I am finishing a basement with my father and want to put in a subfloor. I know if there was ever enough water I would probably have to replace the floor anyways but want to give myself a couple inches more so to protect the expensive electronics I will have down there. There is also a sewer access port and two ground rods that stick ~ 2 inches above the concrete floor.
We were originally planning to lay down pressure treated 2×4's the tall way getting us over the two obstructions and build a plywood floor on top of it. After that we were going to build two small access panels in the floor should we ever need to get to them.
An uncle who is a carpenter stopped by this weekend and said if it was his basement he would not even bother building a subfloor. He said the basement was bone dry and it would be a waste. Even if we did get water it would be trapped in between the 2×4's with no way to get it out. The obstructions are in a corner so we would just box them in somehow going that direction.
This now puts me back to planning. I can't see a disadvantage to building a subfloor other than money and height though the ceiling down there is 8ft so height is not an issue.
What is the best way to build the basement subfloor?
I have seen other methods such as Dri-Core or Delta-FL also suggested. Ideally I would like to create channels so I could somewhat push water out should I ever have an issue. From concrete to carpet please advise me exactly what I need to do in-between.
Best Answer
I have tried several methods and the best one I have used it foam board on the bottom and 3/4 inch plywood over. I would never lay down wood on the floor. Not only will it rot but it will retain moisture.