Finishing a Basement 3 - Installing a Subfloor

Intro - Moisture Proofing - Subfloor - Lay Out Walls - Frame Walls - Corners, Doors & Ceilings - Electrical - Heating and Plumbing - Insulation - Finishing Walls & Ceilings

By Murray Anderson

A basement floor is below grade and made of cold, hard concrete, so as a result, it's cool. Some homeowners feel that putting carpeting down directly onto the concrete floor will be fine, and in many cases it is. However, if you want to be sure you have a warm dry floor in your basement, consider putting down a subfloor.

Polystyrene Insulation and Plywood

The time honored way to ensure a warm basement floor is to lay down 1" or 1 1/2" polystyrene sheets directly onto the concrete floor and then cover them with 1/2" plywood. Fasten everything down with concrete screws into pre-drilled holes right into the basement floor. Once this is down, you will have a warm solid wood base that you can put virtually any kind of flooring onto. The main downside to polystyrene and plywood application is that it raises the floor at least 2". Since most basements are about 7' 9" high (rather than the main floor's 8'), this can be a problem.

Alternatively, you can put down some version of new products that are designed specifically for basement subflooring. These use interlocking sections of wafer board permanently attached to a dimpled rubber or plastic layer. The backing is impervious to any moisture that may come through the floor (or in fact any moisture as a result of spills or leaking pipes), and the dimpling allows air and or moisture to circulate underneath the flooring. These products have a couple of advantages: they only take up about 1" of space and they are laid down in one step (not a two step process like the polystyrene and plywood).

Either of these subfloors will provide a great base for whatever type of flooring you decide to put into your basement. Carpet or laminate floors and even tiles can all be laid over your subfloor and you'll never have a worry.

Intro - Moisture Proofing - Subfloor - Lay Out Walls - Frame Walls - Corners, Doors & Ceilings - Electrical - Heating and Plumbing - Insulation - Finishing Walls & Ceilings

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer with articles published in both the United States and Canada. He has written on a wide range of topics, but specializes in home maintenance and how to's.

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