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There’s no easier way to increase living space in your current home than by developing your basement, and starting with the right foundation is essential to a successful basement project.
There’s no easier way to increase living space in your current home than by developing your basement, and starting with the right foundation is essential to a successful basement project.
The first step to a warm, comfortable basement floor is to use Barricade™: The insulated subfloor panel system that is specifically designed to cover concrete floors. Intended for use on below and slab on grade pads.
When it comes to basement ideas, a subfloor is a necessity not an option. Why do you need a basement Subfloor system?
Basement concrete floors, because they are built right on top of the soil are cold and damp. Warm, moist interior air, particularly when the relative humidity is higher than 50%, will always condense onto cold surfaces, such as single-glazed window glass, uninsulated foundation walls and bare concrete floors. The basement subfloor system should prevent moisture from condensing onto the concrete surface by blocking cold conduction through the concrete floor slab.
An uninsulated basement concrete floor can account for up to 1% of a home’s energy loss. A basement subfloor system should provide adequate insulation to help prevent excessive heat loss and provide a warm comfortable walking surface.
Installing finished floors directly to the hard unforgiving concrete floor results in floors that are rigid and uncomfortable, a basement subfloor system should provide a solid, stable surface for a finished floor that is quiet, and provides a cushioned feel.
A Barricade™ Subfloor Tile (BSFT) system is approved as a foundation for laminate, cork, or engineered wood floating floors, wall-to-wall carpeting, sheet vinyl, vinyl tiles, ceramic tiles, and solid hardwood floors.
The concrete floor and foundation should be relatively dry and free of large cracks, excessive moisture penetration or flooding problems prior to installing Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels. Barricade is not meant to be a replacement for good foundation maintenance. Any moisture issues including leaks, excessive moisture, mold/musty spots, foundation cracks, window leaks, exterior drainage or hydrostatic pressure issues, should be resolved prior to Barricade Insulated Subfloor's installation to avoid potential contamination to the finished project and surrounding building materials. Any dips or low spots in the concrete surface greater than 1/4" should be trowelled level with a Portland cement compound or leveled with a self-leveling compound to ensure an accurate installation. Determine the number of Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels and leveling kits needed to complete the room(s). To do this, calculate the total number of square feet of your floor (length x width). Divide the number by 3.3. This formula allows for a percentage of additional panels normally used as partial waste, while cutting around pipes and other obstacles. Please note: The actual panel dimensions are 7/8" x 23.5" x 23.5". Check out the Barricade Insulated Subfloor Calculator!
To prevent panel uplift when stretching carpet, fasten Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels to the concrete floor with flat head 1/4" x 2 1/4" or 2 3/4" concrete fasteners every other panel at perimeter edges and one in the panel in the centre of the room. Use a 3/16" x 4 1/2" drill bit to bore the holes. Install tack strips on top of the Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels around the perimeter of the room, to hold the carpet down. Install pad and carpet. Do not glue the underpad or carpet directly to the Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels.
1/4" plywood underlayment approved for use with sheet vinyl or adhesive-backed vinyl tiles should be fastened to the Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels. We do not recommend lauan plywood as an underlayment. Use 3/4" flooring fasteners that do not penetrate the moisture barrier on the underside of the Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels. Do not glue the plywood underlayment to Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels. Do not glue adhesive-backed vinyl tiles directly to the Barricade Insulated Subfloor panels. Glue the vinyl floor to the plywood underlayment according to the vinyl manufacturer's installation instructions. Only remove the 1/4" wall spacers after the vinyl floor has been installed.
Fasten each Barricade Insulated Subfloor panel with five, flat head and countersunk, concrete fasteners to the concrete floor to prevent movement or shifting of the finished ceramic tile floor. We recommend one in each of the four corners and one in the centre of the panel. Use flat head 1/4" x 2 1/4" or 2 3/4" concrete fasteners and a 3/16" x 4 1/2" drill bit to bore the holes. Next install an approved tile underlayment over Barricade Insulated Subfloor making sure you follow their installation guidelines for installing over a wood subfloor. NOTE: Barricade Insulated Subfloor must lay perfectly stable. A sound recommendation would be to have one person walk the floor. Step heavy or bounce, with another looking for vertical movement of panels. If there is noticeable movement, mark the areas in question with an X and insert another concrete fastener. Please note that we also do not recommend gluing underlayments or other wood flooring materials to Barricade Insulated Subfloor.
