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What kind of floor to use on fresh concrete

10 years ago

I'm getting a new slab in my basement with rigid foam and 6mil poly under it. I know I'll have to let it dry 30 to 60 days. But even after that it will still be considered "fresh".
There seam to be two schools of thought on concrete:
1-Seal the moisture in with polyurethane based sealer
2-Let it breath into the room (through some kind of channeled sub-floor)
Is one of theses methods outdated?
Which would be the right approach for me? (The sooner I can continue to work on the basement the better, but don't want to rush into problems)

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Comments (5)

User
10 years ago
No one that has a clue ever recommended putting polyurethane on top of concrete. It will peel.

No sub floor needed if the slab itself was poured properly with drainage underneath.Was this professionally done, correctly? It will be dry enough for tile, vinyl, carpet, etc. Never wood in a basement. Ever.
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gkl7
Original Author
10 years ago
The concrete will have a 6mil poly layer underneath and the mix itself will have low water content. But that water content will still take time to evaporate.
Let's say I wait long enough and put vinyl plank on top of a very thin underlayment. Won't that be cold and loud (no sound dampening)?
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I'm surprised no one else is disturbed. My alarm bells went off the minute I saw the pictures. For the sake of the OP, I hope I'm wrong. I've looked closer at the forms. On second thought, I agree they could be removed without damaging the edges, but it would take patience. Sure, when you remove the wedges, the forms would open up, but they'd still be nailed together at the ends, so you'd still have to take extra care to keep from damaging the corners. It seems to me a concrete crew capable of that level of expertise wouldn't add so much water to the mix or do such sloppy broom work. My biggest concern is so many small sections. Judging from the 8x16 block visible in the first two pictures, each section is just 3' x 6.' It's a driveway. Cars are going to roll over it daily, not to mention the occasional delivery truck. What's to stop the sections from tilting and shifting?
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User
10 years ago
Vinyl doesn't need an underpayment. You're over thinking this. If you want warm floors in a basement install radiant heating cables and tile.
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gregmills_gw
10 years ago
Christ....first water doesn't evaporate from the concrete mixture...water is actually used as part of the chemical process of the concrete curing...

second, if the concrete is set up properly, you CAN put wood over the concrete...ENGINEERED.

there are many Polyurethane based moisture barriers that are painted on, that work great, youre biggest issue will be to test for moisture levels of the concrete before you do anything.

obviously the concrete needs to cure, and then there WILL be grinding to do. no concrete pour is perfeft...you will have high and low spots, that needs to be addressed.

A lot of people on here are just willy nilly throwing out advice and its getting old. You can literally put anything over concrete with the exception of a few items, but if you take the proper measures and invest in decent products and not try to finish this in a weekend, you will have great success.
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User
10 years ago
While you can put engineered wood on concrete below grade, because after all, no floor police will prevent you from doing anything you want in your own home, most manufacturers won't warrant a below grade installation. Read the manufacturer's instructions on any product that you are considering, and weigh the risks.

I think some of the confusion might be due to the terminology used. A topical polyurethane coating as is commonly used as a wood topcoat is an inappropriate product to "seal" moisture from a slab.

Yes, a polyurethane adhesive will assist with vapor retardation of the concrete below it, but nothing will prevent damage in case of water intruding into the space, as is common in basements.
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