While homeowners can’t see what’s underneath their basement finished flooring, practically everything in a home built with a finished basement rests on a good subfloor product. It’s an essential structural material if you aim to build or renovate a dingy, damp and cold space and turn it into a warm and comfortable living activity room. In this case, what the homeowner does not see is what matters the most, and is truly a quintessential part of the room, particularly when they are investing in costly flooring materials to make the space a desirable place to be. Whether it’s carpet, engineered hardwood, laminate or tile, a basement should never be built without a solid subfloor product that is essential to a floor’s lasting value.
With today’s new home trends, the demands placed on a subfloor are growing: open floor plans, large format ceramic tiles and living areas with granite counters all bring more weight to bear on floors. Those design elements need to be supported by a new level of strength, density and moisture control technology and any contractor, designer or builder who ignores this is setting themselves up for a potential call-back from the homeowner. From loose or cracked tiles to swollen or cupped flooring due to moisture, these are problems that could lead to time-consuming re-dos and expensive warranty claims.