This is an amazing video! I have done so much research and agree with all your details. This is the most in-depth closeup view I have found for diy.

Good quality video, thanks for sharing! Doing some work in my basement now.

Just found this series. In WNY area as well. Finishing my basement now in a similar fashion, but probably just doing LVP on the floor w/o much else. Ceilings are kind of low and the LVP should be waterproof. Hopefully works out. Going to review the rest of the series. Thanks for doing this.

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback and good luck with your project.

@shutterassault1

11 ай бұрын

@@Buffalo-J Ended up putting dri-core subfloor down and then lvp. Came out great. Thanks again for the video tutorials.

@jamesjoslin7586

2 ай бұрын

LVP will hamper evaporation of the slab. Glue down, all man made material commercial carpet is the way to go. It will allow for some evaporation and if it floods you just wet vac it out. The all nylon carpet will not promote mold growth.

Did you look at the Dricore Insul-Armor? It’s foam board with dimples on the bottom. Supposedly need just that and lay floating floor right on top. High compression strength

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

Any of those products do not result in a vapor barrier.

Wow nice video from 5 years ago. That is my plan for the basement. The only issue I'm not sure about your plan is one layer of subfloor. I think with time board ends will make a dent in the foam and will have some play in it. I was thinking to use 2 layers of 1/4 plywood cross layered.

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

I'd always suggest do what you think works for your design. I would also though suggest each layer of 1/4 will move and bend more than the single layer of Advantech which is 23/32 (~3x 1/4").

Thanks for the video. Very informative and the detailed information is appreciated. If you are concerned at all about your cuts around the support pole you could use a Kreg Jig and some of the stainless steel coarse threaded screws to anchor everything. I used the same subfloor system and anywhere I could use the to tongue and groove I used the Kreg screw system and it created a monolithic subfloor. It turned out great with no squeaks or flexing. Again thanks for the video. Ron

@mikecampanella1990

6 жыл бұрын

Ron H did you do this type of subfloor with advantech and no gaps between the sheets? If so, how is it working out?

@Buffalo-J

6 жыл бұрын

Ron H: thanks. The "Kreg" Pickett screws are a nice idea especially where there would be any cut-outs underneath the flirting itselfIn my case I was able to orient all of these small cut outs of the subfloor in the same direction and all will be beneath a wall structure.

@Buffalo-J

6 жыл бұрын

....I meant "flooring", not "flirting"... darn spelling auto-correct!

@ronh9384

6 жыл бұрын

mikecampanella1990 Hi Mike. Yes I did and I only used pocket hole screws in a couple of places and it worked great for me. The flooring went down Great and have no issues.

@ronh9384

6 жыл бұрын

Buffalo J hahaha I automatically assume auto correct any more and auto correct has bit me a few times as well.

Thanks for sharing the build details. I’m wondering how you managed the floor height differential from the finished to unfinished basement with the insulated subflooring being almost 2” higher than concrete. Particularly interested if there’s a doorway between finished/unfinished areas…

@Buffalo-J

Жыл бұрын

The only doorway between finished and unfinished is at the entrance to the "workshop" area which you can see around the 10-min mark of this video. Here I haven't done anything to address the height change; it's actually very clearly visible and is essentially a small step. Having said that, you could fab a very simple "ramp" if you'd like to soften the height difference and avoid trip hazard.

thanks for this detailed information! i am pulling up a stone tile - and underneath is a ceramic tile. would it be okay to build out the subfloor layers the way you did here - on top of the existing tile? or is it not needed? we have a french drain around the perimeter. I plan to put luxury vinyl planks or tiles down

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

Without seeing it in detail myself I would think that could work ..IF... the existing tile integrity is really good and level ...BUT I would also want top convince myself the tile will stay in good shape for many years to come. If you're asking if the ceramic tile is needed, then no. If you're asking if the foam and/or a vapor barrier is required, then yes.

Loving these videos. How has the system you put together worked out for you after 5 years? Do you run a dehumidifier in the space at all? What would you do differently?

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback. Space has worked out great; we use it all year round. There is no need for a dehumidifier. Not sure I would do anything much different, other than remember to run speaker wire for my surround sound system before I closed in the walls ! :).

What about two layers of 3/8" or 1/2" plywood alternating directions and screwing together to get lock in the wood subfloor?

