Vapor barrier

[David Nelson1]

I'm close to laying the HW flooring in one of my smaller bedrooms and starting to look @ some of the suggested requirements from books and other online sources. I ran across rolls of 1/4 cork that suggested that it could be used for sound deadening as well as a vapor barrier. Has anyone first hand experience or an opinion of what the pro/cons are, outside of the additional cost of course.

The house is a split foyer with 1/2 of the basement finished, insulated and heated, which BTW is the same side as the bedrooms.

Dave

[Greg R Bradley]

If the bedroom is over a "finished, insulated and heated" basement then the vapor barrier in the cork is irrelevant. Both sides of the cork are exposed to the same temperature, humidity, etc.

[David Nelson1]

If the bedroom is over a "finished, insulated and heated" basement then the vapor barrier in the cork is irrelevant. Both sides of the cork are exposed to the same temperature, humidity, etc.

Got that. :) The rest of the house is not, but will be sometime in the distant future. So till them I'm looking for consistency from one room to the other. Vapor barrier may not be need for the reason you stated in the bedrooms but if I add the cork in the living room/kitchen I'll have to use it through out. Am I making sense?

[Tom Scott]

To me the only reason to use the cork is if you like the feel of it under foot. It will have a little more give as you walk across it, and thus not so loud. In a low-traffic area such as a bedroom I don't necessarily see the need. 1/4" cork will provide very little in the way of insulation, and I would also doubt that it provides much value as a vapor retarder (no way can it be called a vapor barrier).

[scott vroom]

We use this for engineered wood flooring underlayment: http://www.solidsoundusa.com/SoundBarrierSelect.htm






To me the only reason to use the cork is if you like the feel of it under foot. It will have a little more give as you walk across it, and thus not so loud. In a low-traffic area such as a bedroom I don't necessarily see the need. 1/4" cork will provide very little in the way of insulation, and I would also doubt that it provides much value as a vapor retarder (no way can it be called a vapor barrier).