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I have a slight moisture problem in the basement. During really torrential rainstorms of 5+ inches of rain, sometimes water seeps up though the concrete floor in the basement. I'm looking at installing floating vinyl and am looking at these two subfloors:

http://retail.armtec.com/en-ca/Products/Subfloor-Options/Platon-Subfloor.aspx http://www.cosella-dorken.com/bvf-ca-en/products/foundation_residential/floor/products/fl.php

Here's my question: I don't understand how these products work! Right now with the bare concrete whenever the water shows up, its open air and it dries out on it's own. Carpet won't work because wet carpet-yuk. And Sheet Vinyl I fear would trap any mostire, ruin the adhesive and develop some unseen problem that will grow over time.

I can't wrap my head around these products. They come recommended by others in the same situation, but their statements seem contradictory. "creates a waterproof barrier" "so the moisture evaporates instead of being trapped" how can the moisture safely be allowed to evaporate out, while being trapped beneath a water proof barrier?

Please explain to me how these work! Thanks!

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  • The linked products are designed for concrete slabs at grade level ("slab-on-grade concrete floor"), not basements. They will only work with small amounts of moisture that wick up through the concrete, not the potentially large amount that may be found in a basement.
    – Tester101
    Jun 25, 2014 at 18:21
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    Just my two cents, but trying to live with/work around your moisture issue never works out. Within the year you'll still be looking at potential mold type issues, especially basically providing it an incubator under the floor. I would pursue a more reliable mitigation approach, like a sump pump. If anything just to advocate a healthy environment to live in.
    – Chris W.
    Jun 25, 2014 at 21:07

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Concrete is porous, so as much as it allows water to seep in, it will also allow it to seep back out when the surrounding ground dries. If you are seeing so much water that opening the door allows it to run out, then I would recommend a sump pump and a perimeter drain to catch and remove the water before it gets into the basement.

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  • I don't usually see actual water, just eveidence of water, like the cement being a shade darker. But every once in a while actual water, the last time I saw water, was about 3 years ago when we got something like 6 inches of rain in 4 hours. And then the puddle I saw was about as much as someone spilling a glass of water on the floor.
    – eagers
    Jun 25, 2014 at 19:01
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Products like Dricore are a combination of a waterproof plastic structure sitting on conelike projections on the bottom and a particle board surface on the top. The plastic is in contact with the concrete subfloor. Minor wicking and seepage (less than 1/2 inch) through the concrete never reach the surface materials, but can flow to the edges or be reabsorbed as the subfloor dries.

This type of solution does not work for persistent or deep water on the floor, which must be addressed more directly (regrading of perimeter walls, french drains, membranes below concrete, etc.)

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