Covering concrete shop floor-DriCore or???

[shoottmx]

Working on setting up shop in my new basement, the house was built in '93 and the floor is excellent condition concrete. I'd like to do something to soften the floor for feet and tool drops as well as allowing air flow for moisture to evaporate. We got a little water (couple quarts) one time when the gutters were plugged. I'm on top of that issue and will redo the slope away from the house in spring but there's always that potential.

Because of the moisture possibility I'm a little gunshy of putting down rigid foam, sleepers and plywood due to having the foam flat on the floor so the water can't easily evaporate. DriCore seems to be a good solution to soften the floor and allow moisture to evaporate should that happen again but it's pretty doggone spendy. It also has a little insulation value so the floor will be warmer.

Do any Woodnetters have experience with DriCore? I don't know anyone that has used it. Any other products that might be better or cheaper?

Thanks,  g

[Tapper]

Don't know where you're located, but I'd say the first order of business is ensure for certain that there is absolutely no leakage or water seeping into your basement. I assume (there's that word again) that the builder buried perforated drain lines at the footings of your basement foundation walls and also installed a waterproofing system directly on the walls below grade (I used the Owens Corning system years ago). Sloping the soil away from the wall, while always a good thing to do, does not necessarily always fix the problem.

I know because I went through it with a new house I had built in the Atlanta area back in the early 1980's. Contractor had to come back in, have the basement concrete floor jackhammered out at the footings, install a drain line along with gravel, and re-concrete the trench back over. It was costly to him but completely solved the problem - basement never leaked again since the hydraulic pressure was relieved.

Once you have any water intrusion completely and positively prevented, your options on the floor are many. It always begins though with installing a poly vinyl sheet on top of the concrete floor to prevent the natural moisture from creeping up into the flooring you eventually install.

HTH,

Doug

[shoottmx]

Doug,
Thanks for the info. There are perimeter drains outside the footers that flow by gravity to the side of a hill. I do think that the issue was totally a plugged downspout that I had neglected. Won't do that again.

......It always begins though with installing a poly vinyl sheet on top of the concrete floor.....Seems to me that sealing the floor with poly would promote mold or mildew below the poly. One of the things I like about DriCore is that it allows air to flow over the concrete to evaporate any moisture.

Am I missing something?

Thanks, g

[Tapper]

Doug,
Thanks for the info. There are perimeter drains outside the footers that flow by gravity to the side of a hill. I do think that the issue was totally a plugged downspout that I had neglected. Won't do that again.

......It always begins though with installing a poly vinyl sheet on top of the concrete floor.....Seems to me that sealing the floor with poly would promote mold or mildew below the poly. One of the things I like about DriCore is that it allows air to flow over the concrete to evaporate any moisture.

Am I missing something?

Thanks, g

Just read up on DriCore - looks like a pretty good and acceptable product, for its intended use. There are several important considerations IMO:

1) Will the OSB DriCore material be the final flooring, i.e. is it the surface you will walk on? 

2) The articles I read all said that DC was the better system if you are dealing with a reduced ceiling height, as in old homes with ~7' basements. Traditional plywood subfloors with sleepers take up more vertical space.

3) The amount of potential moisture/water on your basement floor.

If you plan to walk on an OSB floor, then DC would seem to be a good solution. If you plan to put some sort of wood finish flooring on top of it as a wear surface, installation technique is important as there is not enough "bite" with OSB to toenail flooring in, as in T&G flooring. If it's a free floating engineered wooden flooring system (or laminate) that snaps together, you're good to go.

DC will cost you more. If that's not important, installing it is certainly easier than a traditional plywood subfloor. About the moisture: The poly is installed as a vapor barrier only and is not intended to prevent water intrusion. If you have a leaky basement nothing will prevent the floor from being soaked eventually. Again, this vapor barrier is intended to protect the subfloor and the finish flooring from damage from natural vapors that are present in any cement floor system, i.e. minimal moisture.

Just because DriCore comes with a vapor barrier already installed on the bottom, doesn't mean it will protect against "puddles" of water in your basement- it won't. It will eventually become soggy, swell up and delaminate over time, just like a plywood product.

Again, the poly vinyl sheet I mentioned is meant as a vapor barrier only. I plan to finish my basement shop floor with a snap together laminate flooring material. Already bought it at HD on sale a couple of years ago and it's sitting in the garage now while I'm furring out concrete stem walls, installing batt insulation, installing drywall and finishing and painting it. I will install a thin foam pad on top of the poly vinyl sheeting for some additional cushion. It will be easy, relatively inexpensive and give me a little softer feel along with some protection for sharp edged tools dropped on the floor.