@Buffalo-J

3 жыл бұрын

No reason that could not work as well. The reason I chose the Advantech sub flooring is specifically for the water resistant properties, and that has already paid off in this project in a case where a coupling for the sump pup failed and sprayed some water around that area. Floor was wet for a while and no damage at all after it was finally dried.

Tackling our basement...since we are pretty much house bound! We cannot get advantech here. Would you recommend OSB or plywood instead. We are likely going to use Luxury Vinyl or carpeting...still undecided. Thanks a bunch. Appreciate your videos.

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Hello. If you have to choose between the two I would personally use plywood, preferably tongue & groove. Plywood is more reliable under damp conditions than OSB, and OSB well readily swell and start to separate. There are also other moisture resistance OSB sub floor products out there; one is name DryMax by GP, and there are likely others. Good luck on your project.

Hi Can you tell me the type of foamular insulation you used? Was it the type that has a higher compressive strength? Thank you

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

Owens Corning Foamular 250 (25 psi compressive strength). the Foamular 150 can be just as good (15 psi) in many applications and certainly for walls. See Part 1 here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/pIKOx9eSYr3AftY.html

Do you have drains along the footings pitched to Sump pump? I think your system is great and I might copy it. But not sure if the drains buried in concrete are needed where I live in Southern NY. Any thoughts?

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

There is drain tile inside the footer below the concrete slab all pitched to the sump. I have discussed this design concept with some who have french drains and this still can work well even in that scenario provided the floor and framing above are properly supported above the drain.

Congratulations. You have achieved an R value of 1 million with all that insulation. Your basement floor is now the Sahara desert haha

@Buffalo-J

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent and thank you for you comment! Exactly what we were aiming for is a dry mold and mildew free construction. While in just that's great, but R-value in reality will be somewhere around 10-20 for the walls including the insulation and air space between the studs creating a thermal break, and 5-15 for the floors based on Foamular rating of 5 per 1" thickness, plus the added values for the thermal break of the dimple matt plus the small value for the wood sub floor.

Trying to get my builder to follow this instructions and Matt resinger’s and it’s a pain to reassure them it works. I get the “we have done the regular tap on method on sleepers and it works” arghrrrr.

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

yep. can understand that. Contractors know what they are comfortable with and are willing to warranty based on what they know. Anything unknown is added work, and potentially risk to them in many cases, but this is the learning curve we all go through.

Have you notice any changes in the feel of the floor over that last 3 years... I was told that XPS foam boards change overtime (Posiably shrinking ) and I was wondering if you agree with that.

@Buffalo-J

3 жыл бұрын

I have not noticed any changes, in fact it has worked out better than I originally expected. In fact, I have added an engineered vinyl plank (EVP) floor in one section which I was questioning and many flooring "sales" people who are trained to tell you not to install on anything other than a completely rigid and level floor advised against, once I contacted one of the flooring manufacturers directly and spoke with their engineer, advised that this floor would actually work well, and it has. Very happy with the results, bit there are some keys to making that type of floor work; I captured some video on that and will try to post that at some point in he future also.

Love this build series! For your 1" XPS floor insulation did you use the 150 or 250 series? I haven't been able to find 1" in the 150 density in the big box stores around me. I figure 150 is probably fine but was curious.

@Buffalo-J

3 ай бұрын

I used the 250 simply because I like building things heavier :). if you use a significant sub floor on top the load from most furniture should be well distributed and 150 I would think would be fine.

Did you glue the foamboard to the dimple mat? Thanks for the helpful videos. I am building the same wall and floor system in my basement.

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

I caulked the foam to the dimple mat. This wasn't so much to create a bond but more so to create the seal between the two.

@Buffalo J Awesome videos. I'm planning the same build thanks to you. Did your Foamular 250 depress and stay concaved in traffic or heavy furniture areas? What thickness Advantech did you use? Have the framing straps continued to stop the wood 'give & play'? I'm using engineered wood on top that doesn't have alot of tolerance for subfloor movement. Would you change anything about your floor system if you did it again? Thank you so much.