Install the floor manufacturer's foam pad and finished flooring on top of the Barricade Subfloor panels. The installation of a continuous vapour barrier on top of Barricade Subfloor is permitted as long as it is not sealed to the perimeter wall. NOTE that the installation of a continuous vapour barrier on top of Barricade Subfloor is permitted as long as it is not sealed to the perimeter wall. Only remove the 1/4" wall spacers until after the laminate floor has been installed.
There’s no easier way to increase living space in your current home than by developing your basement, and starting with the right foundation is essential to a successful basement project.
Basement floors are cold and damp. The cement retains the cold and when the warm, moist air from your home meets the cold cement, a damp, 'sweaty' condition is created. Barricade™ Insulated Subfloor panels prevent moisture from condensing onto the concrete surface by blocking cold conduction through the concrete floor slab.
We recommend that you allow the Barricade™ panels to adjust to the relative humidity of the room in which they will be used prior to installation. Allow tiles to stand for at least 24 hours by stacking or laying them out on the floor with the insulation (blue side) down.
If the riser height is a problem, then you will need to make a landing at the bottom of the stairs and put in transition strips to get up to the proper height.
Not much! A Barricade™ insulated flooring panel is only 1" in total thickness.
Barricade™ panels are OSB (oriented strand board) construction and are approximately 2 feet square. They have 2 sides with tongue and 2 sides with grooves. There is no need for nails or glue to install a Barricade™ subfloor.
Color variances are natural and not an indication of quality. Variances can be driven by several factors including; the type of trees, the geographical location of the trees and the growing conditions.
Absolutely! Barricade™ panels can receive nails or screws without compromising the benefits. Tile the entire basement with Barricade™ and then erect the stud walls right on top!
You can use carpet, laminate, vinyl or engineered hardwood. Simply prepare your new subfloor as you would any other. For example, lay down a 1/4" underlay for vinyl flooring.
A 1/4" plywood underlayment approved for use with sheet vinyl or adhesive-backed vinyl tiles should be installed with nails, staples or screws to the Barricade™ panels. Do not glue the plywood underlayment to Barricade™ panels. Do not glue adhesive-backed vinyl tiles directly to Barricade™ panels. Install the vinyl floor to the plywood underlayment according to the vinyl manufacturer's installation instructions. Leave 1/4" wall spacers in place until after the vinyl floor has been installed. Remove 1/4” wall spacers.
Of course, the Barricade™ system has been specifically-developed for easy installation, with subfloor panels installed in an average-sized basement in one day by the homeowner, using standard household tools.
The Barricade™ flooring panels can handle weights up to 5000 pounds per square foot.
When trying to determine how many Barricade™ Insulated Subfloor panels you require simply take the square footage of your area and divide that by 3.3. Click below to calcuate for you.
Interested in learning more about Barricade™ Insulated Subfloor panels? Simply call or email and we will be sure to respond within 1 business day. Click below for more information.
Barricade™ Insulated Subfloor VS Barricade™ Subfloor Air Plus | ||
---|---|---|
R-Value | 3.2 | 1.4 |
Air FLow | No | Yes |
Height | 1 inch | 3/4 inch |
Top Composition | OSB | OSB |
Bottom Composition | Foam | High Density Plastic |
Weight | 6.3 lbs. | 6.5 lbs. |
Size | 2' x 2' Nominal | 2' x 2' Nominal |
Warranty | 25 Years | 25 Years |
Finished Flooring Options | Laminate, solid / Engineered Hardwood, carpet, vinyl, tile | Laminate, solid / Engineered Hardwood, carpet, vinyl, tile |