I'm no expert, but I'd think it's worth doing, especially if you have anyone in the house with allergies or health conditions that are affected to mold. We had a huge mold problem in our basement earlier this summer (due to groundwater seeping in slowly through the walls. No leaks, no floods, just high humidity over a long period of time), and are having the entire basement redone. The mold remediation contractor found a lot of mold hidden underneath the carpet, since it stays perpetually damp, and there's plenty of "food" for the mold. I read an article that said carpet should only be installed in the basement if there's adequate "subflooring" or "underflooring" installed. Carpet laid directly onto the concrete will almost inevitably result in mold and the musty basement smell. For what it's worth, we've decided to do away with carpet entirely, and are looking into a waterproof vinyl floor.

I started researching Dricore...it's about $1.50 a sq foot at Home Depot. There is a similar product called Delta-FL. It is the "rubber material in a roll or 4x8 sheets and you supply your own OSB/plywood. I've emailed a retailer on the internet for pricing. I'm interested in this solution for two reasons...warming up the basement (it's not real bad now and there's not even wall insultion up yet)...but more importantly to prevent problems from leaks in the neighboring utility room. Washing machine overflows usually flow directly into the area I'm concerned about. I'm not 100% sure if either Dricore or Delta-FL is really meant to handle this case. I can't guarantee that water in an emergency won't rise above the "rubber" feet...it is doubtful but I'd thather not spend all this money to prevent this problem and have to replace it if there is a light flood. Has anyone ever considered putting a "curb" around the utility room? Maybe a poly'd 2x4 (or 2x2) that is caulked to the floor? This could contain a lot of water until it was discovered and stopped. Other thoughts on this solution? (I'm going to research washing machine cutoffs). Any other opinions on Dricore/Delta-FL?

I did that in my basement playroom over a very uneven vinyl tile. we have it glued doen without a pad because of flooding concerns. it's been great. kids like it, you can put a softer rug on top if you want, and when it gets wet it dries fast with a fan. it's comfortable to step on, not cold. it also looks nice. I'm happy we did it and when it got ruined in construction, (They flooded it in the summer and let it sit for 2 months) we did it again.

Is it overkill? Depends on the pattern in the rest of your space. I love bold pattern, staircases included.