Mustachian Basement Flooring

[sjc0816]

So our basement flooded a couple of night ago.  We had astronomical amounts of rain in a short time and water came in through our window well (a lot of water).We have coverage for basement water issues but not sure if this situation will be covered. We have service master coming (called two days ago and have been on "the list") in a couple of days.

Our basement is finished....so we ripped up all of the carpet.  Our window well window broke...so we have to replace that (it has been ordered and is boarded up).  We are addressing the cause...which was a clogged drain in the well. We're going to beef up our french drain on that side of the house.

We will also likely have to have some drywall replaced by the window. 

But my reason for the post.....is the flooring.  We really do not want carpet down there. It just is a pain in the ass and not very practical.  If we are not covered by insurance and have to replace the flooring ourselves......what would you recommend?  Inexpensive and practical are my priorities. We live in an average suburban home....nothing fancy.  So I don't think we need carpet in the basement. 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[TaxChick]

There are several options. You could stain the concrete or apply an epoxy treatment.  With both of these you could inexpensive area rugs to warm the floor or help with noise echo.  You could put down tile or vinyl.  It really is a matter of personal preference.

[Rural]

My entire house is plain sealed concrete (intended to stain, but it wouldn't take). Cleanup is wonderful.


We're insulated completely under the slab, though, so consider whether it would be too cold if yours is not.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I would just go with concrete and rubber mats on top for cushioning.

[NV Teacher]

You might want to check out vinyl plank flooring.

[MBot]

The cheapest you can get would probably be laminate plus the recommended underlay. Go one step up from the cheapest to make sure it is more resistant to cracking and chipping. We are doing it in our own basement because we can lay it right over the dimpled waterproofing membrane for the sub-floor (very old house and complex interior waterproofing)

However, I must say, if you spend a lot of time down there or want a very hard-wearing product, the Armstrong vinyl plank flooring is wonderful. Family has used it in a couple rentals and then for their own kitchen. It doesn't gap or shrink like laminate and cleans beautifully.

[CowboyAndIndian]

I would suggest cork flooring for several reasons

• Insulator, so the floor does not feel cold
• Feels great on the feet
• Looks beautiful
• Easy to install (they come in tiles), very easy to DIY
• Will not be damaged if you have another water event

If you think cork is too expensive, then go with linoleum.

In any case, do not put carpet, wood or even a laminate floor, since they will be destroyed with water.

[I'm a red panda]

We put in tile flooring after our rental flooded.  When it did it again, we just mopped.

[Axecleaver]

We did tile flooring ourselves after having some trouble with water in the basement. Very easy cleanup, and we treat the cool floor as a bonus in the summer. In the winter we use area rugs to insulate the floor.

Cork flooring sounds pretty badass, though!

[Jack]

I concur with the polished, stained or epoxied concrete idea. If I finish my basement, that's what I'd do.

Of the "things you actually install over the concrete" ideas, I like tile the best, followed by cork.

[shusherstache]

We just went through this with our part of the house that had laminate.   We ripped it and the drywall out (laminate is not mold-proof) and debated tile or staining the concrete.  We decided against tile because depending on how you install it it could still pop up from the flooring or mold. Too much of a hassle, so We ended up painting the concrete with this: http://www.behr.com/consumer/products/floor-coatings-sealers-and-prep/behr-premium-porch-and-patio-floor-paint-low-lustre

No complaints and it's holding up nicely. Clean the floors with TSP or whatever the cleaner of your choice is (they make a cleaner/etcher but that would be a pain to clean up in a basement).  Then wipe them down well with water and prep (if necessary) and paint. Some people like epoxy flooring but we went with this instead.

Our drywall guy had the genius idea to install hardie-backer and fiberglass baseboards to prevent the drywall from having to be replaced again if we re-flood. Food for thought.

[I'm a red panda]

Is cork not damaged by standing water?

[justajane]

Carpet tiles are better than wall to wall carpeting, but we just had to scrap our carpet tiles after five years on account of water. I might try to get the mildew smell out of them by oxycleaning them and laying them out in the sun, but it is a TON of work and might not even make them usable again.

For now we have foam squares from Sam's in our finished area instead we figure out what to do next. I'm thinking basements in general are just a troublesome space and we shouldn't expect much from them. I live in the Midwest where people often have carpet in them, but it's really just asking for trouble. We've gotten more rain in June this year than our city has ever gotten - I believe over 13 inches. It is wreaking havoc on even the driest of basements.

We've thought about Dricore and then carpet, but that's very expensive, especially if your basement is large.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Is cork not damaged by standing water?

I do not have personal experience, but this website suggests that it will not be a problem. Caveat emptor, this is a cork floor manufacturer.


 If you have a flooding situation (ie: not daily usage), the standing water could possibly re-emulsify the adhesive and thus loosen a few tiles
http://www.corkfloor.com/faqs-durability.html

[Kitsune]

I second the recommendation for vinyl plank flooring if you're gonna be doing any living in the basement (as opposed to storage/maintenance), which is what we just put in our basement. Reasons:
- It's pretty cheap! The store we went to had it anywhere from 1.50-2.60$/sq ft (and the differences were pretty minor - we got the cheaper one and it's totally fine)
- It's warmer on your feet than floating wood... basically, it keeps the heat from above rather than transmitting cold from below, which is nice when you're turning your basement into living space. Major bonus in winter.
- It looks nice. The one we have looks like wood. Ok, looking closely at it, something looks off... but you have to look really closely.
- It's super easy to clean. Flood? Mud? Oil spill? No problem. Mop it up. Nothing leaks through, nothing gets damaged, nothing gets warped. Brilliant.

If you're not gonna be creating any living space in the basement, painted concrete should be fine.

[justajane]

I think one reason people don't do plank flooring and other solutions like that, at least in my area, is because so few basements are level. Most slope toward a center drain. Obviously you could level it, but that reduces an already (in many cases) lower height of the room. Plus I just find the idea of leveling part of my basement daunting. And I have to say having a basement that slopes to a drain has come in very handy in the last month where we have had water coming in from the outer walls.

[GuitarStv]

If you're interested in Dricore but put off by the price, it might be worth checking out the price of Platon flooring roll and then putting plywood overtop.  It's the same idea as Dricore, but probably less expensive.