ᐅ New Floor Construction in an Older Building: Installing Parquet Instead of New Floorboards?
Created on: 25 May 2020 11:29
H
Hausnummer43H
Hausnummer4325 May 2020 11:29Hello everyone,
We are currently renovating a 100-year-old house and wanted to restore our wooden plank floor. Unfortunately, we discovered severe woodworm damage and many missing sections.
The floor structure consists of a reinforced concrete slab. Below is an uninsulated basement. Insulating the basement ceiling from below is not possible. On top of that is a substructure with infill and 3cm (1¼ inch) spruce boards.
My husband is now more interested in installing parquet flooring, but what could the floor construction look like in this case?
Initially, we had a specialist in historic building renovation on site, who advised us not to install any vapor barriers or foil beneath the floors to allow the entire structure to continue breathing from the basement.
However, I am not convinced that OSB board combined with cork insulation and parquet would be ideal above our basement ceiling. Is OSB vapor-permeable? Is there a risk of mold developing underneath?
Thank you for your advice and help.
We are currently renovating a 100-year-old house and wanted to restore our wooden plank floor. Unfortunately, we discovered severe woodworm damage and many missing sections.
The floor structure consists of a reinforced concrete slab. Below is an uninsulated basement. Insulating the basement ceiling from below is not possible. On top of that is a substructure with infill and 3cm (1¼ inch) spruce boards.
My husband is now more interested in installing parquet flooring, but what could the floor construction look like in this case?
Initially, we had a specialist in historic building renovation on site, who advised us not to install any vapor barriers or foil beneath the floors to allow the entire structure to continue breathing from the basement.
However, I am not convinced that OSB board combined with cork insulation and parquet would be ideal above our basement ceiling. Is OSB vapor-permeable? Is there a risk of mold developing underneath?
Thank you for your advice and help.
Hello questioner,
I also have a question regarding yours:
"The floor structure is a reinforced concrete slab. Below is an uninsulated basement. Insulating the basement ceiling from below is not possible."
While I consider this possible, the question of WHY NOT should be answered clearly and understandably! Because with such a significant renovation scope, you are legally required to comply with the energy saving regulations (building permit / planning permission) governing insulation standards.
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"Initially, we had a specialist in old building renovation on site who said we should definitely not lay any membranes in the floors. So that everything can continue to breathe from the basement."
Nothing actually “breathes” in or above the basement.
What the specialist meant is that no waterproofing or vapor barrier should be installed.
This can indeed make sense (not installing a vapor barrier) if thermal insulation is missing.
Otherwise, you would have condensation forming on the membrane (and thus inside the living space)!
So this answer is correct to that extent.
The core issue remains the question of thermal insulation!
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(1)“I can’t imagine OSB board plus cork insulation plus parquet would be ideal over our basement ceiling?!“
(2) “Is OSB vapor-permeable?”
(3) “Is there a risk of the area below beginning to rot?”
Answers:
to 1: YES, that’s correct.
to 2: No.
to 3: YES (plus very likely condensation formation).
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Providing a recommendation for the structure without detailed knowledge of the specific building is not professionally possible.
Any solution along the lines of “… we have that too …” cannot possibly lead to a damage-free result, because all boundary conditions must be precisely considered!
Best regards, KlaRa
I also have a question regarding yours:
"The floor structure is a reinforced concrete slab. Below is an uninsulated basement. Insulating the basement ceiling from below is not possible."
While I consider this possible, the question of WHY NOT should be answered clearly and understandably! Because with such a significant renovation scope, you are legally required to comply with the energy saving regulations (building permit / planning permission) governing insulation standards.
-------------------
"Initially, we had a specialist in old building renovation on site who said we should definitely not lay any membranes in the floors. So that everything can continue to breathe from the basement."
Nothing actually “breathes” in or above the basement.
What the specialist meant is that no waterproofing or vapor barrier should be installed.
This can indeed make sense (not installing a vapor barrier) if thermal insulation is missing.
Otherwise, you would have condensation forming on the membrane (and thus inside the living space)!
So this answer is correct to that extent.
The core issue remains the question of thermal insulation!
-----------------------
(1)“I can’t imagine OSB board plus cork insulation plus parquet would be ideal over our basement ceiling?!“
(2) “Is OSB vapor-permeable?”
(3) “Is there a risk of the area below beginning to rot?”
Answers:
to 1: YES, that’s correct.
to 2: No.
to 3: YES (plus very likely condensation formation).
----------------------
Providing a recommendation for the structure without detailed knowledge of the specific building is not professionally possible.
Any solution along the lines of “… we have that too …” cannot possibly lead to a damage-free result, because all boundary conditions must be precisely considered!
Best regards, KlaRa
H
Hausnummer4326 May 2020 09:17Thank you for the response and the already helpful information.
Our basement is only about 170 cm (67 inches) high, and all the pipes run along the ceiling.
If we were to remove the entire floor, it might be possible to insulate the cavities?! We have already heard about glass gravel or possibly wood fiber insulation?!
Our basement is only about 170 cm (67 inches) high, and all the pipes run along the ceiling.
If we were to remove the entire floor, it might be possible to insulate the cavities?! We have already heard about glass gravel or possibly wood fiber insulation?!
Hausnummer43 schrieb:
If we were to remove the entire floor, it might be possible to insulate the infill panels?! We have already heard about glass gravel or possibly wood fiber insulation?! Installing thermal insulation into the infill panels is generally a good idea!
However, the effectiveness depends on the possible insulation thickness (and therefore on the depth of the infill panels). For example, if an insulation thickness of 10cm (5 inches) with a W0.35 rating were possible, you would have achieved a significant improvement.
The principle is as follows:
Moisture comes from above (the living space), while cold comes from the basement, simply put.
If the insulation can be applied as continuously as possible, a well-functioning vapor retarder (PE foil, at least 0.15mm thick, overlapping by 30cm (12 inches) at the edges and taped) should be sufficient. This would ensure that the load-bearing beams and infill chambers are completely covered by the vapor retarder.
Depending on the flatness of the load-bearing beams, OSB prefabricated elements (that is the term commonly used) can then be laid on impact sound insulation strips as an installation base for, for example, PVC planks or multilayer parquet flooring (on a thin felt underlay).
Glass gravel is completely unsuitable here.
This material is suitable beneath concrete floor slabs as a capillary-breaking layer and, at the same time, as thermal insulation (provided the excavation depth required, such as in new construction, is available).
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Best regards and good luck: KlaRa
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