How to Install DRICORE® Subfloor in a Basement

Have you been wanting to replace the floor in your basement but aren’t sure how. Then I have a big project that will show how we installed a new premium subfloor in our basement to create a warmer and dry space we can use daily.

We got to work with the team at DRICORE® and I’m so excited to be showing you our new basement subfloor that we installed over our entire 800 square foot finished basement.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of DRICORE. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Here is how to Install DRICORE Subfloor in a basement.

If you own an old or new home, there are places where a subfloor is a great and necessary idea. Especially if you might be worried about potential water leaking, warmth of the space, or want to cover up something instead of remove it (like we did).

Having quality products in our home is our top priority when doing a project and DRICORE is one of my favorite things to use – yes you can love subflooring!

A little background – our home was built in 1900 and has the original cement and stone foundation in the basement, including the floor, which had a thin carpet. This is what the space and floor looked like previously.

We removed half of the room full of old carpet that had gotten wet when we had some water come in, but it left glue residue all over. It was just unsightly and not a comfortable space to even function in.

We plan to turn the basement into a kids play space, and we needed to do it affordably and comfortably. Plus we needed to make sure that we weren’t going to put in a new floor and have water get it and destroy it.

That made DRICORE premium sub-flooring a perfect solution. This product is different than regular and more commonly used underlayment. DRICORE has several subfloor products to use for flooring (and walls) and they even have one for those looking for even more warmth and insulation, DRICORE Subfloor R+. Perfect for what we needed.

If you are reading this, you are probably looking for flooring options for your home (maybe even a basement like us) and want to learn about what to use.

Since DRICORE provides lots of installation instructions on their site here and you can make those work for your own space, I want to tell you more about why we picked this product over any others.

Here are some benefits of using DRICORE:

• DRICORE helps protect against moisture, mold, mildew and small water leaks. These are all things that may happen in a new or old home, so it’s great to have a product that helps with issues like this. The raised panels are built so that any potential water does not actually get to the finished flooring.
• The raised panels allow for airflow, which in turn helps with minimizing stagnant moisture that causes mold and mildew. We found a lot of mold in the basement when we moved in. So we tore it out and now make sure the space is clean with items like this.
• DRICORE makes your floors feel warmer. We have thick concrete floors and walls in the basement, so the panels provide a thermal break from the cold floor. This is especially nice since we will use the area as a play space for our kids.
• DRICORE R+ has more than twice the insulating strength vs the DRICORE membrane panel (the black plastic panel product), so we get warmer feeling floors with the DRICORE R+ panels.
• And bonus – the floors feel softer too. This is great because our kids play down there and it’s more comfortable for them.

If you already know about DRICORE and are looking for tips on how to install it, especially in a older home, these are a few things we did to make our install a breeze.

The Product

You can read about the DRICORE product details here. We used the DRICORE R+ panels, which have more than double insulating strength of the standard DRICORE Subfloor and are perfect for places like basements that tend to be cooler.

Here is what the panels look like on the bottom and on the top.

The Tools We Used

Here are the tools we used for this project.

• Knee pads
• 2×4 for tapping in the panels
• Measuring tape and pencil
• Long straight edge and/or square edge
• Mallet or hammer
• 1/4- 1/8” spacer for around the wall
• Table saw
• Safety equipment (ear plugs, eye protection, gloves)
• Multi-Tool for under cutting door frames/jams
• Level and DRICORE Leveling Kit

This is the leveling kit to use with this subfloor. It is plastic pieces that will shim the flooring for when you need to make it level for fluctuations up to 1/4″.

Our Tips for Installing DRICORE

Our basement of course was not a new build, but it was still easy to put these panels in. We have a long rectangle space that was framed out with finished walls and lots of doors for the laundry room, bathroom, two closets plus a center “island” room that houses our furnace and a closet.

Here is how to install DRICORE Subfloor in a basement.

1. Dry Fit the Space

The first thing we did was to dry fit the space with a row of panels to see what size we would end up with at the end of the row and where we might have to cut.

The panels have a tongue and groove design, which makes them easy to install, but check the requirements for the exact panel you get to make sure you’re not cutting one too small at the end of a row. The last panel in the row should be no smaller than 3” wide.

Lay out the panels as best you can to get an idea of what your first row will look like and also if you have to do it near doors or at the bottom of stairs.

2. Install Your Rows

We started in the upper left corner of the room where there is an angled closet for utilities. The first piece went under that door. We did not cut off the corner, we just left the panel whole to stick into the door. Ours is a closet for the electric panel.

3. Undercut door jams

This can be done before you start the instal or during. We used a multi-tool to do this. Measure how much of the door frames you have to cut off and don’t forget to allow for the height of any other flooring you may put on top.

4. Cut around support beams and walls.

This takes a little more time, but of course you have to cut the panels to fit around walls, doors, poles, and other structures in the space. We cut around two support poles and at the stairway.

Instead of moving everything out of our basement for this install, we just shifted things from other parts of the space. Once we finished an area, we put the furniture, freezer, shelves, and other items back.

5. Finish Your Last Corner

Overall this installation of the subfloor took us about two half days. And that is only because of doing other things on the weekend and working during the day, but it definitely can be done within a few hours when you have all the supplies and tools you need.

We did install a finished vinyl plank flooring over this, so please come back to the blog to see that. I’ll link it here when it’s done.

We really love having this product in our home. I specifically looked for something that we could use in the old basement that we have, that would give us a warmer space but also keep any potential water off of the floor. Dricore is really the perfect solution for all of that!

Our Finished Subfloor

Here are pictures of the floor finished. We already have put a vinyl plank flooring over this, so stay tuned for that blog post. There’s a teaser of that flooring below.

This subfloor immediately made the space warmer, more comfortable, cleaner, and like a space we actually want to use!

Read about our basement projects here. We installed this in that basement bathroom and in one of the closets we have in the basement too.

How to Find Out More About DRICORE

You can read all about DRICORE here on their site. Make sure to watch the installation videos, which are super helpful.

Find DRICORE on Facebook and Instagram.

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