Basement Flooring

Because the basement is an underground room, you will more than likely have ongoing issues with dampness and musty mold odors. One of the remedies for this condition can be found in basement flooring planning.

Basement flooring systems should enhance the looks of the basement, but far more importantly, they should have the ability to lower humidity, otherwise the basement will turn out to be a haven for microbes rather than a very useful and fun family living space.

Basement Flooring-Carpet/Rug

Carpeting or rug which is a favorite and conventional flooring choice for upper living space in a home is not ideally suited as a basement flooring material.

There is no doubt that carpeting because of the vast range of colors and designs available can work wonders for the décor of a room but the humidity-factor involved in a basement make carpet a breeding ground for bacteria and mold fungus. The presence of mold renders a living space unfit for human habitation. If you must have a carpet material as part of your basement flooring plan consider putting some area rugs in places where you need the comfort of rug under your feet.

Basement Flooring-Tile

Tiles are a great choice as a basement flooring material. The large choicer factor that comes with tile, including materials such as ceramic, marble and slate make finding a great basement flooring product that fits in with style and décor easy.

Ceramic tile offers an almost infinite range of colors and patterns that guarantee to fit into any basement remodeling project with ease of both installation and inexpensive cost options.

Marble, slate, or other natural flooring material, have a beauty that only a natural product can offer, although these natural products can be rather expensive as a basement flooring option they more than make up for their cost in beauty, functionality and wear ability.

The only real drawback with tiles, both natural and man-made, is that they are cold to the touch especially in an area where people like to go without shoes but this problem can be address by placing area rugs in places where the family tend to congregate.

You will need to ensure that any concrete fractures and or cracks do not affect the integrity of your basement flooring tile. There are propriety membranes which are an excellent preventive measure to ensure you do not have premature floor damage.

Basement Flooring-Hardwood

Hardwoods are a beautiful flooring material however natural hardwood flooring may not be a great choice as basement flooring in a basement that has high humidity levels. Natural hardwood flooring tends to well when exposed to moisture and if the floor is not expertly installed you may experience buckling of you floor in the summer months and worse still if you have water in your basement a natural hardwood floor will be destroyed.

If you must have natural hardwood flooring in a abasement you should have French drains and sump pump installed along with central air.

A far better option for natural wood flooring lovers is to install laminated wood flooring a basement flooring material. Laminated wood flooring resists swelling when exposed to humidity is inexpensive and very hard wearing which is perfect for a family room that will experience high traffic.

When installing a wooden floor system in a basement it is imperative that a membrane is placed beneath it.