Which Basement Flooring Is Best?
If you’re currently constructing a new house or simply remodeling a basement, it is important to go over your plans with the contractor to know which basement flooring is right for you. Consider the characteristics of a basement and check your budget to be able to determine the right kind of basement flooring that will help create a comfortable living space and at the same time will last for a long time. There are pros and cons to every type of basement flooring, such as paint, tiles, wall-to-wall carpeting or wood, and it helps a lot to first look into each one’s properties before embarking on your project.
Installing Better Basement Flooring
Creating a warm and usable floor on a hard, dull concrete basement floor can be quite a challenge. You have several options in basement flooring. You could just paint up the concrete floor in patterns you like. If the floor is seeping moisture, it would not be a good idea to paint the floor, as the moisture will lead to pain peeling. Wall-to-wall carpeting usually used to create a soft feeling under the feet and set off the hardness of concrete is also a poor basement flooring option if you have moisture seepage. The carpet will soak in moisture and will become moldy and start to rot, contaminating your basement.
Since moisture is the biggest problem in any kind of basement flooring, it is important to solve this problem before deciding upon flooring. The easiest way to do this is lay a felt covering or polystyrene foam covering on the concrete floor. These can be rolled out with a margin of four inches on the sides which can be shaved off later. A sub floor of wood or ply can then be laid on top of this protective covering. This will keep the moisture in and provide you with the freedom to experiment with the kind of basement flooring you like. The sub floor will also be more comfortable than the concrete floor.
Ceramic tiles are a good option for basement flooring except that they tend to be cold. Laminates are a great option for basement flooring. They keep out the moisture and can be bought in several types of finish. They are usually warranted for basement floor instillation. If the basement is unheated you may want to think of radiant floor heating and put a wooden floor a few inches above that. This will make the basement warm and welcoming.