Tyroc makes basement floors better
Excerpts from an independent home improvement writer Steve Maxwell published in the Toronto Star, August 31, 2010
If you’re planning to finish your basement, then you’ve got important issues to think about. Basements are fundamentally different than above-ground living spaces, and finishing techniques need to be different, too. This is especially true with basement floors, where three key differences hold sway.
While typical above-ground, wood-framed floors are flat, dry and warm; concrete basement floors are more likely to be uneven, damp and cold.
Every good basement flooring strategy includes two parts — the subfloor and the finished floor — and they need to be dealt with differently. But before you get excited about any kind of finished basement, you need to begin with a reliably dry space. Don’t let your enthusiasm get the better of you. Although the best basement finishing strategies are tolerant of moisture, none can gracefully handle large leaks.
Twenty years ago, finished basement floors were typically carpet laid over thick underpad directly on the concrete (a sure-fire way to create that musty basement smell), or a wooden subfloor frame built on the concrete (virtually guaranteed to grow hidden mold under your feet). The problem with both these options is the same. It puts biodegradable material directly in contact with potentially damp concrete. Microbes never miss an opportunity, and that’s why food plus water always equals rot.
Tyroc is the next evolution in basement subfloor technology, and it’s substantially different than OSB systems. I’ve been testing Tyroc at my own place since April (2010), and I’m impressed enough to recommend it.
At 16 x 48 inches, each panel is narrow enough for easy transport, yet long enough to cover floors quickly. That said, the really interesting thing about Tyroc isn’t panel size, but composition. The product is made entirely of inorganic materials that are not only environmentally green, but also physically flexible and completely unappetizing for microbes.
Each panel has two layers. The bottom is made of recycled rubber and plastic — about 28 used tires and 200 pounds of old bottles for one typical basement’s worth of Tyroc. This bottom layer is molded into a raised checkerboard pattern that creates 1/8-inch of air space for drainage of small amounts of water in the event of an unexpected leak. The top layer is made of magnesium oxide, a mineral that’s mined from the earth then combined with water to harden in sheet form. This process uses little energy and the result is a completely non-toxic, hard-surface board. Food-grade magnesium oxide is even used as medicine.
Since Tyroc is somewhat flexible, it sits stable, even when used over uneven floors. This speeds installation.
Steve Maxwell is Canada’s award-winning home improvement expert, technical editor of Canadian Home Workshop magazine and co-author of The Complete Root Cellar Book. Sign up for his free homeowner newsletter and pose your home renovation questions at www.stevemaxwell.ca.