Seeking advice regarding laying Smartcore Ultra LVP on not-level floor
Tom Morris
5 years ago
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Tom Morris
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Quiet Walk? Floor Muffler? Need Help Choosing Underlayment?
Comments (79)This post has some misleading comments regarding ecocork. I am investigating underlayment for vinyl plank. If you look at the actual test results from NGC testing services for the delta IIC of quietwalk LV, floormuffler lvt encore, and ecocork, they are all tested using the same 6 inch concrete slab (not 8 inches). The IIC and STC have other included materials in the test like insulation, gypsum ceiling, etc. But the delta IIC has only the concrete slab and measures the difference in sound dampening with and without the concrete slab in place telling you the true dampening of the underlayment itself. By this measure the quietwalk comes out on top with a delta IIC of 28, ecocork at 23 and floormuffler at 22. If you look at the frequencies, you can see that the quietwalk is the only material that has some degree of dampening of the lowest 100 hz tested around 5 db. The testing is slightly different in that the quietwalk was tested with a 5 mm vinyl plank on top whereas the ecocork was tested with a layer of engineered wood on top. The thickness of the engineered wood was not given. Floormuffler does not have a link for the actual test results. This article has a helpful explanation: https://arcacoustics.com/2016/08/23/stc-iic-delta-iicwhats-this-all-about/...See MoreSmall kitchen remodel advice needed
Comments (16)Palimpsest, I do not have a floorplan of the L-config from our designer, unfortunately. I talked it over with the hubby tonight and although we like the idea of the L-, we are ultimately against it for a couple of reasons: 1) We have a big family (6) including 4 boys who will be teenagers before we know it. We really feel like we want as much pantry space as possible for stocking bulk discount items, especially cereal, juice, spaghetti sauce, and the like, which will be stored no problem in the pantry area of the first design. We measured it, and it may offer up to 84 ft of linear space, 10-12" wide. We just don't have any other area on the first floor that would accommodate that much food. I don't think the pantry space offered in the L-config is nearly comparable. 2) We really liked the idea of the peninsula for socialization between the cook and the folks in the dining room, since the area doesn't accommodate an island. Also, in the L-config, nothing is "built-in" so it might feel like a cluttered area. Maybe I should follow up with the designer and seek another configuration which would lend itself to more pantry space, but it's tricky. 3) Given how much space we're gaining in the pantry for storage, we're thinking we *may* be able to get away with a scenario where we could remove the wall/above-counter cabinetry to the left of the sink in the original design so we could create a more open feel to the back den. People might even be able to sit at the left corner of that counter, but there is a doorway to the den there from the dining room, which may shorten the length we could otherwise run it. I don't know if the symmetry problem that causes is a big deal or not? We are hoping that since there is another pathway through the house from the stairs/dining room to the living room (via the far side of the dining room), if I need to I *can* tell the kids to stay out of the kitchen. We are a little worried though that when someone comes in from the garage or the living room, there is some close proximity to a potentially hot stove. But our current stove is right next to the dining room/kitchen doorway with no counter buffer and we've worked it out. Thanks everyone for all feedback so far!! This is really wonderful....See MoreRubio Monocoat issues
Comments (71)Weve had Rubio on our floors and stairs for years, without a single issue! We’ve got kids and hunting dogs, so we are not easy on our floors This type of finish is also the most common in the world while what we do here in the states is not Most of the stains see in photos in this thread could be fixed in seconds with the rubio tanin remover. Any saying the rubio maintenance products are expensive dont realize the large bottle of soap will last a life time, as you use a cap full or less and not with every cleaning. it is important to understand that the look will be very different then the standard shinny floor you see in the U.S., rubio is basicall dead flat finish If you want gloss dont get rubio Also its far more repairable the a standard built-up finish Get a scratch on a rubio floor and you can hand sand it and put more rubio on Scratch a built-up finish and you have to refinish the whole floor Ill take rubio every time!...See Moreenergy/heat efficient floors over radiant in slab
Comments (50)Glad we now agree that 85 is an established threshold that radiant floor designers use as a recommended maximum for floor surface temperature. Foot contact with the floor makes the second way high temperatures lead to discomfort. 85 is evidently too hot for those expecting warm feet and will definitely lead to uncomfortably hot room temperatures, in efficient homes. There still seems to be confusion regarding water temperature and floor surface temperature. The temperature of the floor surface will be lower than the water temperature in the tubing. The water temperature entering the tubing loop from heating appliance, will be warmer than the temperature exiting loop, on its way back to the appliance to be reheated. The only mention I made of water temperature was that 125 seemed too high for an efficient home. Perhaps not for a long tubing run with short spacing but I still think it seems high and engineers generally don't like long tubing runs. I've personally installed tubing on a spec of mine and for other builder friends. We installed short runs with wide spacing for better zoning and they were for efficient envelopes. Few ended up being hooked up to an actual appliance. Why spend that money when the required AC can handle the heating too. The "at" which I corrected to "near" room temperature comments were in regards to floor surface temperature, which is a widely accepted fact for those involved in efficient construction. From All About Radiant Floors: "Why isn’t my floor warm? Homeowners who look forward to walking barefoot over warm floors are often disappointed by homes with in-floor hydronic heating. That’s because these floors are rarely as warm as most homeowners expect." From that article's case study (keep in mind difference of water temperature and floor surface): “On the design heating day [the coldest day of the year], the water flowing through the tubes in the floor will only be at 85 degrees,” said Robb Aldrich, an engineer at Steven Winter Associates" From energy expert Alex Wilson's article describing a level of home performance between passive house and international code minimum: "in a highly insulated house (and I’m talking about a really tight house with at least R-40 walls, an R-50 ceiling, and triple-glazed low-e windows), such a tiny amount of supplemental heat is needed that a radiant floor needs to be kept no more than a few degrees above the air temperature—or else overheating will occur. If a concrete-slab or tile floor surface is maintained at 72 or 75 degrees, it will likely feel cool underfoot—since it’s at a lower temperature than your feet. So you may not get that delightful benefit of a warm floor surface....See MoreTom Morris
5 years ago
SJ McCarthy
5 years agomidcenturymodernlove
5 years ago
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