, it sits in the negative space that created the very dimples to keep the water able to move in the first place. So I needed to find something that was essentially self draining, so if we do get water, I don't have to worry about it sitting on TOP of the product once it receeds.

My concern would be how much circulation would require it to dry underneath.

When we had the old flooring in, (laminate hardwood over the DeltaFL) and it flooded the first time, it took about a week and 3 box fans to get it dry. the concrete will naturally take back some of the water on it's own, and the fans were more a matter of drying out the product and the stuff in the basement. The crazy thing is that after the flood from Irent, when we ripped out the floors, everything UNDER the DeltaFL was dry. the issue was the water sitting on top of it. As a product, the DeltaFL works. Well. Just not for my application.

Anyone want about 700 sq ft of Delta FL? I will probably throw it out. It is in sections which fit my space, but much is still very useable!

Chris
 
Had a very small amount of time tody, so I started playing with this stuff.

I will say this....If our room were square, I could have this done in about 3 hours. This stuff goes together SO easily!!!

I am very impressed with the quality of the product itself. According to the labels, the tiles were made by 3 different shifts. I open 3 different boxes, and there is absolutely no color varience between the tiles. This was something the manufacturer said was a possibility with the beige tiles (not sure why, but they let me know beforehand).

Here's what I got after 20 minutes of working on it. Yes, 20 minutes.

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Will post more as it progresses.

Chris
 
I used racedeck in my basement which has flooded twice and it dried without any removal or mold. I put new plastic based leg levelers under my arcades so that moving them around didn't gouge the flooring. Now when I have to pull one out it slides out no problem. Another great thing about this product is it will not conduct static electricity. No more getting shocked when you walk up to your arcade like when on carpet. Just leave a gap near the walls as it is a floating floor and needs to expand and contract with temperature or direct sunlight or it will buckle, otherwise easy install.
 
I used racedeck in my basement which has flooded twice and it dried without any removal or mold. I put new plastic based leg levelers under my arcades so that moving them around didn't gouge the flooring. Now when I have to pull one out it slides out no problem. Another great thing about this product is it will not conduct static electricity. No more getting shocked when you walk up to your arcade like when on carpet. Just leave a gap near the walls as it is a floating floor and needs to expand and contract with temperature or direct sunlight or it will buckle, otherwise easy install.

Thanks for the input!

Do you have pics of the install completed in your space? There were no photos on their website of basement applications.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Had about an hour to work on this tonight.

Finally got the old flooring out from under the pool table (yay!!). What I could not believe is that is was STILL wet from the flooding!! That, and the spider that was under there that seemed to be the size of Rhode Island :eek:.

Anyway, after that was done, we got a little more floor down. Hope to work on it more tonight as well.

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Unfortunately, I will have alot of trim cuts, as my walls are not exactly square. Wait till I talk to the guy that did the basement!!!! Oh, wait......

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More as progress is made.

Chris
 
Chris,

What style of tile is that? I checked out the Racedeck site and have been very interested in their product......but didn't see the pattern/style of tile you are using? FreeFlow style?

Can't wait to see the finished product!!!

Alan
 
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Chris,

What style of tile is that? I checked out the Racedeck site and have been very interested in their product......but didn't see the pattern/style of tile you are using? FreeFlow style?

Can't wait to see the finished product!!!

Alan

Is is the same company, but not the Race Deck line.

What I am using is Duragrid DeckTile. $2.59 sq/ft was the price I got, with free shipping (which was probably worth about $300 I am guessing).

It goes together in a snap (literally). The Customer Service people are great (at least they were for me) and very helpful. That, and the fact that it is made in the USA were the 2 deciding factors in me purchasing the product. I was told it would be able to handle the weight of the pool table. Time will tell.


Chris
 
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If that sonofabitch comes out of hiding, I will get a picture. I have no idea where he went :eek:

Chris

WAIT! It's still ALIVE??! You need to move. Just get out, leave your possessions in the house (he could be hiding in them), don't mention it to any of the realtors/prospective buyers... SAVE YOURSELF!
 
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