Subfloor methods

[Nick Smith]

I am looking to put down some vinyl in a property I recently acquired, but when I ripped up the old linoleum I found only the concrete slab, no sub floor.

Does anyone have any feedback on their favorite method of putting down subfloor?  Has anyone every used DRIcore before?  It seems really easy but is also pretty expensive.

Any tips would be appreciated!

[Ana Ochoa]

I can confirm that you can, and should, place vinyl directly on concrete.  I have not had any  experience with DRIcore.  

Since I live in your area, I will assume that the property already has cracks in the concrete foundation.  If not, then consider yourself extremely lucky.  If so, then you will need to fill the cracks with an oil-based caulk or concrete filler (oil-based caulk is cheaper ;-) ).  Then you will need to remove any of the old glue left behind by the old linoleum.  After that you will need to apply a thin layer of self-leveling compound.  Once you have a "smooth"... I do mean smooth... surface, then you can lay the vinyl.  This is a general overview of what should be done before laying vinyl.  (Your property may need additional steps... so please don't take this a literal "how-to".)

Keep in-mind that even if there are no cracks you need to make sure the surface is very smooth and clean before laying down vinyl.  Even the smallest of imperfections will usually "telegraph" through the vinyl, and dirt can prevent the glue from adhering properly.  Also, if you are laying vinyl in a large area I would recommend using vinyl planks that have a "locking" edge or at-least an overlapping edge to help keep them from shifting or drifting.  

I know this maybe kind of discouraging, but it is not meant to be.  You are making a very wise decision to lay vinyl down.  The look, cost, and durability is very attractive for almost any property.  However, if you add-in the cost of laying a subfloor... there goes the very attractive "cost" benefit factor,  

To end my long worded response:  Smoothing the slab is more labor intensive but less costly than laying an entire subfloor, but definitely the way to go.  

I hope this helps and Good Luck!