Cover that concrete (Townhouse #12)
With framing and drywall up and the sticky insulation filling the walls all taken care of, it was safe to lay down my pretty vinyl floors. But because the concrete was still so uneven, and because the contractors had done such a bad job adhering it to the original concrete that it was already cracking in places, I first had to lay down subflooring. This would provide a smooth surface for the plank flooring and also disperse weight from people walking across it. That also meant that I first had to lay down a thick plastic vapor barrier to protect the wood from direct contact with the concrete.
I used 1/4″ plywood because I didn’t want the floor to be any higher.
I wish I’d gone with something thicker though, like a standard 3/4″ board, because the sheets were flexible enough that laying the planks on top afterwards was difficult in some parts.
Every board had to be screwed down to the concrete floor in like twelve places, so I went and bought myself a new hammer drill. It’s called a rotary hammer – I didn’t even know there were different types of hammer drill, but this kind is amazing.
It cuts through concrete like butter!
So many sheets of plywood. So many screws.
But then comes the fun part!
I bought these vinyl planks from my favorite discount flooring store and was lucky enough to find them on sale. I only needed about 335 square feet, so twelve boxes were plenty.
They clicked right into place and had their own insulation and cushioning attached. Except for the areas where the stupid floor dipped and rolled and the planks had some trouble flexing around it. I do worry that the planks may some day come apart in those areas.
But in the mean time, it looks pretty great!
In fact, it looks good enough with the color of the ceiling that we decided not to drywall or paint it after all.
Kind of reminds me of a fancy restaurant or wine cellar!