When it comes time to clean up or remodel your basement one of your major choices will be in basement flooring. Long gone are the days of indoor/outdoor rugs or shag carpeting (unless of course thats what you wish to use!). Todays available choices range from the truly unique to the mundane, lets look at some of the most popular options.
The first type of flooring we will look at is the floating laminate floor. These floors have been in use throughout homes for years now and have proven their reliability and resilience. They are also very quick to install and can hide a variety of issues if need be. For instance in an area that has a large slope or bump a floating floor can be installed by a skilled crew with great success. If you were to try this with a tile or hardwood floor you would need to spends hours and hours getting the floor leveled,possibly to no avail. Modern laminate flooring comes with a pad installed to each separate piece, this speeds up install time and lowers overall extra costs. Generally when buying these floors you will only need to purchase the flooring and any associated trim pieces. You do need to make sure that your basement is fully waterproofed though, as they will warp and wave over time if exposed to moisture.
photo credit: ryanrocketship
The next popular choice for a basement is tile flooring. These can be installed over level cement floors rather cheaply and quickly, but as mentioned earlier, if the floor is un-level in any way it will need repaired. There are countless types and sizes of tile available for you, the consumer, your best option for choosing one is to stop by a local supply house and view their choices. While you are there you can ask for help in identifying the individual tiles backing or grout needs, as these can vary from piece to piece.
photo credit: mtneer_man
It should be mentioned that a great added benefit of a tile floor is the ability to use radiant floor heating. This is a style of heating that is placed in the cement floor and “radiates” throughout the room. It is a excellent choice for basements because the heat starts at the lowest place possible and works its way up. It can be used in many other types of flooring as well, but tile is the most efficient conductor, aside from painted or epoxied concrete. I highly recommend looking into this as a heating option for your basement.
Carpeting also remains a popular choice for basements. There are thousands of styles of carpeting on the market and more added everyday. For basement use though you should stick to a moisture resistant and easily cleaned variety. A carpet pad is a very important choice ,and one should be chosen that will not degrade if used in wet conditions over time. A recent addition to carpet pads include a layer of plastic on the bottom sides. This is meant to help keep water from getting all the way through if spilt on top of the rug, but it also acts as a great moisture deterrent underneath the pad as well. Any carpet warehouse should be able to guide you in the right direction here.
The last choice we will discuss in basement flooring is epoxy type coatings ,these can range from paints to overlays of the floor. A painted basement floor is a great option for those looking for easy clean up and a brighter basement. These paints should be moisture resistant and “breathable” to avoid any lifting over time. The overlays are an option that will also allow for easy clean up but these will need to be installed by a professional as they are not available to the buying public at this time. Typical overlay styles would include “rocks” or a spray on liner type of product.
photo credit: Patrick Hoesly
As you can see there are countless choices to be made in this area and your options only become greater with passing time. Visit your area home improvement center to see many of these products we have discussed today.
