Basement Flooring Recommendation Needed

[tjpavlov]

My house is about five years old. We are going to be doing the basement this summer and I am trying to work out the flooring. I don't want carpet because of mold issues. We don't have any water issues, but I know someday the hot water tank will give out or a pipe will leak. I just don't want to deal with carpet. I am trying to finish this basement and not have a musty-smelling space.

So I am thinking about a sealer or an epoxy. I really like the idea of a simple sealer on the slab. I have considered tile, but the cost for 1100 square feet is on the high side. Plus, I don't really see much of an advantage of tile over a sealed slab.

What does everybody recommend here? If I could do this myself, that would be great. I do have some concerns about air quality and off gassing, so I would like something not too stinky.

And advice is most appreciated.

 

[JOHN 86GT]

Depends on the look you are going for and budget . Painted ,sealed , stained etc..



I don't like carpet in a basement either but the floor will be cold if you don't have in floor heat or a good source of heat. You can put an area rug under seating area , helps a lot .

I have a direct vent fireplace that will heat my (600 sq ft )
rec room or the other 600 sq ft of finished area quickly.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Our acrylic sealer would be a great choice for this. Low odor and low cost. Please call us Monday for info on our Arm6415x. Thanks.

 

[Richard Cranium]

we have at least 3 professional flooring people on here, You can get a lot of advise.

 

[Deej-79]

No wood or wood type products

 

[05r50]

Had carpet and laminate in our finished basement for about 10 years. Never an issue. House sits on a hill and doesn't even have a sump system.

Sure enough. Huge rainfall comes through and the curtain drain around the foundation can't keep up. Basement floods.

Just now, getting done with the drywall, but I will be putting down paint or tile this time.

 

[Lunker]

Glue down carpet -it gets wet no issue just **** it up with a rug doctor and dehumidify

Padding acts as a sponge and that is what will
Mildew

 

[Garage Flooring]

My house is about five years old. We are going to be doing the basement this summer and I am trying to work out the flooring. I don't want carpet because of mold issues. We don't have any water issues, but I know someday the hot water tank will give out or a pipe will leak. I just don't want to deal with carpet. I am trying to finish this basement and not have a musty-smelling space.

So I am thinking about a sealer or an epoxy. I really like the idea of a simple sealer on the slab. I have considered tile, but the cost for 1100 square feet is on the high side. Plus, I don't really see much of an advantage of tile over a sealed slab.

What does everybody recommend here? If I could do this myself, that would be great. I do have some concerns about air quality and off gassing, so I would like something not too stinky.

And advice is most appreciated.

You have come to the right place!

Any known moisture issues? What about condition of the concrete?
Forgetting cost and concerns for a second what would you like the floor to look like when you are done and how are you going to use it?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

My house is about five years old. We are going to be doing the basement this summer and I am trying to work out the flooring. I don't want carpet because of mold issues. We don't have any water issues, but I know someday the hot water tank will give out or a pipe will leak. I just don't want to deal with carpet. I am trying to finish this basement and not have a musty-smelling space.

So I am thinking about a sealer or an epoxy. I really like the idea of a simple sealer on the slab. I have considered tile, but the cost for 1100 square feet is on the high side. Plus, I don't really see much of an advantage of tile over a sealed slab.

What does everybody recommend here? If I could do this myself, that would be great. I do have some concerns about air quality and off gassing, so I would like something not too stinky.

And advice is most appreciated.

Our SEC SEALER is great for basements, looser molecular lock in case of some sub-grade moisture, no stink and looks great!!

http://www.legacyindustrial.net/products/concrete-sealers/sec-sealer.html

less than .50 psqft for (2) coats !

 

[theoldwizard1]

This is expensive, but really the best solution in many ways.

Assuming you are not going to have a weight lifting room or be dropping SBC blocks on the floor, look into raised 2x2 basement subfloor/floor "tiles". There are several different brands out there but they are all about the same.

The bottom is a heavy plastic with some kind on "dimples" to raise it off the concrete. This is a "win, win, win" ! The plastic help provide a vapor barrier. Raising the tile allow air underneath, which acts as an insulator. Raising the tile also allows for leaking water to run underneath. (If you are concerned about the water heater leaking, but it inside of a large catch pan and hook up a water sensor connected to a solenoid that will shut off the cold water to the tank in the event of a leak.)

It is a bit of a pain to put down, because you have to shim each tile. Some have now top "finish" so you can do carpet or whatever. Some have carpet or tile in place.

 

[tjpavlov]

No known issues with water but I think that you reaaly need to plan for the worst with basements.

The slab is good. There appears to be some spots where plaster was spilled during construction but that is it. Not sure how to clean that off. Its a little lumpy.

With these sealers and epoxies, could any of them be tiled over if I hate it after a few years?

 

[Garage Flooring]

We have a sealer that is a penetrating urethane sealer that gives you a little sheen to a gloss depending on the number of coats. It is breathable. If you were 100% certain no moisture issue then we have other options.

You could also do an acrylic sealer. Less money resistance to chemicals, but that is not a real issue here. It is considered a maintenance coating though so you would need to reapply.

 

[tjpavlov]

I don't have any water issues now, but I can't be entirely sure that there isn't some sort of water under the slab that just migrates its way though. I have done the plastic test of taping a sheet of plastic on the slab and waiting for condensation and didn't see any problems.

What is the best way of cleaning the slab prior to application of these coatings? As noted previously, I have what appears to be some plaster that was spilled on the slab in a few spots.

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Garage Flooring]

I don't have any water issues now, but I can't be entirely sure that there isn't some sort of water under the slab that just migrates its way though. I have done the plastic test of taping a sheet of plastic on the slab and waiting for condensation and didn't see any problems.

