Finding the Right Basement Flooring

Laying down the right basement flooring is extremely important. Choosing the right basement flooring can protect your house from mold and mildew. It can also make your basement more livable.

Prepping Your Basement

The majority of basements in America have a concrete base. However, concrete flooring isn’t the most visually appealing flooring. It’s also not that comfortable. So, if you plan on making your basement something other than a storage space, you should consider installing other flooring.

Before we discuss the types of flooring you can put in your basement, we need to talk about water. Basements are notorious for collecting water. Before you purchase and install basement flooring, put a large tarp or several trash bags on your basement floor in the center of the room and in the corners. Tape them down tightly so no air gets in. After 24 hours, look underneath the bags and see if any moisture has collected. If it’s wet, you have moisture seeping through the concrete. You need to get this fixed before you buy flooring. If you don’t, the moisture will destroy your flooring and mold or mildew will collect underneath your new flooring. Once you have a dry basement, you can proceed.

Different Basement Flooring Options

When you walk into a flooring store, you’re bombarded with flooring choices including ceramic, hardwood, porcelain tile, vinyl and carpet to name a few. Most flooring experts will recommend that you steer clear of putting carpet and hardwood in you basement. Carpet can become moldy if the basement is humid. Hardwood can warp. This, once again, is because of the high humidity content in the basement.

If you want the hardwood look and your basement is dry, consider getting an engineered floor or laminate flooring. Engineered flooring is made of high-density fiberboard core and several different layers of hardwood. The thickness of this flooring keeps it from warping. Laminate flooring looks like hardwood, but it’s made of moisture resistant materials. It’s also sturdier than hardwood and won’t knick or ding as easily as hardwood. There are some laminates that manufacturers recommend not to use in high humidity areas. Make sure to ask about this before you buy your basement flooring.

Some climates, such as the Midwest, East and South, are susceptible to high humidity contents. This means that no matter what you do, there will be some moisture in your basement. In these climates, the homeowner should use porcelain or ceramic tile flooring. These materials are more water resistant and work well in areas with high water content. That’s why you see them in bathrooms. Make sure to either use a water resistant adhesive or sub floor when installing this basement floor. These two products will help protect your basement flooring from coming loose.