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

The foam and floor overall has been sound...25 psi is quite a lot in itself but remember too that when you lay the subfloor on top of the foam, the load of any given point is spread out substantially across the top of the foam through the subfloor so you'd need some really heavy stuff to affect the floor compressive strength. If I recall I believe I used the 23/32 floor. Regarding the finished floor you use on top, remember that the combination of the dimple mat, foam, and not anchoring the subfloor to the concrete floor means that the floor is meant to absorb and be a bit flexible. If you want to a hardwoord, ceramic tile, or other flooring which needs a very rigid subfloor, this may not be the right choice for you in order to avoid separation or cracking of grout, etc., and you may need to resort to anchoring your floor through the foam to the concrete...I just then suggest sealing around those anchors very well. Remember the design employed here is to maximize moisture/vapor proofing and minimize heat loss all by having no penetrations of the vapor barrier and avoiding thermal bridges like anchors and fasteners, so the optimum flooring here will be carpet or other "softer" flooring such as floating laminates, vinyl tile, etc.

@chrisrand4863

5 жыл бұрын

@@Buffalo-J Thank you. Very helpful.

Nice build, planning to do my basement too soon. I have a question tho. If the subfloor is a floating floor that will expand and contract, and I saw that you fastened your wall frames to it. Will the walls move too? If it does, even in tiny amounts, that will be a problem for the drywalls. Cracks will appear there right?

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

Good questions and there's a few aspects to this. First the sub floor is wood as is the framing so we expect thermal expansion/contraction to be similar between the two when exposed to similar temperature changes. This is essentially no different than what your entire wood-framed home faces through its life, and so potential for cracking on the drywall is also similar. Keep in mind the subfloor is also insulated from the concrete by both the foam and dimple mat, and interior temperature changes in this climate controlled space will be relatively minor (see here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qG18ydCoirKtdtI.html). As the floor is floating, it also is therefore more free to move with expanding / contracting walls vertically than if is was held to the concrete floor and this is where your run into trouble with interior walls tending to expand / contract differently than exterior walls. Finally for the drywall, I fasten to the wall studs only and avoid the top and bottom plates, and again, this then means the drywall is subject to no different stresses than what you would see in the rest of the home, and I also will use drop-ceiling in this space to maintain accessibility to overhead utilities, and this means I will have no perimeter drywall joints around the walls at the ceiling.

Any reason why the rigid floor insulation couldn't be eliminate from your system here? Can the advantech be floated directly over the dimple mat?

@Buffalo-J

3 жыл бұрын

That eliminates the moisture barrier and defeats the purpose. You could eliminate the XPS foam but then just need to be sure you seal your floor vapor barrier really well all around the floor and against the wall insulation. The reason I used both was to achieve both moisture protection but also added thermal break and insulation. The floor has been even better than I expected and almost hate to say, but the basement has been the most comfortable room in the entire house both winter and summer.

Hello, I'm working on a similar project. I am very curious to know how the floating floor is holding up for you, especially since you didn't tapcon to the concrete. Are there any squeaky spots on problem areas. Have you noticed any flex with heavier items or anything abnormal? I've been doing lots of research but as you already know, the majority of folks are advising to tapcon. I just want to be sure it is "good." Thanks

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Been as or better then expected. There are no squeeks at all ...because a) we do not have any nails / scews for the wood to expand and squeek against, the foam is taped at butt joints and there is gap at the perimeter of the foam floor to avoid squeeks, and the sub floor is tongue&groove and gapped at the butt joints so nothing there to squeek either. There is a very slight amount of flex you may notice wherever you have a significant high-to-low spot change in your floor, but that is expected and part of the design, so you do not want to use this is your going to use a finish flloor that required absolute stiffness like ceramic tile. Also do not confuse this very slight amount of flex you might have at high spot changes to"crush" due to loads....loads are very well distributed through the sub floor and foam so I have never noticed that, particularly even with heavy gym equipment and running on it for example. see other comments in this and other videos with similar questions and more info.

Watched your videos for years and finally utilizing the information to finish my basement. Advantech isn’t available in my area, thought about using 3/4 CDX plywood however wouldn’t be tongue and groove. Do you think just using straps would suffice since the plywood is just floating on the foam board?

@Buffalo-J

4 ай бұрын

Sorry for delayed reply. Without the tongue and groove there will be more potential for deflection as the straps are really just to keep the tongue and groove engaged in the floating design, and will not provide too much resistance against vertrical separation. Maybe if you go with many more straps and they also make much longer versions of those for framing purposes which you could try but I can't comment if that would definitively work and also depends how flat your foundation floor is to begin with and if you have any deformation / warping of the CDX which will fight against you. Best suggestion is use tongue and groove CDX if you can find it.

