Sorry if I use the wrong terms here.
Spouse insists we need new carpet to replace the 35 year old stuff in a guest room.
We're going to put in a wool berber that's scratchy but a nice color and durable and cheap ($2/sq ft.)
Read up on carpet pads since all the stuff I've ever seen was disgusting. There's a carpet pad called 'slab rubber' that comes in 21lb. Supposed to be super durable, good for berber, insulates and is comfortable to walk on. Our discount shop never heard of it but I persisted and they found a product called "Aurora" that seems to fit the bill, sold by Leggett and Pratt:
https://lpflooringproducts.com/carpet-pad/plus-series/rubber-plus/aurora
Anyone have any experience with this sort of stuff. When I replace carpet the pad has always crumbled to dust but this stuff is supposed to last through multiple carpets.
Now, the moisture. Room is on the house's ground, has a wood/plywood floor with a 3' crawl space underneath. The crawl space has a thick vinyl tarp over it and a sump pump under that. The tarp isn't taped/sealed to the foundation or support posts, nor where it overlaps.
I've got a sensitive nose. I've never seen any wet in crawl space there but since the guest room smells wet to me I run a dehumidifier there year 'round. Generally it rains a ton here in the fall (like right now with flooding, etc) but the dehumidifier picks up the most water in the late spring. I can't explain why, maybe the trees do something then? In the spring it will pull a gallon/week, rest of the year its a gallon a month or less. Its run through a month of solid rain and not received a gallon.
I've checked crawl space about once a year for past 20 years and it always looks like it was just built, no mold or rot or anything, it all looks like new. Under the tarp is gravel, not concrete or anything. And the ground of crawl space is 5-6 feet below grade. Id expect foundation on uphill side to be wet but the concrete is all always absolutely desicated so I think moisture is just rising from the ground.
So... if I put this rubber carpet pad down... is that going to seal out the moisture? Trap moisture between floor and pad? Will that cause crawl space to rot, etc?
Anyone used that rubber carpet pad before? Should I crawl around with butyl tape and seal that tarpage? Do I need to put a dehumidifier down there? Would suck to empty as it is not very comfortable to visit.