Sometimes things just click into place. Such was the case—literally—when it came time to decide how to finish my basement floor. Taking into consideration factors such as durability (our basement will be the main entertaining space of my home, as well as incorporate an exercise area), cost, ease of installation (no gluing or nailing) and care, we chose laminate flooring.
The advancements made by modern laminate designs mean you can get a high-quality look similar to hardwood, without the expense and without contributing to deforestation; the lengthy warranties (25 years for the brand used here) offered for laminates add to their value, as well.
For my basement, we used a type of flooring by Torlys Quick-Step flooring called Eligna in country maple (www.torlys.com). The package we picked up included the installation and maintenance kits, underlay and Quick-Step’s multi-functional moulding. We also opted for the stair package with Quick-Step’s flush-mount profile, as opposed to the standard nose. Keep in mind; when calculating how much flooring to order, add five per cent to allow for offcutting.
Before getting down to business, allow the laminate to acclimate for 24 to 48 hours, but not in a corner or against a wall. Ideally, the relative humidity of the room should be between 40 and 60 per cent. Ensure your floor is clean, free of defects and level—fix unevenness of more than 1/12" per 39 1/2" using self-levelling concrete; some subfloors, if installing, come with levelling kits to fix minor grade problems (see “Under Cover,” at right).
As a rule when laying flooring, a 3/8" expansion gap is required around the perimeter of the room as well as any obstacles. Another option for the perimeter, which we chose, is to undercut the drywall to slide the laminate underneath the wall, eliminating the need for quarter round with a baseboard. We cut the drywall with a modified angle grinder with an adjustable depth plate and saw blade, but a drywall saw would work as well.
The following instructions, however, apply when leaving an expansion gap.
When height matters
Head room is usually at a premium in basements, so putting down a conventional subfloor—which generally consists of 2x4 sleepers, a vapour barrier, 1" to 2" rigid insulation and 5/8" plywood—for warmth and moisture protection is not always optimal. It can mean a loss of between 2 1/4" and 5 1/4" in height. If you don’t want to be left high and dry—just warm and dry—there are other options available without having to sacrifice height.
DRIcore: specifically engineered for cold, damp environments, individual 2' x 2' tongue-and-groove panels comprise a high-density polyethylene moisture barrier and a 5/8" random wafer-board core; total thickness is only 7/8". Also included are levelling shims for minor grade variances (DRIcore, www.dricore.com).
Delta FL: heavy-duty plastic (high-density polyethylene) roll or sheet with a uniquely designed dimpled surface that creates a 5/16"-thick air space above concrete floors on grade (Cosella-Dörken Products Inc.,
www.cosella-dorken.com).
To determine if you have a moisture problem (aside from obvious leaks or signs of past water damage), a simple, inexpensive and non-destructive method is to tape a piece of clear polyethylene plastic overtop the concrete floor in several locations. After 16 to 24 hours, check whether condensation is present on the underside of the plastic. Serious water leakage must be addressed before laying any subflooring system.
As we don’t have a moisture problem in our basement, we used Torlys’ Safe & Sound underlay, which is an antimicrobial foam with a built-in, self-sealing moisture barrier providing sound absorption in a single 2-mm-thick layer.
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