Nice video. What kind of foam did you use? Thanks

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

Owens Corning Foamular rigid foam board. See here for more on that: kzread.info/dash/bejne/pIKOx9eSYr3AftY.html

In your mock up at the start of the video, it looks as though the dimple mat does not go directly to the wall under the insulation on the wall. Did I see that correctly and if so, was there a reason why you didn't bring the dimple mat directly to the wall?

@dmlamarre1

3 жыл бұрын

If the dimple mat went all the way to the wall, any moisture sinking to the floor behind the insulation would end up on top of the mat instead of under it.

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Apologies for the delayed reply. @ Devin LaMarre, you are right on and you beat me to it. Thanks.

@infiniti2015

Жыл бұрын

@@Buffalo-J Great videos, I'm essentially copying you! Best video series for finishing a basement on the Internet. Would you recommend installing the dimple mat about an inch away from the foundation walls, with the plywood on top (also about an inch away from wall). Then installing the wall foam insulation touching the top of the dimple mat?

Great Videos and research Buffalo J! Was your concrete floor level? Ours varies up to a inch or more so I was considering tapered sleepers. Did you have any areas that were not level? I would rather sleepers than pouring thousands of pounds of leveling concrete. I am just concerned that adding tapered sleepers will even add more thickness to the floor? Thanks.

@Buffalo-J

3 жыл бұрын

The floor was fairly level within the normally expected slope of the floor towards the sump crock. There are are some slight rise / depressions around the control joints in the concrete. If you have a serious level concern, then your idea about tapered sleepers can work, but consider if you place the the foam or on top...under is below the vapor barrier and load of entire floor is concentrated on the foam on the narrow sleeper. on top of foam is most practical, but suggest the sleepers are then fairly wide as again the load of the sub floor on top will be on the area of the sleeper to the foam, so you may get a little compression in the foam there with larger loads on the floor. Maybe try to test before you do a full install.

Hey man, how is this working out for you after getting this far? Any new videos possibly?

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

Project has gone very well and flooring system has worked out great. Couldn't be happier. It was a bit more work than other methods but I'm really pleased how it came out and also saved as much head-room as possible. I have tons of video taken during the project but finding time to review/cut/compile, etc. has been tough....did post #3 (link here) though and more to follow hopefully soon. Thanks! kzread.info/dash/bejne/qG18ydCoirKtdtI.html

Thanks for the awesome videos. Few questions: 1) What brand of cement caulk did you use to fill the concrete floor seams? 2) Did you consider first painting on a basement & masonry waterproofer on the walls & floor before the foam board? 3) how high are your ceilings? Were you concerned about adding mat, 1 inch foam, sub floor and carpet would be taking away too much from your room height?

@Barhorst1

6 жыл бұрын

If you don't install carpet and just lay down snap together flooring, can it be done right on the mat without a subfloor?

@Buffalo-J

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the question. 1. I used DAP Concrete and Mortar Filler and Sealer (gray) which remains flexible and water tight after cured. 2. I did not paint the concrete walls and personally do not believe this is a smart idea. In short, it's darn near impossible to get a coating to be 100% "pinhole" free, and eventually the paint is going to fail anyway...so why spend the time and money on this. Why...? Even though there are many products which are intended as "waterproofing" or sealing products, and they probably work well in the early days of their lifetime, the reality is that concrete and masonry is porous, and will be a conduit for moisture and experience significant temperature swings through seasons. Concrete is also almost always in some state of "wetness" even if it feels bone dry to the touch. Therefore, any of these kinds of paints or sealers often are not getting great adhesion to begin with, and and perpetually exposed to moisture attacking the adhesive bond after it's applied. Invariable, the paint will begin to bubble, eventually fracture and then peel. This is not a permanent solution to "sealing" a concrete or masonry surface. Here's a link to just one video about this and you can find more information if you search the web. kzread.info/dash/bejne/mGGDsKyNfLDQqag.html 3. I have 8 foot ceilings through most of this basement but beneath the main beam and duct trunks about 7 feet. I was concerned about height, particularly under the beam area, and spent quite a bit of time considering how I would manage the floor, but in the end I decided on this design as the long-term advantages of both moisture proofing and insulation were more important to me compared to the 2" I will lose under the beam.

