<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12414682#post12414682 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oldtimer
Sorry to scare you. I picked mine up from Lowes. They only had a couple to select from (single or double and new or old work). Glad to hear yours measure up properly. I'm returning mine. Heck, a full size high voltage electrical box is cheaper anyway. I do have in-wall fire rated UL cable for the speakers, so no worries there.
How do you like your subfloor so far? Is that the mat that you roll out and cut to length. I saw it at Home Depot (42" wide rolls IIRC). I'm on the fence about using it because my ceilings are already low in my 1937 home. I had a waterproofing system installed with sump pump due to some leaks on the walls, but I've never had problems with the floor. The floor is currently tiled. I may just do carpet and thick padding over the tile, but I wonder if the sub floor would help create a significant thermal barrier between the carpet and cold slab in the winters.
So far I like the subfloor. It is indeed the stuff from Home depot, although it may have come from Menards, again I can't be sure. It comes in both 4ft wide and 8 ft wide rolls. We used both to speed up putting it down... the 4ft wide are easier to trim, the 8ft wide for the center spaces. It literally looks like the bottom of golf shoes with the plastic (not metal) spikes, although the spikes have a larger diameter. They are in a grid pattern. Kinda looks like a giant waffle except round depressions.
We rolled the plastic then the 3/4" tongue and grooved on top of it. Drilled through into the cement and pounded in steel pins to hold it all in place.
So far I LOVE it. There are 2 alternatives besides this way to do the flooring. They make 1'x1' and 2'x2' plastic squares that have plastic slates that interlock with each other that padding can be placed directly on top of. They do not get attached directly to the floor but float. The other way to do it is to just lay pad directly over the cement.
The pros of the plain old pad and nothing else are cost and it takes the least amount of vertical space. The cons are no vapor and thermal barrier, and if there are any leaks no where for the water to go.
The pros of tthe 2'x2' squares are: Easy to install. Less wasted space but only by like a 1/4" of an inch compared to the sandwich ply, water has a place to go if there is a leak. Adds acushion to teh floor. Cons: Poor thermal and vapor barrier, most expensive of the options. Since the floor isn't affixed directly to the cement it moves too much in places for my taste.
The pros of the plastic and ply: Good thermal and vapor barrier, water has a place to go, good cushion, moderately priced. Cons: takes the most space, the most time consuming to install, cannot wick away as much water as the 2'x2' grids.
I had all the cracks 2-part injected and I have a warning alarm on the injector, and a backup (soon) on the sump so I could have gone with any of the options really as I'm not all that worried about foundation leaks.
In your case if you are worried about the height maybe just go really thick padding. If you have the height though, walking on that subloor is great.. it doesnt even feel like there is any concrete under it.