Thickness of basement floor?

Question

I want to finish part of my basement and need to know what the average width of the floor is. I will need to use a power nailer (the .22 caliber kind) to drive nails into the concrete, and do not know how much room there is to work with. How long do you usually get the nails? How far under the basement floor would the waste line be?

Answer 1

In a "basement" the sewage lines and/or any other plumbing should be exposed...NOT UNDER the basement slab.

Without knowing the age of your house, or the load the foundation bears; you might have as little as 4 inches or as much as the depth of two cinderblocks.

Without knowing at all the method or material you intend in finishing,,,IE: 2x4 footers, I suspect you need not use anything longer than 2 1/2 to 3 inches. Hopefully your walls be also be otherwise aided in their stability.

I don't use that kind of equipment; but I understand those who believe it's viable.

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

Basement Floor Thickness

Answer 3

This sounds very familiar! My cat had this and to remove the odor of old spots, try frebreeze. Odor remover for next time(s) she/he does it: Go to a pet store and buy an odor remover. Hartz is a good brand. You can also buy a cleaner at the pet store, to clean the spot. To keep the cat away from the floor: Use a cat repelent. Put down some towels, and spray it on them and put the towels in the basement, the cat will not come there anymore. Make sure you cover the old spots with the towels, because those spots are extra atractive for cats to do it again. Do NOT spray the repellent on the floor, because the cat will eventually get used to the smell and keep doing it. If you don't buy the repellent, a good way to save money, is to keep a filled water-spray bottle near you. When the cat goes near the basement, quietly follow, and when the cat goes in the poop-pee position, spray it away. You can also yell loud, but don't say the cat's name. Just yell. I hope this helps! Contact me for more help!! Good Luck with your cat, and remember: Do not get mad at the cat afterwards, it will not understand! Love, R

Answer 4

Ideally you don't want to nail into the slab itself. More than likely your slab is 4" thick, but as the other posting said earlier, depends on the age of the house...building methods...etc. With that said, I would lay 1x sleepers.....say a 1x3 laid on its side and essentially building a frame around the perimeter and every 12" on center. then nail your floor to this. This will allow the floor to move, expand and contract, and if you lay a vapor barrier down (plastic) it will also help with moisture.

Answer 5

4 in. is standard for basement floor...i would go with 2 1/2 in. nails...you wont have to worry about them pulling out just shifting sideways...

Answer 6

Normally a masonry nail needs to penetrate 3/4"-1" into the concrete.
Waste lines usually go directly to the outside walls. The foul sewer normally run 2" out from the outside wall.