Basement Flooring Guide

Basements floors are open to quite many options. You should keep in mind the purpose and the physical condition of the floor and then choose the most appropriate way of utilizing the space.

Basements have some typical issues that you shouldn’t ignore while deciding the kind of flooring you would like to have. Here are the four important features which you must consider while arriving at the final decision:

1. Is the area mostly dry or does it have some element of moisture? Here is a simple and economical way of finding if you have moisture there. Just lay a large number of trash bags in different parts of the basement, especially in corners, next to the walls and in the middle of the basement. Apply tape all around these bags. After a gap of 24 hours check the bottom of the bag for any moisture. Dampness on the bag or presence of water drops signifies moisture. Depending on the level of moisture, you may need to consult a specialist. Slight moisture can be taken care of by applying linoleum or paint on the subfloor. The other flooring option is to include some vapor guard item in between the flooring and concrete.
2. Is there any variation of the level of humidity with changing seasons? Keep a check on the humidity level of the basement. Do you find moisture getting accumulated on the walls and windows, signifying high level of humidity? If you feel the air is dry with the accompanied problem of static charge, you are having low humidity. There are many ways of correcting humidity levels.
3. Check the kind of existing subfloor and its condition. Examine the present floor. Usually, homes with basement comprise of concrete subfloor. Examine the concrete closely to see if there are any cracks or damages and unevenness. Before you cover you floor with any other material it should be properly repaired.
4. How you intend using the basement and for what purpose? You may plan to have a workshop there or just place for entertainment or exercising. In case you plan to put the same space to different uses, think of dividing the space into different zones and provide different kinds of floor covering to various zones.

Having answered the above questions, here are some of the common options:

Concrete Floor
You can improve the looks and quality of your floor by painting, polishing, staining, stamping or stenciling. You can have the looks of wood, tile or a faux throw rug by using stencils or stampings on the floor. The maintenance is easy, using a mop or broom. Moisture resistant materials are recommendable for basements. Explore the possibility of plastic subfloor, thus providing a barrier for vapors.

Carpet or Carpet Tiles
Families wanting to have a cozy atmosphere in the basement could opt to have a wall to wall carpet by including a vapor barrier and a padding of high quality. Carpet tiles can easily be installed and dismantled too, if needed.

Linoleum
Vinyl kind of flooring like Linoleum can be installed above a cement floor. This is convenient to maintain and remains durable.

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile
Their ability to resist stains and moisture makes them a good choice for having them in the basement.

Bamboo or Cork Flooring
These are environment friendly materials that are appropriate for a lot of basements. Available in a variety of finishes and colors these are conveniently maintained.

One can’t ignore the fact that a home with finished basement is better valued. Selection of appropriate flooring surely improves the looks and gives a nice feeling to your place.

Whatever material you may opt to go ahead with, you must first check the floor for any cracks. Here are some useful tips to help you take care of any cracks:

Cracks in concrete or cement by themselves are not a problem, but if left unattended they can harm in due course.
It’s quite common to have unfinished basements with cement or concrete floor. Even if it’s properly installed and reinforced, water beneath the floor could cause small cracks to appear on its surface over a period of time, which certainly are not pleasing to the eye.

As water starts leaking from the cracks, the cracks begin to get wider and become a breeding place for mold and mildew, causing a big problem for the homeowner. But the good thing is that such cracks can easily be repaired by the homeowner without any professional help before the problem takes an alarming position, and thus save a lot of money and time.

Examine the Crack

Cracks appearing in the basement vary in size and shape. Before undertaking its repair one should examine the cracks. Ascertain that there is no moisture around the crack and there is no water seeping through that. You can seal a thin hairline crack with a little moisture but can’t seal one from which water is coming out. If water is leaking out from a crack, you have a serious problem at hand and should certainly seek the opinion of a professional.

If it’s a dry crack, check how wide it is. The treatment required for hairline cracks is different from what you may need to do in case of larger cracks. First step is to get rid of the crumbling or loose concrete. Examine all the cracks to know their status. This will help you buying the right materials for repairing the same.

Repairing a Hairline Crack

It’s not unusual for basements to develop small and thin cracks after a couple of years. Before you undertake repairing of any thin crack, wash the floor thoroughly to get rid of dirt and grease or oils as the filler will not adhere properly to the floor if it’s dirty or moist and greasy. This is the most important step in your effort to fill thin gaps.