@Buffalo-J

6 жыл бұрын

The manufacturer of the dimple mat I used, SuperSeal, promotes this product as, "Carpet and Laminate Subfloor Membrane" according to their web page, and there you can find more information about it. I They do promote use directly on top of concrete or wood surfaces, and so I would say that generally, yes you could use a flooring directly of top of the mat as SuperSeal indicates. However, I would also suggest you speak with them about how to deal with some challenges you might face if you intend to use a hard flooring product as opposed to carpet including but not limited to: a) Level: most basement floors will not be inherently level or even flat, and in fact should be pitched towards the sump anyway. Most hard flooring products require the installation surface to be level and flat to some significant degree, and so I might caution you on how you will deal with these challenges over the life of your flooring product. This can be done, but techniques used for leveling and flattening floors can be a pain in the @%#. b) Securing the Floor: If you install a flooring product which is intended to be and will be truly floating on top of the mat this should be no issue, however if you install any product which requires fastening to the surface below this may be a challenge / problem as you only have a thin, flexible membrane to work with or otherwise you need to go through it and into the concrete. Any penetration of the mat at all and you have also now compromised your vapor barrier. c) Insulation: If you use only the mat, the dimple profile will minimize the contact surface of the mat to the basement floor, however there is still contact and will be some heat conduction through the mat...I am not familiar with what kind of insulating value the SuperSeal mat will result in but you could contact them if you wanted to learn more. For my project, using the rigid foam on top of the mat provides an additional minimum R-5 insulating value on the floor which we will be waling on and this was attractive to me. d) Safety: This sound like a minor point, but I have a couple children and this will also be a space where they may be playing and frankly be allowed to be more rambunctious than in our main living space. This design with the combination of the dimple mat, rigid foam, and wood sub floor has now turned a very hard, cold concrete floor into a significantly warmer, softer, and more comfortable floor for walking, sitting,,,, or even tackling.. :)

@athenavonhausen2950

6 жыл бұрын

What about using densshield tile backer on the floor in place of OSB for fireproofing over foamular which is flammable. I'm not sure how well this works when building a stud wall nailed on top of tile backer. Would this work? I really like everything you have presented in your videos. All these foam products are flammable. What are you planning to do for your wall cavities to make them fire resistant. Will you use rockwool insulation? I don't know what to do with these 2 back to back problems- fireproofing and moisture proofing for the walls and floor. Thanks, Laura

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

Hi and good comments. There's quite a bit of debate out there about the conflict of moisture-proofing and fireblocking....you can't fireblock "according to code" without the fireblocking penetrating the moisture barrier....and you can create a sealed moisture barrier from fire-blocking materials....ugh! From all I have researched, this really comes down to interpretation of the code by the inspector. The essence of fireblocking is to starve a fire of oxygen and thererfore stifle combustion. By using a material like rockwool in all of the cavities between and behind the studs, and up through the rim joist spaces, you have effectively "fireblocked" provided any source of ignition is note directly in contact or accessible to the foam, where the fireproof rockwool comes into play. In this method where you have no (very limited) air to support combustion, you have achieved fireblocking. Of course, this is all subject to agreement by your local inspector, but the this is something the codes are very lacking in addressing. I have seen where this is approved by local inspectors after it is thoroughly explains and provided they understand how this will achieve fireblocking.

What do you do to address the fact that you just removed 2"s of rise from the first step of the basement stairs?

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Nothing. It's a pretty benign sacrifice considering the massive benefits we achieve. I have seen other who built a landing to match the height of the first step to break the stair pattern and in the end I considered it, but once the floor was in and not one person who went up and down the stairway noticed any significant affect or risk of trip/fall, we decided to leave it as is. Yes, we are all ingrained with muscle memory of the standard stair tread height, but this really has not been any issue whatsoever.

Hi Sir I would like to know how stable the sub floor is? In other words can you tile over this without the floor moving and then the tile or the grout cracking?

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

The floor has been very stable at least as far as vinyl plank flooring which I have installed in one of the rooms. I am not so sure how stable it will be on its own for ceramic tile as it's meant by design to be a tad flexible. If you were going to consider tile, then you should probably stiffen it up with hardy or cement board but you may want to test that out first.

Can you share appx how many tubes of adhesive you used for the panels? Trying to guesstimate requirements?

@Buffalo-J

4 ай бұрын

Sorry for late reply. I can only guess from memory that I used maybe 10 on this project which was roughly 50' x 30' insulating wall area.

