Basement Flooring Options: What Not and What to Use

Are you thinking of redoing your basement flooring? Then you need to put your emphasis on water as it is the leading cause of damages to many basement floors and is usually accompanied by high repair costs.

In planning for the renovation and remodeling of basement flooring, a cost-conscious homeowner needs to consider the use of water resistant materials as the basement is an area that is more susceptible to flooding and water damage.

What to Use:

Linoleum
Linoleum is good at resisting and repelling water. However, to maintain a pleasing look and feel, regular maintenance is required from time to time. If you wish to feel the nostalgia of linoleum, use an acrylic sealer to cover your new lino-floors while remembering to re-coat at least once a year. You do not have to worry about cracks and chips even when it accidentally gets wet.

However, in case you have dislikes and allergies towards the strong scent of linseed oil, then you should stay away from this flooring option.

Concrete and Ceramic Tiles
The best alternatives to flooring with regards to waterproofing would be concrete that is sealed or clay tiles. The good thing is that it is sturdy yet somewhat easily expandable. The average costs for a 20 by 20 foot room for a complete job is $3,500. Ceramic tiles, on the other hand, are not as durable, as they easily crack and chip.

Vinyl
If you need a product that’s durable while at the same time cost-effective and not entirely cheap, industrial vinyl flooring tiles are your go-to basement flooring. Just as linoleum, the vinyl flooring option comes in tiles and sheets. It is a plastic product, thus performing efficiently as a water resistant flooring option.

Presently, there’s a broad range of vinyl floor selection options available. But if you are opting to go for vinyl floors, it is recommended that you keep in mind the fact that they do not have adhesion. They are therefore susceptible to seeping water. You are free to use floor adhesive to get around this issue, but with extra material and labor.

Carpet
Carpet floors get a thumbs-up when it comes to its ability to resist being damaged by water. Unlike any other flooring choices, carpets are much easier and light to lift making it the best cost-effective flooring option for a basement in flood-prone areas.

What NOT to Use:

Hardwood
Although hardwood is beautiful and has both comfort and warmth, it is not appropriate to use wood on the floor of the basement. It is because basements are flood-prone which causes severe damage to wood flooring. If you discount the possibility of a flood occurring soon – which you shouldn’t, hardwood is still not the best option when choosing a flooring for your basement as hardwood can easily be swayed and affected by the level of humidity.

Laminate flooring
This product was at one time marketed as the best alternative for basement flooring, and we now know of the fact that this is not the case. Even though laminate flooring is much better performing in moisture tests than hardwood, mainly because it has some glue which holds together the product, yet, the layer found beneath the laminate is delicate and easily becomes destroyed whenever it comes in contact with water. It is because of this reason that I consider laminate to be one of the poorest flooring options in flooring your basement.

Engineered Wood
Engineered wood comes a notch higher than laminate. It is much more resistant because it has plywood. However, it is easily damaged when subjected to water for a long duration. This downside makes it a weaker flooring option.

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