In case of dry cracks, buy concrete filler that comes in tubes and is latex, epoxy or vinyl based and available at most of the home improvements stores. You will also need a thin trowel and a caulking gun to evenly spread the filler. Directly apply the filler to the crack and using a trowel work it in thoroughly to get an even patch.
If you find moisture around the crack you’ll need to use hydraulic cement. This comes in the form of a dry powder and needs to be mixed with water as recommended by the manufacturer. Using a trowel spread over the mixture on the crack, ensuring that it completely covers the crack and goes deep inside of that to prevent any water infiltration.

Repairing a Larger Crack

Homeowners can also repair larger but dry cracks that appear due house settling or frost heaves. Repair of such cracks requires a hammer and chisel to take out any crumbling or loose concrete from around the edges of the crack. Holding the chisel at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the crack, hammer it down to remove loose concrete. You need to do it on either side of the crack along its entire length to ensure proper adhesion.
Now, you fill the crack using a trowel and concrete filler. You are likely to need a second application of filler for larger and deeper cracks so that they get completely filled up. Squeeze the filler in the crack, followed by trowel to make it smooth. Let it settle and on noticing any sagging pour in more filler till you get an even surface.

Sealing the Floor

Any repairs carried in the basement should be allowed to cure for twenty-four hours. In case of bigger cracks check after a gap of eight to twelve hours and on noticing any sagging, just add more filler.

After the filler gets cured, it’s necessary to seal the patches. With the help of a roller or brush apply two or three coats of a polyurethane sealer. Apply the next coat only after the first coat has dried up completely. This prevents further moisture from entering and also hinders staining.

Repair of cracks should not be delayed, lest additional damage is caused in future. Once in a while the entire floor should be resealed. It helps to prevent stains as well damage that may be caused by water. It’s desirable to make it as a part of maintenance program for your house.

Remain vigilant and seek professional help if required to retain the basement floor in good shape and prolong its life.

Having decided to put your unfinished basement to some use, you have to get it finished. But, finishing part largely depends upon the ultimate use you have in mind for this space at your disposal. You have to design it keeping in mind the ultimate purpose for which you intend using it gainfully. So, you start working on the floor plan, the most crucial factor for the entire project. Here, have a look at some of the possible ways and plans that you could consider for having a finished basement.

The options for exploiting the available space in the basement are very many and one needs to decide which would most suit the prevailing circumstances. You may like to build a bathroom there to reduce traffic on the other bathroom. That’ll be a good idea, but you shouldn’t overlook the fact that every time you want to use that bathroom you have to use the stairs for going down and coming up.

Another option will be to have a guest room there, in case there is none in the main house. Apart from that, generally teenagers in the family love to live there. Depending on the space available, you could have more than just a bedroom there. Perhaps you could have a kitchen or a pantry there. Or you may even consider having a bar there. You would have surely seen lot many people using the basement for storage purposes with the installation of appropriate closets. So, the possibilities are many and you need to weigh the pros and cons of the available options to decide what would work best for you.

One very simple and practical option that avoids having any walls, thus offering a spacious layout and works excellent for small homes is to just have a kitchen and bar there. Further, you may include here a room theatre and TV and thus have a great place for watching sports events and movies. There is the option of including pool tables and or dart boards and get a perfect place for entertainment. A bathroom may further be added for convenience.

The next choice could be to transform the basement to be a full apartment. Perhaps, you would like to rent it out some day and add to your income. In that case, your house design plan changes drastically as it has to include one or more bedrooms and bathrooms plus a kitchen and a living room area. It’s not customary for basements to have dining rooms.

The possibilities of redesigning your basements are immense and you may include whatever you like to have there. It’s possible to have even fireplaces in the basements. Assess your requirements and look into different possibilities, weighing pros and cons of each before finalizing your plans.

Acid staining concrete results to having deep, rich translucent tones, nothing like paints or coatings that deliver a solid, opaque effect. Depending on one’s preferred color and the techniques applied, the resultant looks can vary from that of polished marble or natural stone to that of tanned leather and even stained wood. The result is a consequence of the reaction of acid stains with the lime content of concrete. Acid stains are unable to penetrate a sealed or painted surface to react with lime, meaning that a painted or sealed concrete surface can’t be treated with acid stains.

Do you need to take away the paint or sealer from the concrete surface before using acid stain over it?

Not really!

