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Please help - what to put under wood floor in kitchen?

14 years ago

I have looked in the forum and can't quite find the answer to what is the best barrier to lay down between the subfloor and the hardwood in the kitchen. Moisture, vapor, felt, plastic, rosin paper? There is a very damp basement underneath. It is 4" quartersawn white oak, and I am worried about water spills and leaks that can arise in the work area particularly and create problems underneath the wood. We plan to finish the floors with Waterlox, if that makes any difference.

Comments (8)

phila_2009
14 years ago
You have to correct the damp basement issue first .
beth
Original Author
14 years ago
It seems impossible to fix. Should we not install wood flooring?
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phila_2009
14 years ago
Do you know where the moisture is coming from ?
glennsfc
14 years ago
Most any damp basement can be made acceptably dry for a wood install.

As for what to place between your flooring and the subfloor...some professionals put nothing, others use asphalt saturated felt, some use rosin paper (which only serves as a 'slip sheet' to aid in the installation process and has no moisture retarding effect).
phila_2009
14 years ago
I use Aqua bar B
beth
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks everyone. The basement is just damp and smells moldy. I've been told, half jokingly, that every house in New England has a damp basement. About five years ago we fixed the one leak that we found. It may be time to call in the professionals for a diagnosis.

There is hardwood in the rest of the first floor with no problems.
I'm going to look up Aqua bar B right now.
idrive65
14 years ago
"I've been told, half jokingly, that every house in New England has a damp basement."

Sounds like something a savvy real estate agent would say to a prospective buyer! Regardless of what you put on your kitchen floor, don't live with a damp and moldy basement, it isn't good for you. We fixed curtain drains, added dirt so water would drain away from the foundation, and painted that black goop on it, and finally got the dry basement we needed.
beth
Original Author
14 years ago
idrive65 You make me laugh because you are exactly right! I should probably venture over to the basements forum with the rest of this problem. I don't think we have any curtain drains at all, and we live halfway up a hill - or halfway down if you are rainwater. This house was built in 1962, so I'm sure that many improvements have been made in this department over the years. Thanks for the insights.

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