Basement flooring is obviously the foundation of the process of remodeling your basement.
If basement flooring is not done right, you are just going to waste money and effort in trying to make your whole basement look good.
The great thing is that there are several options on how you can have a beautiful, worth it flooring.
Water is Enemy Water in whatever form - be it from underground moisture or drainage problems - is a bane to basements.
Before doing any remodeling, have your basement drainage system checked thoroughly and fixed by a plumber.
You would not want it to have a well designed basement only to realize that water starts to creep in.
Sometimes water slippage can come from the exterior drainage outside the house.
Due to the damp nature of most basements, moisture is a usual headache.
Moisture can cause stains to tile floor, mildews and molds to carpet floor and damage to plywood and hardwood floor.
At any rate, moisture can weaken the bond of the adhesive used to stick whatever flooring material you have.
Thus, before fully doing any remodeling, do precautionary tests on the wetness of the floor.
Test the Floor One way to test the wetness or the moisture level of the floor is to use a waterproof material that is about 4 inches-by-4 inches in size.
Place flat the waterproof material, preferably the type of flooring that you have in mind to use, on the basement floor.
Seal it in such a way that no air gets in.
Put it in several corners of the floor walls and one in the center area of the floor.
Leave it for at least a day and then check if there is any moisture coming in.
If you notice any form of moisture, then you have to determine and fix the floor problem first before proceeding with remodeling.
It also means that your floor is naturally damp.
At this point, it is ideal if you ask the opinion and suggestion of a basement flooring professional.
You can probably make do by changing the type of flooring material to be used or install a vapor barrier.
Flooring Materials There is no such thing as perfect flooring material.
It is always a case-to-case basis.
It also depends on the desired look and feel that you want for your basement.
While that being said, here are some common flooring options and their usual attributes: 1.
Wooden Subfloor: It is cheap but is prone to rotting when there is no vaporizing barrier installed.
2.
Carpet: It is very easy install but is prone to mildew and molds.
3.
Painting the Subfloor: You can do it yourself if you know how to paint walls.
But you may have to keep re-painting after a couple of months.
4.
Stained Basement Floor: This gives you room to be very creative with numerous styles and colors available.
But you may have to spend a little more compared to, say, using a wooden material.
5.
Tiled Floor: This also allows you more room for creativity and is a viable option for wet basements.
But this material would not help much in lessening the coldness of the floor so you may have to use rugs.
Another important consideration when it comes to basement flooring is if who is doing the flooring work: you or a hired professional? If it is you, remember that tiles and stained basement floor may take more effort to haul and install.
The latter materials also require specialized skills and equipments.