What is the best way of cleaning the slab prior to application of these coatings? As noted previously, I have what appears to be some plaster that was spilled on the slab in a few spots.

Thanks for everyone's help!

It depends on what you end up doing.... For epoxy I would grind first.

 

[kuhner]

I used a product called Skim Stone. I had the same concerns with carpet as you did. I pulled up my carpet and used a grinder to remove the glue that was left.
The product is like a very thin concrete that you trowel down, using two colors it gives a nice unique look, almost like a marble. It has been down for about 12 years for me and is holding up very well. Easy to maintain, just sweep and mop.

greg

 

[James-W]

I don't know if you would be interested in something like this, but here is a link to some floor tiles that you may want to check out.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/util-a...oor-mats-24-x-24-8-tiles/107930.ip?navAction=

 

[snappytom]

Another suggestion is Waterproof Vinyl Flooring.
Its a floating system that is completely waterproof and can be submerged for extended periods of time.
We recently did our basement (22' x 24' room) and the style we used was a click together that came in 6" x 3' planks. Easy to work with, just score with a razor knife and snap any pieces that require trimming.

Got it from https://www.floorstoyourhome.com/ at a discount over local home centers with free delivery on a pallet to our garage, and no sales tax outside of Indiana.

We are very happy with the product and results. We have no affiliation with the place we bought it from other than being a satisfied customer.

 

[tjpavlov]

Another suggestion is Waterproof Vinyl Flooring.
Its a floating system that is completely waterproof and can be submerged for extended periods of time.
We recently did our basement (22' x 24' room) and the style we used was a click together that came in 6" x 3' planks. Easy to work with, just score with a razor knife and snap any pieces that require trimming.

Got it from https://www.floorstoyourhome.com/ at a discount over local home centers with free delivery on a pallet to our garage, and no sales tax outside of Indiana.

We are very happy with the product and results. We have no affiliation with the place we bought it from other than being a satisfied customer.

Thanks for the referral. That's interesting. I'd like to look at these more in store to see what they feel like.

When you did your basement, did you just lay this directly on top of the concrete, or did you use some sort of underlayment?

 

[Garage Flooring]

If you looking at some ways to do more traditional flooring, check out this link http://www.dricore.com/en/index.aspx

They make an underlayment designed for your application

 

[tjpavlov]

If you looking at some ways to do more traditional flooring, check out this link http://www.dricore.com/en/index.aspx

They make an underlayment designed for your application

Thanks for the idea, but I don't really get the appeal of dricore. It gives you a plastic underlayment (yay) and then the OSB (boo) on top. So it puts the least likely to survive wood product a half inch above your floor. If you get any sort of water coming from above (like a leaky faucet or pipe), the OSB is going to get saturated and give you problems. Am I missing something? I just don't get why people like that stuff.

 

[ford33]

I have a combination of tile and carpet. I had a small amount of water in the basement along the walls. Tile is easy clean-up but the carpet had to be discarded along with 50 feet of drywall. As much as I like the feel and warmth of carpet, I am seriously considering tiling the whole basement. Avoid wood products in the basement.

 

[snappytom]

Thanks for the referral. That's interesting. I'd like to look at these more in store to see what they feel like.

When you did your basement, did you just lay this directly on top of the concrete, or did you use some sort of underlayment?

Another suggestion is Waterproof Vinyl Flooring.
Its a floating system that is completely waterproof and can be submerged for extended periods of time.
We recently did our basement (22' x 24' room) and the style we used was a click together that came in 6" x 3' planks. Easy to work with, just score with a razor knife and snap any pieces that require trimming.

Got it from https://www.floorstoyourhome.com/ at a discount over local home centers with free delivery on a pallet to our garage, and no sales tax outside of Indiana.

We are very happy with the product and results. We have no affiliation with the place we bought it from other than being a satisfied customer.

No underlayment used ..... simply swept the floor and put it down.

 

[Capegls]

I know you said no carpet, and I understand your reasoning. We redid our basement a few years ago and went carpet with a whole house dehumidifier. We haven't had any issues at all.

 

[tab2]

Another vote for vinyl. The plank systems previously mentioned look fantastic these days. I custom home builder I know put them in his own basement.

A floating system would be great if you have moisture issues. That's different than water. The pro's could explain that better than me though.

 

[tjpavlov]

I went to lumber liquidators the other day and I have to admit the vinyl planks look so much better than they did just a few years ago.

But I am now giving a lot of thought to a floating cork floor. The price isn't terrible and cork adds a slight insulating quality that would take some of the chill off the slab. Not sure how they would work in a standing water situation, but it seems like an interesting option too.

 

[tw0st3p]

Thanks for the referral. That's interesting. I'd like to look at these more in store to see what they feel like.

When you did your basement, did you just lay this directly on top of the concrete, or did you use some sort of underlayment?

I am actually one of the web developers at Floors To Your Home and happened to be checking our analytics and saw a bit of traffic from garage journal, which I frequent on my own time as well.

If you are still in the market for some basement flooring just shoot me a message and I will be happy to send out some free samples of our waterproof vinyl so you can check it out.

I have it in my basement and have help my neighbor put it in his.

 

[Gooch]

Thanks for the idea, but I don't really get the appeal of dricore. It gives you a plastic underlayment (yay) and then the OSB (boo) on top. So it puts the least likely to survive wood product a half inch above your floor. If you get any sort of water coming from above (like a leaky faucet or pipe), the OSB is going to get saturated and give you problems. Am I missing something? I just don't get why people like that stuff.

How is that any different than the OSB subfloor on the main floor?