composite decking as basement subfloor?

[joec]

I have a basement that opens to the backyard, thus only have infrequent water issues on the front side of the basement. I have sump pumps and drainage lines to take care of the basement and it works 99% of the time. After Hurricane Florence, I lost power for 8 days and get some water intrusion on the front side of my basement. I had installed DriCore subfloor many years ago which is a 2'x2', T&G subfloor with plastic feet and a vapor barrier under plywood. This worked well other than the area immediately adjacent to the front walls which have around 5' of dirt in front of them. I need to tear out about 3' of the DriCore in the front most room of the basement, as the plywood got wet and I do want mold issues. I was at Home Depot ordering replacement DriCore and got the idea of making this 3' section out of composite decking which would match up with the DriCore in height. It seems to be a good idea, as it works outside, but the only issue I am confused about would be potential smell issues if it gets wet. Being an outdoor product, smell is not an issue. Anyone have any expertise on this product?

 

[nealtw]

A battery back up pump might be good investment. If treated wood gets wet you still have to open it up to allow drying or the rest of the basement will be damp for ever.

 

[joec]

This is not treated wood. Composite decking is mostly plastic.

 

[nealtw]

This is not treated wood. Composite decking is mostly plastic.

Okay, still have open anything above it to dry out.

 

[joec]

The dricore has vents cut into the perimeter every 4-6 ft for venting and I have an installed dehumidifier that keeps everything dry (normally). In this recent event, I turned it down and had the relative humidity down to around 35% in the room.

 

[nealtw]

The dricore has vents cut into the perimeter every 4-6 ft for venting and I have an installed dehumidifier that keeps everything dry (normally). In this recent event, I turned it down and had the relative humidity down to around 35% in the room.

What flooring do you have on top of it?

 

[joec]

I have carpet, which is coming up and new going in. I just have to replace the subfloor in the small area that got wet, roughly 45 sq ft.

 

[mabloodhound]

I think you'll be fine with the composite decking. I've never used it inside but any smell should dissipate fairly quickly.

 

[joec]

I heard there was 1" PVC boards which would be perfect, but Home Depot only had 3/4.". Composite decking has grooves in the bottom which would be good for air flow to vent the moisture out to my dehumidifier.

 

[mabloodhound]

Check with a local lumber yard for the thicker brands. Not all brands have the grooves on the underside. Google search should show you the wide variety.

 

[slownsteady]

My spidey-sense tells me that decking directly on the concrete isn't so good. DriCore has those feet to accommodate drainage and ventilation. How much cheaper would the composite decking be compared to the DriCore?
You could probably accomplish the same thing by laying down sheet drain and covering it with plywood. i looked into it once and it didn't save much money over the DriCore.

 

[Mastercarpenty]

Crazy question- are you on city water? If so then adding or swapping to a venturi pump powered by water might solve the larger problem. Or if you're not in an evacuation prone area, a generator is useful in other ways too. You can put DriCore right back with no more worries after either of these fixes.

Florence dropped a lot of rain in Upstate SC, Frances from decades ago was a lot worse here and further uphill in NC. I'm beginning to dislike hurricanes which start with the letter "F".

Phil