ᐅ Subfloor Construction Without Screed for Solid Wood Planks – Experiences
Created on: 9 Nov 2020 19:04
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pagoni2020
My current plan is to have a standard concrete slab under the house; additional insulation is still possible.
Based on my experience with a house that has a basement, I had planned to lay a membrane on the raw subfloor (this time without a basement) as a moisture barrier. On top of that, I would install a joist or cross beam structure with loose-fill insulation in between (cork, perlite, hemp-light clay loose-fill; this is also what the contractor recommended).
I recently consulted a specialist company for these types of insulation materials, and they raised some concerns that the membrane on the raw subfloor might prevent moisture—potentially settling from indoor air in the worst case, through the wooden floorboards and insulation—from properly draining downward because of the membrane.
Their advice was to lay the joists directly on the membrane to protect the wood from direct contact with concrete and moisture, and to place the insulation directly on the raw subfloor instead.
In my opinion, however, this approach might carry the risk that residual moisture could rise from below into the insulation area, just reversing the problem.
One possible solution could be to use foam glass gravel when the concrete slab is first poured; however, I am not sure if my general contractor will implement this or if it actually makes sense.
I thought I had this issue figured out, but since there is no basement under the living areas in this build, it is making me reconsider. Ultimately, I want to avoid screed specifically because of moisture concerns.
Does anyone have more detailed experience or knowledge about this?
@Steffi33, you have a construction like this; could you share your exact setup (membrane, insulation, etc.)? Do you have a basement? What type of concrete slab do you have? What joist height did you use? Sorry for all the questions.
Based on my experience with a house that has a basement, I had planned to lay a membrane on the raw subfloor (this time without a basement) as a moisture barrier. On top of that, I would install a joist or cross beam structure with loose-fill insulation in between (cork, perlite, hemp-light clay loose-fill; this is also what the contractor recommended).
I recently consulted a specialist company for these types of insulation materials, and they raised some concerns that the membrane on the raw subfloor might prevent moisture—potentially settling from indoor air in the worst case, through the wooden floorboards and insulation—from properly draining downward because of the membrane.
Their advice was to lay the joists directly on the membrane to protect the wood from direct contact with concrete and moisture, and to place the insulation directly on the raw subfloor instead.
In my opinion, however, this approach might carry the risk that residual moisture could rise from below into the insulation area, just reversing the problem.
One possible solution could be to use foam glass gravel when the concrete slab is first poured; however, I am not sure if my general contractor will implement this or if it actually makes sense.
I thought I had this issue figured out, but since there is no basement under the living areas in this build, it is making me reconsider. Ultimately, I want to avoid screed specifically because of moisture concerns.
Does anyone have more detailed experience or knowledge about this?
@Steffi33, you have a construction like this; could you share your exact setup (membrane, insulation, etc.)? Do you have a basement? What type of concrete slab do you have? What joist height did you use? Sorry for all the questions.
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pagoni202010 Nov 2020 20:13hampshire schrieb:
If you want to install solid, large, and wide floorboards, this setup is definitely the right choice. Laying them flat next to each other and gluing them won’t work in this case.Of course, they are only screwed in either through the tongue or from above if the boards are wider. I really like this system; I think @HarvSpec recommended something similar for underfloor heating somewhere else. I believe this could be the solution, but I still need to clarify whether the boards will be doweled to the floor or laid almost floating.
With loose fill (or screed), hollow spaces can form more easily, but probably not here. Since I will likely do this myself, it looks a bit like playing with Lego – so it seems more suitable for amateurs than for pure unfinished construction material.
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Trademark10 Nov 2020 22:52Steffi33 schrieb:
@pagoni2020 .. These are exactly our reasons. The "soft" ground was especially important.. Little climbers often fall.. from all kinds of heights.. 😱.
In the other rooms (kitchen, bathrooms, hallway, utility room), we have underfloor heating (on screed) and natural stone.*ahem* Cork flooring on the upper floor (except the bathroom) 😉 Although the little climbers just don’t want to grow up and are clumsy 😉
Yes, I basically suggested an analog system with milled grooves for the heating pipes.
The battens are not doweled; they are laid with tongue and groove between the insulation panels. If you need additional insulation, you can add another layer beneath the system. Examples should be available on the manufacturer's website. If loose fill insulation is important to you, that is also possible, depending on the subfloor. For uneven subfloors, I would use Cemwood loose fill (CW 1000). For extremely flat subfloors, something like Steico Floor or similar would work.
The battens are not doweled; they are laid with tongue and groove between the insulation panels. If you need additional insulation, you can add another layer beneath the system. Examples should be available on the manufacturer's website. If loose fill insulation is important to you, that is also possible, depending on the subfloor. For uneven subfloors, I would use Cemwood loose fill (CW 1000). For extremely flat subfloors, something like Steico Floor or similar would work.
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pagoni202011 Nov 2020 13:50HarvSpec schrieb:
Yes, I basically suggested an analog system with milled grooves for the heating pipes.
The battens are not doweled; they rest with tongue and groove between the insulation boards. If you need additional insulation, you can add another layer below the system. Examples should be available on the manufacturer’s website. If loose-fill insulation is important to you, that is also possible. It depends on the substrate. For uneven substrates, I would recommend Cemwood loose-fill (CW 1000). For very flat substrates, something like Steico Floor or similar.So, I have now talked to both companies, Steico and Gutex. It seems to me that they are basically the same. With Steico, the advantage is that the boards are also available in the desired 6cm (2.4 inches) thickness, while with Gutex I would have to double up. Other than that, I don’t see any differences—am I missing something?P
pagoni202011 Nov 2020 14:24haydee schrieb:
mine falls everywhere also from great heights 🤨 🤨 🤨 I think I’ve found what I was looking for.
@HarvSpec gave me the right tip. Now I just need to choose between the different suppliers, but I like the system. Steico, Schneider-Holz Floor_140, or Gutex.
Just now, I screwed the floorboards onto the wood.
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