# Cold Floor in Kitchen



## fitch21200 (Nov 22, 2010)

I have an 'eat in' kitchen that is just off my main kitchen. It is so cold in the winter that we actully go in another room to eat. It is mainly the floor that is so cold.

I believe there is just footings under the room and no way to get under that part of the house without tearing up the floors. Any ideas on how to get insulation unther there? Should I just rip up the current floor and check it out? Do I need a vapor barrier unter the floor joists if it is just dirt and not cement?

I don't do a lot of home repair so I just thought I would ask the questions here.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

Jeremy


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

You really need to be able to tell us exactly what construction you have. Solutions are generally catagory specific.
Is this an addition that was put on the house? How old is it?
What sort of heat do you have in the house? Steam? Hotwater? hot air?
Is it the same heat as in the kitchen?
What floor do you have in the kitchen?
Ron


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## fitch21200 (Nov 22, 2010)

This was an addition to the rest of the house. It was built before I moved in 5 years ago. I really couldn't tell you how old it is, but I would say less than 20 years. The rest of the house was built in 1954.

I have gas/forced hot air. It is the same heat as in the kitchen. There is 1 vent that is built into the cabinets that feeds that room. As far as I can tell, there are no pipes or electrical under that part of the house as there are no outlets.

The floor is plywood with sticky back 12" tiles on it. I am going to be replacing the tile with 12" ceramic tiles in the near future.

I hope this is enough detail.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Is there access to this addition from the basement of the house? Generally there's a basement window that's covered that becomes that access point. Some times the access door is on the exterior.
Does the addition have venting under it? If it does, pop it off and look inside.
Additions usually has a crawl space below it. The depth and construction will be based on local codes. You should be able to go to the local building dept to get the details if you don't know. Unless you're in a rural area, the job required permits and inspections. You'll need to know the framing construction to determine if the floor will support ceramic tile.
To warm up the floor, insulate the floor joists and maybe add radiant floor heating when you tile.
Ron


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## fitch21200 (Nov 22, 2010)

As far as I know there aren't any service panels. One side is my driveway, one side is a brick walkway, one side is a deck with about 6" of clearence and one side is the foundation of the house. There are no windows leading to that structure and I can't fit, without tearing the deck down, to get under the floor. There are also no vents I can see in the floor or outside.

Do I need to have a vapor barrier on the dirt floor?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

fitch21200 said:


> As far as I know there aren't any service panels. One side is my driveway, one side is a brick walkway, one side is a deck with about 6" of clearence and one side is the foundation of the house. There are no windows leading to that structure and I can't fit, without tearing the deck down, to get under the floor. There are also no vents I can see in the floor or outside.
> 
> Do I need to have a vapor barrier on the dirt floor?


A vapor barrier is a very good idea. The closer the bare wood is to the soil, the better the idea is.
You need to get under the structure for any correction to the freezing floor or anything else you want to do.
Where do you live and what's the frost line there?
Is the foundation block or poured concrete?
Ron


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## fitch21200 (Nov 22, 2010)

I am in New England.

The foundation on the rest of the house is poured concrete, but the "foundation" on the eat-in-kitchen is just poured footings I believe.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

fitch21200 said:


> I am in New England.
> 
> The foundation on the rest of the house is poured concrete, but the "foundation" on the eat-in-kitchen is just poured footings I believe.


The frost line is over 36" down. Footings are below the frostline and the foundation sits on the footings. 
Go to the building dept and look at the plans. Or dig a hole and see what's there and how deep it is.
Or...drill a small hole in the kitchen floor and put a wire down into it to see how far it goes before you hit the ground. You'll need about 18" of clear space to be able to work in there. 
Ron


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## warmsmeallup (Apr 3, 2008)

I agree with Ron's assesment. If you can't get under it without taking up the floor, insulate and then add an electric radiant (low or line voltage) system before re-tiling. Programmable tstat with the sensor in the floor.


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