Insulating is going to be the first priority. The cement slab is what we call a "heat-sink"...that is to say the slab grabs all the heat and pulls it out of the room (the heat "sinks" into the slab...never to be heard from again).

You will want to install an insulated floor...of some sort. I would vote for a cork floating floor...but that's me. An insulated "sleeper" subfloor (building centers carry DIY subfloor systems for $2-$3/sf) will help...but will be costly. You then need to install flooring over top = $2-$5/sf ON TOP of the price of the system for a total of $4-$8/sf.

A cork floating floor+6mm cork underlay works out to be $3-$5/sf for the floor + $0.63/sf for the underlay = $4-$6/sf = better insulation than an insulated subfloor system+flooring. I have clients in N. Canada with the cork+cork option and they have to turn down their heating system to watch TV in their basement...1100sf basement with 1 forced air vent = too warm in the winter with "normal" temperature. The clients also have expressed their surprise that they can not hear the Teenagers when they are playing games during the afternoon = cork is an acoustic insulator as well as a thermal insulator.

The best thing to do is to get the floor/ceilings insulated to find out where all the heat is going. My suspicion = the windows. Windows and doors = holes in walls where heat escapes.

The cork sounds interesting. I like the insulating qualities. What about moisture? It is a dry basement but a basement none the less. Also how waterproof is cork. I know accidents will happen on it....dogs and kids.
Thanks!

A floating floor in a basement requires a vapour barrier. This prevents damage from occuring due to poorly sealed cement slab. A flood is going to cause all but ceramic tiles from being removed. Even so, I've had farmers in Manitoba end up with 3 inchces of mud and 3 feet of water on their cork floors in the basements. They removed the floor and put it in the barn (letting it dry out...getting ready for burn season) only to find the 75% of their planks were reuseable.

Spills can be combatted with: 2 coats of polyurethane after installation. These coats seal the seams to produce a water resistant floor. That means a gallon (or 5) could be spilled on the cork and left to evaporate. The planks will be fine. If your PLUMBING lets go (or the flood as mentioned above) you will need a new floor.

Cost of radiant in-floor heating can be the cost of a cork floating floor - with installation.

Did you ever get your basement sorted out?

Wondering what you went with.