Insulate under floating floor below grade?

Dec 11, 2006 2 Replies

Hi-



I'm thinking about installing a floating laminate floor in part of our basement, over existing vinyl tile/concrete. The basement is 50+ years old and dry, block walls are properly insulated and finished, but of course the floor is cold because they did not insulate under slabs back then. What's the best way to add a layer of insulation under the laminate? Options might be Reflectix (foil-faced bubble wrap) or rigid foam perhaps, but ideally not more than 1/2" because we're working with



7' ceilings.


-kiwanda



The radiant barriers like Reflectix depend on a trapped air layer for the majority of their claimed R value, so that wouldn't perform very well. Your sleepers are going to be at least 1x's (3/4" thick) so you can place 14 1/2" wide strips of 3/4" rigid foam between them. You can pick up R 5 or 6 this way.

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