Hello. I live in Rochester, just down the road from you. Regarding the floor/sole plates, I have a question about movement. I'm only creating a 200 sqf room in basement, so this floor will only be bounded on 3 sides. Without fastening to the concrete floor, do you think I'll have an issue with movement? Specifically, I'm fearful of drywall cracks, etc. if there is some movement being that the studs will be nailed into this "moveable" sole plate. What are your thoughts?

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Tough to give a specific answer without seeing the specific case and conditions you're working with. Having said that, there's pretty high coefficient of friction between the subfloor, foam, and then the dimple mat once everything is installed and especially after you have your framing, flooring, and the furniture and people on top. It would be tough for movement. I will tell you we have a gym with treadmills and high-grip gym floor for floor which sees a hell of a lot of lateral force from floor and cardio stuff and nothing moves. Cant image what more you could do.

@trevordimarco

2 жыл бұрын

@@Buffalo-J Thank you for the reply. I've watched all of your videos multiple times over and am building from your playbook. You've done more for me than Bob Villa ever will!

Great Tutorial (I watched all 4 sessions and looking forward to more on this project) Though, I have a few questions. 1. Did you put the subfloor adhesive between the butt-joints too or just the tongue-and-groove joints? 2. IF you did not have a sump pump, would you still have gone with the same flooring concept? 3. The space between the floor and wall- why did you elect to fill the gap with silicone caulk instead of filling with foam (great stuff). 4. Which Great stuff product did you use between the XPS sheets on the wall (regular (red can)- or low expanding for windows (blue can)?

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. 1. I only used the adhesive at the tongue & groove. The butt joints will move slightly and the adhesive will restrict that and eventually squeek or make a noise. 2. If I did not have a sump pump, then I probably would not have finished my basement....honestly. It means (depending on where you live) you have high potential to flood and get the walls and contents wet. Having said that, this system should be resilient if you ever did flood, provided you dry it out as soon as possible and thoroughly...but again, that doesn't help your drywall, electrical, or content is you get enough water.

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Also, I've since realized that the Locktite PL 400 is not great with the resins in products like Advantech. It's not a problem, but the bonding is a bit weak. It doe still take up gaps and squeeks, but does not really work as a bonding agent between the boards long term. Advantech has since some out with their own adhesive which you can buy through them and is made to achieve better bonding with the resins in their board.

@pauljindra2057

Жыл бұрын

Looking back at your tutorial, you used an expanding foam product to apply the xps to the cement wall. I think it was Great Stuff, but was it the general purpose (red can) or low expanding (blue can) used for windows & doors?

Hi Buffalo J. Love the videos. I’m currently working on a similar system. 1). Do you remember what framing strap you used to add rigidity to the advantech subfloor panels? 2). Did you lay any engineered hardwood/LVP over the straps, and if yes did you experience any issues? I like the idea of using the straps to add rigidity (instead of tapcons) but I’m thinking thinner the gauge the better. In any event, I can probably experiment in a small section to see how the LVT sits over the strapping. Thank you, Tom

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Hi and thanks for the feedback. I used a 1" x 4" 20-ga galvanized tie plate (see link below). You want as low profile as practical but also want it to be rigid enough to provide some reasonable amount of stiffness and resistance to movement. I used three different floorings in three different areas, and one of those was and EVP laminate. It has worked out great and no complaints. I will have a separate video on that in the near future. www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-MP-1-in-x-4-in-20-Gauge-Galvanized-Mending-Plate-MP14-R/313810431

@Jeremy-pf3bb

Жыл бұрын

@@Buffalo-J When you placed the EVP laminate flooring on the subfloor did you place it directly on top of the advantech?

Did you put the subfloor adhesive between the butt-joints too or just the tongue-and-groove joints

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Just tongue & groove. The butt joints will move slightly and that's OK.

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Also, I've since realized that the Locktite PL 400 is not great with the resins in products like Advantech. It's not a problem, but the bonding is a bit weak. Advantech has since some out with their own adhesive which you can buy through them and is made to achieve better bonding with the resins in their board.

Is there any Vapor barrier or insulation under your Slab(concrete basement floor)?

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

I believe there is however, there is so much moisture in the ground and surrounding there is tons of moisture between the slab and any vapor barrier anyway.

My slab will have a vapor barrier underneath it. Can u forgo the dimple mat and just lay the foam onto the concrete?

