About Basement Installations
Flooring installations which will occur in a basement require a few extra precautions beyond flooring which is on-grade with a concrete subfloor. Since the floor will be below-grade, there is a higher level of moisture concern, so the product to be installed and the installation itself require a bit more care. Before installation begins, it is crucial to moisture test your basement and give your flooring plenty of time to acclimate.
When wood absorbs moisture from the surrounding environment, it expands. If you have a hardwood floor installed above ground, you'll notice that the gaps between the boards are smaller in the summer and wider in the winter. This is your floor responding to the moisture in the air.
Basements are even worse when it comes to moisture in the surrounding environment. If exposed to an excessive amount of moisture, a hardwood floor will expand considerably. With nowhere to go, the floor will start to buckle as it pushes against the walls and other boards. This is devastating to floors so ensure a proper expansion gap is maintained around the edge of your floor to allow for expansion and contraction as season change.
Basements typically have higher moisture content than any other area of a home, since both the subfloor and walls will be made of concrete, so ensure the flooring your purchase is approved for a below-grade, basement installation. Much like any other concrete subfloor installation, you must use a moisture barrier with floating installations and for glue-down applications the adhesive will act as a moisture barrier.
When installing moisture barrier in a basement, ensure the moisture barrier comes up the walls about two inches to ensure the edges of the floor are protected. Use a good seam tape, wider is better for overlapping, and ensure all seams are taped up to prevent moisture from getting through. With a glue-down floor, it is important to ensure the concrete you are installing over is sealed, and it is advisable to seal up the walls as well to prevent moisture from coming through the walls into your floor.
About Condo Installations
Beyond the normal requirements for installing in any home, Condos are special as there are important by-laws and building codes that must be met when installing a new flooring surface. Typically the primary concern of any Condo board is sound. This means that nearly every floor to be installed in a condo requires underlayment, and typically they require premium underlayment such as 6mm cork.
Most North American condo boards require a 6mm cork underlayment to reduce sound. 6mm of cork underlayment is about the equivalent of 6" of concrete. There are other alternatives to 6mm cork which satisfy condo association requirements, but as a standard, 6mm cork tends to be the dominant requirement.
Flooring choices for condos typically are floating floors, though some glue-down floors are also acceptable. In the case of a glue-down floor, most condo associations will require you to glue-down 6mm of cork underlayment, then glue-down the floor to the cork.
Flooring Choices
When installing in a basement or condo it is suggested to look into floating floors above all others. Beyond a floating floor, you can look into glue-down floors, but you can not install solid hardwood floors (except 5/16" solid). Laminate, cork and engineered hardwood floors are suggested for these installations along with proper moisture barriers and underlayment as required by the manufacturer or your condo association.