The availability of most recent acrylic polymer modified concrete enables you to apply a thin layer (1/8inch thick) of concrete over the present sealed or painted concrete surface with least surface preparation. Here are the essential steps you should take for applying a layer of these polymers for subsequent acid staining over an already painted or sealed concrete surface.

a. Run a sander with 60grit sanding screen all over the place. The sander should be used for a minimum of one hour per thousand square feet. That would ensure the paint or sealer to remain bonded with the substrate.
b Using a mild detergent rinse the surface and let it dry completely.
c. Apply a liberal coat of acrylic primer, Cp1000.
d. Allow this primer to cure overnight.
e. Apply a second coat of acrylic primer, Cp1000. The second coat is just to moisturize the surface.
f. As the primer gets clear and dry to touch, it’s prepared to accept the concrete overlay.
g. Consider using polymer modified concrete overlay, Pentimento, 1/8inch thick. It is a retrievable concrete overlay for getting an extremely smooth concrete finish.
h. After a gap of 24 hours of curing or polymer concrete overlay, it’s time to apply acid stains.
i. Patinaetch acid stain should be sprayed at the rate of 250ft2/gal. Give it time of 2-3 hours to react with lime in the concrete, followed by the normal process of getting rid of residue. Make sure that residue is thoroughly cleaned before using ammonia to neutralize the surface.
j. Let the surface get dry completely, giving it at least 24 hours, and then seal it with one coat of water based epoxy, Perdüre E32 followed by another coat of water based polyurethane, Perdüre U46.

Application of Pentimento does not take care of the problem of moisture. It will be very desirable to have a MVER test done before applying Pentimento and acid staining with Patinaetch. At times it may prove to be better and cost saving option to go for concrete resurfacing than grinding off the paint or sealer. Even if they are removed from the surface, there is no surety of your getting the desired results after acid staining.

There are a few things that need your attention before you get started with your basement flooring. A very important factor is to know the purpose for which you are going to use the basement. Once you have defined the purpose, it becomes easy to zeroing on the best choice of material for the purpose. The basement may be used for many different purposes. For instance you may consider using it as a bedroom or may be a gym, else as a laundry room. You will agree that the requirements of flooring would be different if it were used for laundry applications than it was for say a bedroom. You may simply use it for storage purposes or develop it to a recreation room. Unless you plan to store edibles for a long time, the choice of flooring wouldn’t really matter on its being used for storing household items. So, the choice of flooring material changes with what you finally want the room for.

Having decided the purpose of utilizing the basement, you need to consider the type of flooring it would have. Basements are too well known to attract humidity and moisture, being below ground level. Quite often you may not see moisture or dampness on the floor or walls, but you may yet feel it from the smell of mildew or stale odor. The porous nature of cement facilitates seepage of water on the walls and floor, in case you have concrete floors that have not been sealed sufficiently. You have to arrange for its waterproofing to prevent seepage of water.

In case the concrete flooring of your basement is not too pleasing, you may consider having another material installed over it. While helping to make the space with more comfortable looks, it will also reduce the damages likely to be caused by moisture. The finished floor will get a smoother finish and look warmer. This will also help saving the floor below from any kind of spillage and keep it dry even in case of a broken or cracked pipe. However, if the basement is already very dry, you may avoid having a sub floor.

Basement flooring can have many of the materials for installation. But, it is good to consider the purpose for which you intend using the basement. Perhaps you plan to have a bedroom there, and then who is going to use that? Generally, people would keep it for guests who are not going to be around for long. Under such a situation any economical material that doesn’t require frequent cleaning and maintenance will be more suitable. Why not have plain cement floors? You may just coordinate the colors on walls and the ceiling to get a somewhat cool atmosphere as basements are generally totally enclosed having no windows.

It may be a good idea to have ceramic or porcelain tiles. They are easy to clean and maintain. Moreover, they are perhaps the easiest to install. However, it is too well known that the most important part of installing such floors is the preparation of floor. Before installing tiles make sure that the floor is devoid of any cracks or creases in cement, else the tiles may develop cracks soon after installation. Once the grout has set and the tiles have been cleaned to shine, you may start moving in the objects that you might have planned and continue to enjoy the place.

Contrary to common belief, the water damage to basement foundation is not only thru saturated soil surrounding the home, but also thru improper or insufficient drainage in the basement area. Water in the soil due its inherent nature of coming up to the top pushes the floor from below. The hydrostatic pressure so built up presses against all surfaces of the basements, including floor and walls. That’s why houses with imperfect waterproofing in the basement develop cracks on the floor and walls.