@vanessap8717

4 жыл бұрын

Also, do you build the interior walls on top of the subfloor? Or should I attach the walls to the concrete and build the subfloor around them?

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

The purpose of the dimple mat is to allow air to move as you will get moisture under the vapor barrier. It's your call, but I prefer to have more air movement for my project.

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

Please see the other videos in this series and it explains all of that in more detail than I can write here. Good luck.

Great video. I am working on a similar project and have 2 questions... 1 - why not have the dimple mat curl up onto the wall foam? Aren't you worried about moisture getting between the wall foam and the dimple mat that you have under the floor system. That setup just seems like you may have the potential of getting water between the dimple mat and the floor foam. 2 - how do you address where the existing basement stairs hit the ground? You are elevating the basement floor by about 2 inches, therefore making that bottom step much less of a step than all the others. Thanks for the video!.

@Buffalo-J

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks and good questions: 1. I actually considered this originally and did some testing of this on my own. The dimple mat I used is product which can be used as a sub-floor material in itself directly under a carpet or laminate, and therefore is a relatively stiff material which does not lend itself to bending too easily. It can be bent to form a corner, however as it is stiff, the bending actually requires some creasing which results in some plastic deformation around the many dimples; my concern with this is that deformation may lead to cracks or fractures and then we've compromised the barrier anyway. Therefore I decided to keep the mat flat and under the wall foam and seal it with the silicone caulk; Even with a roll up the wall with the mat, you would still have seams and corners to be dealt with anyway. All in all, I've tested this in some mock-ups and am pretty happy with this result. 2. The bottom stair will be shorter, however, I also plan to make a landing out of that bottom stair so the shorter transition will be from the landing to the floor...I will show this in another future video.

@danny302

6 жыл бұрын

Buffalo J Thanks for the reply! Looking forwadd to the rest of your process. Maybe I'll document mine as well.

I'm curious, why did you used XPS instead of Polyiso foam? Also, what climate zone are you in? (I'm guessing Buffalo NY 🙂)

@Buffalo-J

Жыл бұрын

In my opinion XPS has far better combination of water/vapor barrier and insulation properties for this kind of build than polyiso. I'm going to paste here the same reply to a similar question I had in Video #1, so hope this helps. Polyiso products will require fixing methods to the foundation which would require compromise of the vapor barrier (i.e. anchors through the material) or otherwise will require additional work to ensure any such compromise is again addressed to re-establish a complete 100% barrier. Likewise some Polyiso products may have organic materials in the backings which is in direct conflict with what we are aiming to achieve on this indoor mold/mildew resistant application, sop buyers need to be careful. Finally there are studies which show Polyiso performs worse than other products the colder it gets. These are my opinions based on research and experience, but everyone will have their own. For the benefit of anyone else reading please do your own research and make you best educated decision between XPS, EPS, and Polyiso. Some references you might use as follows: www.owenscorning.com/NetworkShare/EIS/10019950-FOAMULAR-XPS-vs-Poly-FAQ.pdf www.ecohome.net/guides/2254/polyisocyanurate-foam-is-a-hot-new-building-product-learn-where-and-where-not-to-use-it/ www.wconline.com/articles/87430-the-finish-line-eps-vs-polyisocyanurate-insulation#:~:text=EPS%20boards%20are%20homogenous%20EPS,act%20as%20a%20vapor%20barrier

Great video series, I love how thorough and thoughtful you were in your approach. Another great video! Quick question for you, I am doing a dimple membrane and 5/8" plywood as the subfloor. I am also planning on installing XPS foam board to the cement wall, as you have done. To protect the ywood would this order of install make sense: dimple membrane (0.5 inch away from wall), foam board glued in place as you have done, then plywood subfloor. I'm thinking the xps would be able to protect the ends of the plywood in this fashion. Thanks for your time if you can respond.

@Buffalo-J

Жыл бұрын

Hi and glad this is useful for you. Not quite sure I'm following what you're asking, but seems like you're describing very much the same as what I show in the video.

man, great job. How much did this floor cost you?

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

without digging back into my receipts, the floor area was around 800 ft2 and the cost including SuperSeal, 1" Foamular 250, and Advantech was around $1000.

How thick was the advantech 4X8?

@Buffalo-J

Жыл бұрын

It comes as a standard thickness (I think it's 23/32 just going off of memory but you can find from their data sheets).

