Basement Floor Options

Choosing flooring for your basement can be a really difficult matter, as the common materials you use for flooring just don’t work with basements. This is due to the fact that the basement floor is exposed to a lot of humidity and is not exposed to sunlight, which makes it ideal for infestations and growth of fungi and algae. Choosing basement flooring depends on many things, including your budget, location, building materials and finally the structure of your basement. However, before making the choice, you need to realize that you will not be spending the majority of your time over there. Neither will you be able to show your basement off to your guests, unless they are hiding from the law or escaping a tornado. As such, you can go for conventional flooring options like hardwood and laminates. However, the problem with these flooring types is that these tend to spoil and disintegrate faster, due to presence of moisture. Therefore, it’s important that you weigh your options correctly and choose a proper material that would lasts longer without pinching your pocket. In the following lines, we have listed few common materials and their properties. Happy choosing!

 

 

Vinyl flooring is one of the best flooring types you can have for your basements. Vinyl surfaces are waterproof and therefore ideal for basement floors. They can be purchased in rolls as well as tiles, so practically you can install them everywhere. Moreover, their installation is simple, as you all that you need to do is attach them to the floor with the help of a special adhesive. Vinyl matches well with original wooden flooring, as the surface texture is almost the same as hardwood flooring. Moreover, they are not very expensive.

 

This is one of the simplest basement floor options that can rejuvenate the dull, boring look of the concrete completely. Stained concrete imbues your concrete with a huge variety of colors. Concrete staining is not the same as adding pigment to wet concrete. Concrete staining is done on cured concrete, and it can be done by the homeowner. Concrete stain kits are available at your local hardware store. Staining should be done on a warm and dry day, as the acrylic paint needs lot of time to cure. Since the temperature of the basement would remain cold always, you will need a couple of rugs to keep the place warm.

 

Ceramic tiles are durable and low maintenance materials that can be used in almost all parts of the home. From slippery bathroom tiles to your kitchen walls, ceramics are everywhere. Ceramic tiles come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. You can use one single pattern and color for the entire floor or you can combine a number of colors, sizes and designs to enhance the visual appeal of the flooring. The best feature about the tiles is that they can be easily cleaned and are best suited for basements, which are exposed to high foot traffic. However, ceramic tile flooring is an expensive option and can cause a heavy dent on your pocket.

 

Subfloor is one of the best options that you can employ for basement flooring. These floors are generally made up of plywood or oriented strand board with a corrugated, waterproof underside. Subfloors are available in 2-foot-square components to be assembled over the concrete. Once installed, any other type of covering can be laid on top of subfloor.