Take Care With Basement Flooring

One of the most difficult flooring jobs is to install basement flooring, and because of this you need to make sure that you choose exactly the right materials in order to ensure that the job is done properly, or else you could end up causing yourself a lot of problems due to the perennial basement problem of moisture damage. However, there is no shortage of options when it comes to choosing basement flooring, although some flooring materials have more advantages than the others. Some people will even try to put carpet down in the basement, though carpet as a basement floor is not usually a good idea, and it is for this reason that one of the most popular types of basement flooring is engineered hardwood, laminate flooring, or ceramic tiles. This article will consider some of the most popular basement flooring options and will also give a few ideas as to how to floor your basement in the best possible way.

Of course, one of the most difficult things in regard to choosing basement flooring is that the environment tends to have quite a lot of damp, and this is a problem because moisture can seriously affect any flooring that is laid down. As mentioned above, putting carpet in a basement is usually not worth doing, as moisture will quickly attack a carpet, which will then rot and you will end up with mold growing in your basement. As you can imagine, having mold in the basement is the last thing you want, because it makes the place essentially uninhabitable. For this reason a really good idea can be to look at an engineered floor for the basement, which is a flooring type consisting of hardwoods of many layers, sometimes up to five layers of hardwoods in total, though with a core that is made of fiberboard. This type of flooring is extremely strong and extremely resistant to moisture or humidity, which means that even if the basement is slightly moist the flooring has a good chance of lasting for several years and still keeping its looks into the bargain.

A basement laminate floor has become popular in recent years, because if you choose a laminate that has moisture resistant properties you may well find that your floor can last for years. One of the best things that can be done is to fit the laminate floor on a floating floor, which means that the floor itself actually rests above the basement floor, which is often known as the basement subfloor. Using this type of construction it is impossible for the moisture to affect the flooring, especially if you have installed some kind of damp course that rests beneath the basement subfloor and the raised floor. Most basement floors are made of concrete, although asphalt can sometimes be seen, though both of these materials have a reputation for being cold to the touch and therefore it is always a good idea to make sure that the basement floor is actually insulated so that the cold does not come through from the ground.

Cork Basement Flooring

In terms of warmth a material that is worthy of consideration is cork, and for this purpose there are many types of cork flooring tiles which can be used in a basement as long as you make sure that you use a floating floor and do not lay the cork tiles directly on a concrete basement subfloor. Cork can be an excellent choice, mainly because it can feel very warm to the touch, and can also last for many years if it is looked after properly. But again you need to make sure that moisture will not affect the cork and take time to fit the cork tiles on subfloor sleepers.

Another option that has become popular as one of the many basement flooring systems is ceramic tiles, a material which does have the advantage of being able to be fixed directly onto a concrete floor as long as the floor itself is level and does not suffer from moisture problems. The disadvantage of ceramic tiles is that they can be cold to the touch, and can also make some noise problems. If you feel that this would be a problem for you there is also the option of fitting a rubber floor or possibly a vinyl floor, though with both of these materials you do need to make sure that you fit a floating floor in order to avoid damp problems.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo is another material that can be used though a bamboo basement floor will need to be planned very carefully and will need to follow the same construction techniques as that for laminate flooring. As with all flooring options, moisture is always a problem in the basement, and here again the floating floor is one of the best options to take in this situation.

As it should be obvious there are many different types of basement flooring available nowadays, and the one you choose will depend very much on how much work you want to put in to making your basement floor look good. Damp is always a problem in a basement, and for most materials you need to install a floating floor in order to make sure that they do not suffer from water damage. This takes a lot of work and if you find that this is too much for you to do, then going for one of the easier options such as laying down a rubber floor or a ceramic tile floor directly onto the concrete, although with a proper damp course installed, could be a better option. Take time to look at the various basement flooring options that are available before making your choice and you're sure to find the right basement flooring material to fit your needs and your budget.