Sir the force is strongly with you. This was exactly what I was looking for. A floating sub floor system with insulation that doesn’t include drilling in the concrete. This is exactly what the doctor order. That you may be prosperous and successful spreading this good news and reaping the benefits. You are going to build walls on top. I suppose you will use short screws for the bottom nails of the framework? Do you use a vapor foil between the concrete wall and the insulation ? And another vapor foul between the insulation and the drywall?

@Buffalo-J

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback and love the SW reference. Big fan myself. The foam system I created is a vapor barrier if done completely so no need to add additional layers. Please have a look at the first videos in this series which describes moisture and damp proofing. This is the way. :)

Should have used acoustic barrier instead of silicone, as the silicon will degrade years before the non hardening acoustic barrier.

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Good suggestion. Something to be considered for future. LMK the product you recommend the expected installed lifetime. If better than silicone min. 20yrs that would be a good upgrade. Thanks.

Nice Video I am doing the same job. How did you fasten down the bottom frame after subfloor? Did you use any screw for it? May I need to see your next video. haha.

@Buffalo-J

6 жыл бұрын

Hello. I did use screws and I will be showing how I did that in the next video. Sorry it's been taking a little long for video compiling...it will be out soon.

@ravisabi

6 жыл бұрын

Please put your next video..Thx

@Buffalo-J

5 жыл бұрын

here it is: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qG18ydCoirKtdtI.html

did you have any issues with building inspectors approving this floating insulation?

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

No.

Only recommendation I would suggest you is, you are talking and explaining after the job has been done, rather show us a small part how you did it, step by step. For amateur person like me, seeing is better than hearing, how to do. That solves everything.

@Buffalo-J

4 ай бұрын

Thanks and good comment. Most of these videos were inspired by my daughter just filming me after-the-fact so I'll keep that in mind in the future.

I'm in the new york area as well. Are you for hire?

@Buffalo-J

2 жыл бұрын

Hi and thanks for the question. I provide some consultation and also general contract work from time to time but depends on the project, location, and timing. If you are interested in discussing further you can reach me at jaybuffalosoldier@gmail.com.

Osb is not recommended since it releases formaldehyde!

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

From Huber Woods' website, who makes the Advantech sub floor product: "The adhesives used to produce AdvanTech and ZIP System panels are a combination of exterior type phenol formaldehyde (PF) and isocyanate resins. During manufacturing, PF resins are exposed to heat and pressure. This heat and pressure cures the resin into nonreactive and stable material. Isocyanate resins contain no formaldehyde."

@Buffalo-J

4 жыл бұрын

www.huberwood.com/assets/user/library/Formaldehyde_in_AdvanTech_and_ZIP-07092010122052.pdf

I did this in my basement. This floor system will be squishy and move around after you put your finished floor on.. it basically feels like you’re walking on the foam I would not recommend it!

@dbaker5738

Жыл бұрын

Also those metal straps are a pita to get in to the subfloor 😢

@Buffalo-J

Жыл бұрын

I have not experienced that at all in my builds when using proper 250psi foam. If you're going to use a foam you need to be sure it has a high compressive strength to avoid this.

Show me the skills and technical how to work not the talk.

@Buffalo-J

Жыл бұрын

Sorry you didn't like it. My videos are mostly focused on the design concept and engineering. I do not intend these to be technical labor training videos, but I'll keep that in mind for future.

I don't believe in the effectiveness of the air space between the concrete slab and the insulation. That air will be stagnant. How and to where is it flowing to promote drying?!? Your rigid insulation is itself a vapour barrier. I'm in the process of doing exactly what you are doing however I'm setting my rigid insulation directly on the concrete floor and securing it in place with thin set. I will put a VB on top of that to reduce the flow of out gassing from the rigid insulation. No air gap means no room for mold to grow.

@Buffalo-J

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. The air space is simply that, air space. Moisture will naturally move from high saturation to low within the air, so even this tiny bit of space will more easily allow that to happen. In your suggested method, there will be even less air space so the risk of stagnation as you put it will be even higher. You need air to be able to move to allow drying, and yes while this space is small, air molecules are many times smaller and moisture will move. Consider that through just a pin-hole in a vapor barrier, one cup of water can migrate as vapor through that hole in a season...now consider that the 1/8" space under 50% of the entire floor is ventilated, how much more drying that will allow than zero space.