The main point I was making in my original post is that NOTHING will protect your floor from water intrusion. Water intrusion in a basement is a serious problem and will not fix itself with any floor product. That's why I asked all those questions about proper drainage and waterproofing of your basement walls. If you think the plugged downspout was the problem, I'd definitely test it, i.e. wait until the next heavy rain and see if your basement floor stays dry. If it does, you have lots of options.

Good luck,

Doug

[jimmyjam]

I used Delta FL https://www.lowes.com/pd/328-sq-ft-Stand.../999919440 and OSB sheets over it in the garage.

Jay

[EricU]

my basement has been dry for 5 years since we fixed the water intrusion source.  I still don't want to put down a floor directly on the concrete.  The one nice thing about our basement is that the floor drains to the sump.  Been thinking about drycore.  The only issue is that the local places have the barely insulated stuff, R1.5, there is another variety with R3 insulation value.  You can use our basement floor to keep beer cold in the winter, I want to break that thermal load on the heating.

I was thinking about tolerating walking on OSB. I think I will just put down a cheap laminate instead.

[tnff]

A couple of folks have mentioned using laminate floor in the shop?  What are your thoughts about it being slick underfoot in a shop with sawdust on the floor?  We've  had it in our rec room for about 10  years and while I think it's a good product, I would be a bit concerned about slickness in  a shop.  Has anyone used it?

jim

[Tapper]

A couple of folks have mentioned using laminate floor in the shop?  What are your thoughts about it being slick underfoot in a shop with sawdust on the floor?  We've  had it in our rec room for about 10  years and while I think it's a good product, I would be a bit concerned about slickness in  a shop.  Has anyone used it?

jim

One of our members here has laminate flooring in his "deluxe" shop (are you around, Cian? 
 ) The question about traction came up in an earlier discussion and his comment IIRC, was that right after he installed it there was a "powder" type substance on the surface that was a byproduct of the packaging, and caused it to be slippery. He swept it clean and maybe damp mopped it and it went away and was a stable surface to walk on, even with some sawdust.

Hopefully he or others who have laminate flooring in their shops will show up and clarify.

Doug

[shoottmx]

Doug,
Thank you for your thoughtful responses and my apologies for being slow to respond. Yes, I plan to use DriCore as the final flooring. I read a review on Lowe's site that recommended coating with polyurethane or paint to make sweeping up easier which I plan to do. Ceiling height thankfully isn't an issue.

I'm 99 44/100% sure the moisture issue is resolved, there's no evidence of previous intrusion before the gutter plugging. We've had a ton of snow, ice and rain this winter here on the coast of Maine, once I cleaned the gutter the issue was resolved. The fact that DriCore has room for air to circulate underneath is one of the things that appeals to me. It will be my shop floor so the cushioning effect over the concrete will be welcomed by my feet and knees.

Lowes sells DriCore for $6.25 each. It's not 2' square but 23.25" x 23.25" which works out to 3.75 square feet. With the 10% vet discount (Thank you Lowes!) that works out to $1.50 per sq. ft. Another concern is I have the steps are on a short wall that is angled 45*  since the DriCore is grooved on 2 sides and tounged on the other there will be a major amount of waste cutting around the angles.

I've been in Dave Diaman's basement shop that is floored with laminate. It looks great and has the foam underlay that gives it some cushion. I'm going to do some more looking around before ordering the DriCore. It looks like cheap laminate with a good cushioned underlayment would come close to the DriCore price.

I was hoping someone here would have had some experience with DriCore. The guys I've talked with at Lowe's and the local lumber yard have no real knowledge on the product.

Thanks again,   g

[Tapper]

You're welcome g, glad to hear that the water problem is solved. I had forgotten about the floor in Dave Diaman's shop; seems like he posted some photos of it here one time and made some positive comments about it as a comfortable surface to work on. Since Dave makes his living in his shop, my guess is it has met his needs or he would've gone to something else.

Call me anal, but the "look" of the floor is pretty important to me, as well as it's function. That's why I decided to go with laminate, AND the fact that I was able to take advantage of a "killer" close-out deal Home Depot had at the time. Seems like it was something like 49 cents a sq. ft. (can't remember if the veteran discount applied on this item or not). I will need to purchase the foam padding, a small additional cost.

If you coat the DriCore with polyurethane, it will definitely sweep better. If you use clear, as it wears it probably won't look much different. With a colored polyurethane, as it wears my guess is that the OSB will flake somewhat and the bare wood will show through. If this doesn't bother you, then it really isn't a consideration.

You're right about the vet discount over at Lowe's. I just discovered it and signed up for it about a month ago. While HD still gives a discount on some items, Lowe's does it for ALL items in the store. Sure has made me think a little more about purchase decisions.  

Best of luck with the project and let us know what you finally decide on, AND post some pics!

Doug