Basement floor covering ideas

[1100011CS]

I had to remove the carpet from my basement after the floods and I'm finally to the point that I need to put something back down. If it was up to me I'd just leave bare concrete and paint it but that won't fly with my wife. I definitely don't want traditional carpet/padding like I had before. So, what are some other options people have used/seen?

 

[ruxCYtable]

We are getting estimates to finish our basement. More than one contractor has suggested the vinyl that looks like wood. He showed us some pics and it looks pretty sweet.

 

[isufan]

Just some carpet, don't tack it down, and don't put a pad under it. That way, next time it starts getting wet, you can roll it up without having to get the whole thing soaked.

 

[State43]

Are you expecting to have a flood again? If so, finishing it with anything is a dumb idea tbo. Otherwise, a solid surface is really the only plausible solution. Carpet with pad or not is a silly idea, area rugs maybe. However, there are some nice tile designs, or as another suggested vinyl flooring.

 

[isuno1fan]

The obvious answer is to move and start over

 

[Cychl82]

I had to remove the carpet from my basement after the floods and I'm finally to the point that I need to put something back down. If it was up to me I'd just leave bare concrete and paint it but that won't fly with my wife. I definitely don't want traditional carpet/padding like I had before. So, what are some other options people have used/seen?

I would contact [email protected] I just got an amazing deal on tiling for my kitchen, bathroom and entry way.

 

[CycoCyclone]

do you have a sump?

I'd go vinyl faux wood if yes

 

[Cyclonepride]

After my basement flooded a couple of times (bad landscaping which has been corrected), I put in carpet tiles, glued direct with pressure sensitive adhesive. If part of it ever gets wet, I can pull them up and replace them (I bought extra for this purpose).

 

[isubeatle]

depending on how much you want to spend and how tall the ceilings are in your basement you could put down a Dricore subfloor first and then carpet or pergo or whatever.

 

[CyOps]

You can buy the carpet that has foam padding attached and just roll that out and cut to fit. It rolls up fairly easy if it gets wet and you need to dry it out. The vinyl is good for a high moisture areas and it comes in wood and stone tile patterns. If you want a tile look you can saw cut grooves into the concrete at 2' intervals, stain the concrete and fill the grooves with grout.

 

[BloodyBuddy]

Wood chips and straw to help soak up the water.

 

[twistedredbird]

I went with the vinyl flooring that lays in strips/adhesive in the form of planks, doesn't require an underlayment, and you can put rugs on it if you want, and it its cheap, and it looks nice. Just take your time in doing it so there are no gaps. I got a color/wood grain that matches the real hardwoods upstairs, and everyone talks about how expensive our finished basement looks.

 

[1100011CS]

The obvious answer is to move and start over

This is my preferred solution as well.

 

[MeanDean]

I think I'd still paint the floor first. Then fill it with carpet remnants and throw rugs. You can cut a carpet remnant yourself and they will fit well enough no one will know they're not professionally installed. I've done it myself several times.

If it gets wet again you're not out much and you know you did the right thing. If it stays dry for a couple of years you'll feel safer about putting down something more permanent then.

 

[2020cy]

Waterproof basement.

 

[1100011CS]

Waterproof basement.

Brilliant

 

[19210]

I had a buddy who did some sort of acid process. Not sure what the correct terminology is, but it was like a stain. It was pretty cool looking as it wasn't all the same color as if you would paint it, but it had a lot more character. I will try and call him and get the name of the process/terminology.

 

[InCytful1]

I had a buddy who did some sort of acid process. Not sure what the correct terminology is, but it was like a stain. It was pretty cool looking as it wasn't all the same color as if you would paint it, but it had a lot more character. I will try and call him and get the name of the process/terminology.

This - Concrete staining is the way to go. I did my bar area like this as all of my friends are clumsy drunks. I didn't use the acid method though. For our process, you actually milled the top 1/16" or so of concrete off to remove the "cure" and allow the stain to soak into the concrete. You then spray it on with a weed sprayer. Use a roller to apply a couple coats of sealer and wax adn you are good to go. It will scuff a little with heavy use, but we just apply another coat of wax every year or so and it is like new. I did 1200 sqft for $1800 ($1.50/ft). The most expensive part was the milling as I couldn't find a machine to rent so I subbed it to the place that I bought the stain from. I probably didn't have the skill to use it anyway. My wife did the staining and the the store actually had a workshop on how to do it where she was able to get some hands on training before attemting ours.

 

[1100011CS]

Some good ideas here. Thanks everyone.

 

[ripvdub]

I'd second staining/painting/acid wash with some area rugs to keep the wife happy. I stained mine last year. Almost did the acid. It cost less than $100, lot better than throwing out carpet/vinyl if it floods again.