Dricor - Subflor question

mimmy_31

Hello, we just moved into a new place. Its a Viceroy house built in 1975.
Its got a concrete basement with vinyl roll flooring. (cold)
Dry, and not damp.. but cold.

so.. i bought enough dricor to put a nice subflor in.. My first question is:

How do I know if the flooring has asbestos in it? It was built in 1975 are the chances that we're ok? I pulled some of it up already and boy is it tough.. i tried a heat gun on it but doesnt help much. The vinyl peals up with some work but the glue underneath is brown like light cardboard and takes some scraping to come up. Its not sticky at all.
The flooring is plaid brown.. (not heavy plaid like a kilt.. big 3 inch brown lines forming squares in design on it) Very typicaly in many basement houses i've seen.

Second question...
Can I just lay the darn stuff on top of the vinyl flooring. Only place that 'recommends' you.. is the Dricor or Subflor websites. They say they 'recommend' you to remove the vinyl.. but Home Depot, Home Hardware, or Kent have no clue.. they first said.. no you dont need to.. then you need to.. then some say they're not sure. Can anyone help!?

Thanks!

Adam

mimmy_31

No one knows anything about this? No one ever installed Dricor or Subflor here?

CyFree

I have no experience with that particular product but with a product that was built with a similar concept.

Usually, when you buy a product and expect it to perform as advertised, you follow manufacturer's recommendations. If the product under performs they are liable. Other than that they will say it is your fault as you did not follow their recommendation.

The concept behind a product like Dricore, is that it is built to allow the moisture that seeps through the slab to evaporate into the basement. The surface is raised from the floor, which allows moisture and air to circulate, creating an insulation pocket as well. Your floors will be warmer to the touch.

When you add the vinyl which is in itself somewhat or completely impervious to water, you have a vapor barrier, in other words something that traps the moisture underneath, thus defeating the very purpose of installing something like the Dricore, unless all you are looking for is a slightly warmer walking surface.

To remove the vinyl and the adhesive more easily, buy a heavy duty orange oil based solvent, usually available in hardware stores by a number of brand names like Zenex and DeSolv-it Pro.