Flooring for a basement?

[rivan]

Concrete slab. Something durable and won't harbor mold should it ever get wet. I'd like something less cold/hard than tile. Inexpensive is important. I also don't want a 'hollow' sounding/feeling flooring like some of them are.

Suggestions/experiences?

 

[vi edit]

Vinyl planks. Peel & stick 'em. Cheap, durable, water/mold resistant. Not as cold (but still kinda) as tile.

Other option is cork. More pricey, not as durable but much nicer under foot.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

First things first, find out if you have moisture wicking through the slab. Do that by taping a piece of tin foil to the floor and waiting a few days. If condensation forms between the foil and the slab, you need to install flooring that will breathe (i.e., NOT vinyl). Otherwise you will have a serious mold issue on your hands. Cheap carpet with a basement pad is probably your best option. Just did that in my basement and it came out great.

 

[Imp]

There was some big issue about vinyl and concrete I remember from my grad school classes.

It either had to do with water (vapor/water barrier) or the acid/base of cement. That was two years ago, so good luck!

 

[Aharami]

Here's what I did

carpet
padding
1/2" OSB subfloor
platon moisture membrane
concrete

basement is dry and warm now

 

[Scarpozzi]

Sno'Nuff said it. You can get moisture testing kits too to see how much water is coming through the slab. Concrete is pourous....There are ways to seal it, but a thin layer of sealant won't stop problems if there's a river running under the slab on a regular basis.

My recommendation is tile with radiant floor heating (if you're concerned with temp). Or cheaper, tile with throw rugs. (lightweight that can be washed often) Tile is most durable, can be inexpensive too. I recommend laying 16-18" tiles....they look good and per sq ft don't cost much more.

 

[DrPizza]

I was going to go the same route as Aharami.

 

[vi edit]

Other option is sleepers + foam board + osb + any flooring type of your choice.

 

[MiniDoom]

i did acid stained concrete with epoxy seal in mine. very cheap, durable and easy.

 

[Jimzz]

Tile with a nice rug on it.

Rains hard or gets wet take the rug up and put back when dry.

 

[Anubis]

VCT

 

[Strk]

i did acid stained concrete with epoxy seal in mine. very cheap, durable and easy.

This

Otherwise you need a subfloor

 

[Red Squirrel]

I looked at VCT for my basement but was told any imperfection in the slab WILL pop out of the tile eventually. This probably goes for lot of similar products. So if your slab is not 100% smooth it's something to consider.

I'm working on my basement and I went with dricore, it's actually meant to be used as a sub floor product but I'll be using it as the main floor till I decide to later on put something on top. I'll probably stain and varnish it. Seen it done and it actually looks sharp.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/2-f...ed-subfloor-panel-system-pallet-of-120/813185
lol just noticed it says "sold online only" not true... the store will have em. I'd hate to see the UPS shipping price for that LOL.

My basement slab is very rough and has lot of imperfections so I had to go with something that will completely cover that.

This is the crawlspace done:

 

[dr150]

Tile with a nice rug on it.

Rains hard or gets wet take the rug up and put back when dry.

^
This.

I know you don't want tile, OP, but porcelain tile is the best material.

It's attractive looking, the most durable, water resistant, best for resale house value, and can be had at a good price relative to vinyl-- just shop around as it's the install fee that'll hit you the most (regardless of material).

Just put cheap big rugs (i.e. Costco) over tile if you like to run barefoot.

Tile, tile, tile it......nothing beats it.

If you go ultra cheap, you will regret it on many fronts later down the road.....

 

[FelixDeCat]

shag

 

[rsutoratosu]

I had carpet and when it rains, it feels wet.. I end up ripping it out and put tiles in.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I looked at VCT for my basement but was told any imperfection in the slab WILL pop out of the tile eventually. This probably goes for lot of similar products. So if your slab is not 100% smooth it's something to consider.

I'm working on my basement and I went with dricore, it's actually meant to be used as a sub floor product but I'll be using it as the main floor till I decide to later on put something on top. I'll probably stain and varnish it. Seen it done and it actually looks sharp.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/2-f...ed-subfloor-panel-system-pallet-of-120/813185
lol just noticed it says "sold online only" not true... the store will have em. I'd hate to see the UPS shipping price for that LOL.

My basement slab is very rough and has lot of imperfections so I had to go with something that will completely cover that.

This is the crawlspace done:

Dricore is a good product. Unfortunately we could not use it in my basement because of serious ceiling height issues. We needed every inch of height because the distance from the slab to the bottom of the ceiling joists is only 6' 11". I'll post pics of what we did in a minute. Came out pretty good.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Dricore is a good product. Unfortunately we could not use it in my basement because of serious ceiling height issues. We needed every inch of height because the distance from the slab to the bottom of the ceiling joists is only 6' 11". I'll post pics of what we did in a minute. Came out pretty good.

Yeah you do lose out about an inch or so, not counting whatever floor you would put on top.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Here is what I just did in my basement. Built ins came out pretty good if you ask me. Flooring is basement pad +$1.50/sq. foot carpet.

 

[iRONic]

Here is what I just did in my basement. Built ins came out pretty good if you ask me. Flooring is basement pad +$1.50/sq. foot carpet.

It seems nice, then I looked up. The ceiling... WTF? Did you just paint all the raw building materials and pipes white?

 

[BurnItDwn]

Part of my basement is Dricore + Vinyl tiles, with a rug, it would be very nice.

Part of my basement is cheap wet/dry carpet. It's not bad. (put in by previous owner)

Part of my basement is vinyl tiles direcctly on the concrete (bathroom)

Part of my basement is cheap rug over the concrete (it's not bad)

Part of my basement is Home theater riser made of 2x8 and 2x4, covered with an inch of OSB, covered with vinyl tiles, covered with rugs. It is very nice to walk on.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It seems nice, then I looked up. The ceiling... WTF? Did you just paint all the raw building materials and pipes white?

I'm actually debating on if I want to do that with my basement, just paint the ceiling all black. Redo all the visible electrical with BX or EMT to give it that industrial look.

 

[iRONic]

I'm actually debating on if I want to do that with my basement, just paint the ceiling all black. Redo all the visible electrical with BX or EMT to give it that industrial look.

That's fine if you're going for that industrial look from the get go. You can carry that theme throughout the space or accent it.

Looking at Sho'Nuff's space, I don't get that impression. His decision of course...

 

[Sho'Nuff]

It seems nice, then I looked up. The ceiling... WTF? Did you just paint all the raw building materials and pipes white?

LOL. It looks better in person then it does in the pics.

The problem was that our basement ceiling was only 6' 11" from the slab. We couldn't dig any lower because the water table in my neighborhood is very high. To maximize the ceiling height, we installed a "drop ceiling" of sheetrock that was recessed about 2-3 inches up and between the ceiling joists. everything was painted white and the end result was pretty decent. Much better than it was, and I hardly notice it. Most folks that see it in person say that they like it (even the people I trust to give an honest opinion).

I'm not saying its the prettiest ceiling in the world. But when one is given lemons, make lemonade. IT was either do what we did or feel like the ceiling was coming down on us.

Also, we were not trying to go for the "industrial" look. Inspiration pics were:

 

[Juddog]

Here's what I did

carpet
padding
1/2" OSB subfloor
platon moisture membrane
concrete

basement is dry and warm now

I had seen a video of someone waterproofing the outside of their house around the basement with some weird black rubbery layer, now I finally know what that was!