Under normal circumstances, groundwater or rainwater in underdeveloped areas continues to go down the soil due gravitational force. Sooner or later this water goes to join some underground reservoirs or another natural source of water like a spring, creed or river. When we build houses or buildings on such an area that had lot of groundwater beneath, there is a significant change of circumstances. Water that had hitherto been free to move in the soil meets with the resistance offered by foundations, and that causes problems to homeowners with improper drainage.

Hydrostatic pressure from surrounding saturated soil begins to build up gradually and presses against basement walls and the floor. This continuous pressure causes floors and walls to develop cracks and moisture seeps thru them, leading to build up of mold and mildew. If ignored, this can cost a lot of money for being fixed. That’s what makes it all the more important to improve drainage system prior to heavy rains because emergency repairs in case of an unanticipated flood will surely cost a lot more than simple preventative maintenance.

If we provide proper footer drain tiles around the footing of the foundation, the excess of water can be routed away from your home, thus preventing pressure on the floor and walls. Unless it’s too old a house, the foundation would have been provided with some kind of drainage system. Quite often, just repairing or cleaning of existing drainage suffices the purpose. That’s definitely cheaper than excavation and installation of new footer drains.

Very often the existing footer drain tiles of clay get obstructed or broken by accumulated dirt or tree roots. As a result, water is unable to move away from your home and hence all the complications. Drain cleaning companies can find the exact location of the blockage without digging all around your home by just tapping into a small portion of the drainage system surrounding your home.

It makes sense to get estimates from a few companies before finalizing your contract with a waterproofing company to take care of your damaged basement floor and walls. Rather than delaying the action, you should plan in time and take timely action needed for correcting your foundation and save yourself from the unnecessarily heavy expense that may be incurred to avert an emergent situation later.

Intentionally or otherwise, the basement in most households ends up being used for dumping of all the things not required in the main house. As a result, it gets neglected most of the time, though it’s very much a part of the house. Nevertheless, basements can really be put to a number of better uses. Whichever better way you may decide to use it, you will need to give its flooring a treatment in accordance with the intended purpose of use. So, here are some of the more popular types of basement flooring with their purposes and plus and minus points.

Concrete – That’s the kind of flooring you come across most often in basements. Most of the people use basement for storage purposes and concrete floor is just fine for that. Basements that have lot of foot traffic or movement of goods do well to with concrete flooring. Concrete flooring is also desirable for people who like to tinker with things in the workshop modeled in basements. They can conveniently keep moving things in and out of house without causing any disturbance to the rest of the household. Perhaps only concrete floor can accept that kind of abuse. But these concrete floors certainly don’t make a very pleasant sight.

Ceramic Tile – Though a better option than concrete, ceramic tiles are not desirable for basement floors that witness high foot traffic or haulage of heavy items more regularly. As basements are known to attract moisture with high level of humidity, tiles will protect your floor from water damage. That makes them good for having washing and drying machines.

Hardwood Laminate – If you have really transformed the basement to be an extension of your home, this is the ideal flooring. In true sense it means your basement is not used as a dump yard but is functioning like a game room, library, music room, or whatever. For such conversions of basements hardwood laminate make warm nice looking flooring. But again, you have to provide a good ventilating system for using such floorings because basements are known to inherit moisture build-up. If the basement remains closed for most of the time, the humidity reaches a high level that damages wood.

Thick Carpeting – that’s the easiest way of giving a new look to your basement. The limitation is that carpets can’t bear heavy traffic for long, nor does it allow frequent dragging or hauling of heavy items on its surface. However, if the basement is used for storing comparatively lighter and small items, carpets help to give a soft look to the basement. Another problem with carpets, as we all know is that they help build-ups assisted by the moisture and humidity that can’t really be avoided altogether in a basement. But, then it may be taken care of by installing a dehumidifier.

Rubber/Foam Mats – They have the best of properties of both, carpets and tiles. They are better than carpets as they don’t encourage molds and or other build up yet remain softer than tiles. They are waterproof. The most significant feature is that they dampen noise. That makes them very useful for basements that have a lot of activity and the resultant noise, as rubber mats will muffle up the noise generated therein. You can further add to their noise absorbing characteristics by suitably incorporating insulating materials in the basement. It can be so effectively designed that you may even use power tools at night without causing any disturbance to the household or neighbors.

Radiant Heating – Houses in cold climates would really find it difficult to get a better option than this. These waterproof panels are sturdy and would continue to contain heat even in severe winters. But these very characteristics make them undesirable for houses in hotter climates, as basements are characteristically hot and the heat contained in basements brings around humid conditions. Naturally, such a flooring will add to the problem in houses located in tropical regions.