Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Installing laminate in a condo.
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killerk70
10-22-04, 09:43 AM
Hello, everyone. New to this forum. :)
We decided on laminate over hardwood due to the financial reasons.
Here is our unit's set up:
1. It's located in Cliffside Park, NJ. Cold winters and hot, humid summers.
2. Currently we have carpet over concrete.
3. *** Our unit is above an open garage!!! ***
The garage below me has NO wall on one side.
So we would like to know if this setup calls for different/special installation.
During winter times, the tiles in the bathroom gets VERY cold.
So we'd like to know what we can do to provide for additional insulation.
We cannot have any large rugs.
Oh, the reason for going from carpet to laminate is due to our children who've developed respiratory illness.
TIA. :)
We decided on laminate over hardwood due to the financial reasons.
Here is our unit's set up:
1. It's located in Cliffside Park, NJ. Cold winters and hot, humid summers.
2. Currently we have carpet over concrete.
3. *** Our unit is above an open garage!!! ***
The garage below me has NO wall on one side.
So we would like to know if this setup calls for different/special installation.
During winter times, the tiles in the bathroom gets VERY cold.
So we'd like to know what we can do to provide for additional insulation.
We cannot have any large rugs.
Oh, the reason for going from carpet to laminate is due to our children who've developed respiratory illness.
TIA. :)
twelvepole
10-22-04, 02:11 PM
As long as you maintain temperature and humidity at occupancy levels year round, the floor covering should survive your extreme outdoor temperatures. Temperature indoors should be around 70 degrees and humidity between 35-55%. You can monitor temperature with a thermometer and humidity with a hygrometer (sold where thermometers are sold).
Laminate over concrete requires a vapor retarder. This is usually a 6 mil plastic covering. It also requires an underlayment pad. An expansion gap is left along walls where flooring meets the wall.
Each laminate manufacturer tends to have very specific instructions about subfloor prep (flat & clean), vapor retarder installation, acclimation of product to temperature and humidity of home, installation, care and maintenance. Read and follow all directions carefully in order not to void warranties. Some manufacturers have better instructions than others.
The click together wood laminates are popular because of ease of installation for the DIYer. Go with a major manufacturer's product. Major manufacturers usually have a large display offering good, better, best levels of quality and warranties. Laminate with Alloc and Uniclic locking systems are good.
Laminate flooring is also a great bet for radiant heating systems because it is thin, dense and conducts heat well. Due to the fact that laminates are comprised of a complex series of many layers, it is important that the layers are well bonded and suitable for radiant heating. The quality of the product can affect its compatibility with radiant systems - be sure to check with the manufacturer before moving forward.
I will copy your thread to the Insulation Forum for input about insulation.
Laminate over concrete requires a vapor retarder. This is usually a 6 mil plastic covering. It also requires an underlayment pad. An expansion gap is left along walls where flooring meets the wall.
Each laminate manufacturer tends to have very specific instructions about subfloor prep (flat & clean), vapor retarder installation, acclimation of product to temperature and humidity of home, installation, care and maintenance. Read and follow all directions carefully in order not to void warranties. Some manufacturers have better instructions than others.
The click together wood laminates are popular because of ease of installation for the DIYer. Go with a major manufacturer's product. Major manufacturers usually have a large display offering good, better, best levels of quality and warranties. Laminate with Alloc and Uniclic locking systems are good.
Laminate flooring is also a great bet for radiant heating systems because it is thin, dense and conducts heat well. Due to the fact that laminates are comprised of a complex series of many layers, it is important that the layers are well bonded and suitable for radiant heating. The quality of the product can affect its compatibility with radiant systems - be sure to check with the manufacturer before moving forward.
I will copy your thread to the Insulation Forum for input about insulation.