Hello,
I am planning to renovate my 70s villa. It is a 1.5-story villa with a basement. I have some thoughts about how to handle the different barrier layers in the floor structure between the basement and the ground floor. The construction from bottom to top is as follows;
- Wood panel
- Vapor barrier
- Wooden floor structure and insulation
- Chipboard
- Foam
- Laminate flooring
What I want to do is install water-based underfloor heating in 22mm chipboard, this has already been decided, and no discussions about this, please. On top of this, I want to lay laminate flooring where the manufacturer specifies that there should be a vapor barrier above the underfloor heating to prevent any condensation from reaching the laminate flooring from below.
We do not count the basement as living space, but it is heated to almost the same temperature in winter. However, in summer, the basement is cooler than the floors above.
So here comes the question;
How do I avoid trapping moisture between the barrier layers in the floor structure? Is the solution as simple as removing the barrier in the basement ceiling, or is this a misconception that could cause other issues for me in the future? Suggestions, thoughts, and ideas are welcome!
I am planning to renovate my 70s villa. It is a 1.5-story villa with a basement. I have some thoughts about how to handle the different barrier layers in the floor structure between the basement and the ground floor. The construction from bottom to top is as follows;
- Wood panel
- Vapor barrier
- Wooden floor structure and insulation
- Chipboard
- Foam
- Laminate flooring
What I want to do is install water-based underfloor heating in 22mm chipboard, this has already been decided, and no discussions about this, please. On top of this, I want to lay laminate flooring where the manufacturer specifies that there should be a vapor barrier above the underfloor heating to prevent any condensation from reaching the laminate flooring from below.
We do not count the basement as living space, but it is heated to almost the same temperature in winter. However, in summer, the basement is cooler than the floors above.
So here comes the question;
How do I avoid trapping moisture between the barrier layers in the floor structure? Is the solution as simple as removing the barrier in the basement ceiling, or is this a misconception that could cause other issues for me in the future? Suggestions, thoughts, and ideas are welcome!
Vapor barriers should normally be placed on the warm side and you cannot have two vapor barriers in the same floor structure, so the lower one must be removed. If the basement is fully heated, no vapor barrier is actually needed, but if the basement is always somewhat cooler, it cannot cause any harm.