flooring over basement slab

13 years ago

Happy new year all! I am x-posting this from the flooring forum since I need all the help and wisdom I can get!

SO, I started the new year today as I ended it yesterday-cleaning the wall-to-wall throughout the basement. One of our dogs has (again) had some sort of upset and he/she (not sure which one) chooses to leave the runny messes (sorry-too much info, I know) all over the carpet. I guess that is better than upstairs where the rugs are better and the floors hardwood :). Anyway, at this point I am sick of cleaning up and am wondering about replacing the carpet with tile, stone, or something else (possibly even new carpet). I need something that won't stain. I have neighbors who did install hardwood on their lower level, so I guess it can be done successfully nowadays. I would like that, but not sure how wise it is.

Does anyone have suggestions? Our library and a guest bedroom are down there, so I want it to be cozy, but I guess I could put down some cheap area rugs that could be sent out for cleaning if we don't use wall-to-wall.

Professional cleaning helps, but doesn't get rid of the stains completely. As you see, we have been through this before! Any ideas are more than welcome!!!

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Comments (10)

worthy
13 years ago
My choice: tile on top of an uncoupling membrane such as

Ditra.
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, worthy! That looks like it might even keep it from feeling quite so cold..maybe?
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You are all amazing. Thank you so much for your input! I believe you've answered my question about cost savings. I do believe you've convinced us to stick with the basement. So a little more information and reasoning for this layout, which I agree is a little different.... We're in our mid thirties and we have 3 young daughters. We live in a split level with garage below, and I gotta say, it's not my favorite setup. Unloading kids and carrying everything upstairs is hard. He's a farmer with a wide array of hobbies including hunting, skiing and camping, and there's a lot of crap that goes along with those things. I'm a simple woman with few passions other than working full time, raising babies, taking care of chickens and making soap. Our current yard is a steep hill with our home in close proximity to a busy highway. My girls will never be able to ride a bike or play with a ball at this property. So we desire the following in a home: Accessible main level for aging parents and of course for us in the future. The front entrance of our plan has a concrete sidewalk ramp. Attached garage on main level with plenty of space for farm truck, SUV, his old Camaro, ranger, mower, saws, tools and a workbench. A decent sized mudroom/ laundry room. Four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. I'm thinking of 3 teen girls getting ready in the future. Walk in pantry. I have home canned goods and canning supplies. It'd be nice to have space for that. A secondary living room. I want this to be a romper space for my growing kids, their cousins and friends. The less breakable things, the better, in my mind! I see a lot of movie watching happening here, and a windowless den would be fabulous. A second kitchen for entertaining, which we do quite often, and for soap making. This is a messy hobby that also comes with a lot of stuff that takes up space. The craft room and hunting rooms.. these are on my wish list. That whole end of the basement could just remain unfinished storage. But how nice it would be to have designated space for his hobbies and mine. Really, I'm okay with no windows in those rooms! Anyway, we've put a ton of thought into these plans. It is essentially a whole other home in the basement which I know is a lot of expense, but something I'd like to explore at least. Thank you again for answering my questions! our current home :)
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worthy
13 years ago
might even keep it from feeling quite so cold..maybe?

Sorry, no. But, heck, there's nothing like the feel of ice cold marble on your feet after leaving a hot shower!
ferngarden
13 years ago
We're going to put a bamboo floating floor down over concrete slab in our basement. Very durable, doesn't dent (use the stranded type!) and looks alot like hardwood - and so easy to clean. Not nearly as cold as tile, not as warm as carpet, but as you say cheap area rugs go a long way.

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6548&categoryId=495&sectionId=472&subCategoryId=503

Here is a link that might be useful: Bamboo Floating Floor
zaphod42
13 years ago
I'm considering a cork floor for my basement project. Goes down similar to the floating bamboo option. Renewable and cork is a natural for areas that are damp.

You have to consider pet activity with cork though. If you have less active dogs, it should be okay. Big, young dogs who tear around, would probably be a bad idea.

My sister put in bamboo floors and the dogs ended up marking it up with their claws right away. I think you can avoid that by going with the strand variety which is harder.
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all. I appreciate the suggestions. Our dogs do their running on the main floor, so that isn't an issue. The accidents are the concern. Love the idea of cork or bamboo. DS has cork in his kitchen and it looks terrific.

Thanks again. I will be researching and thinking for a bit.
newhome3
13 years ago
Hi cyn427,
As I type this, my husband is downstairs in the basement, ripping out carpet in our 16 x 24 ft rec room. This is a brand new custom built house...moved in a year and a half ago. Our poor cat.....must have been very stressed out by the move, because he went ahead and sprayed all over that rec room!..We tried to clean and clean...using the recommended enymatic cleaners.... but that smell was still there!
So....we have decided to rip out the carpet and put down engineered wood floors.They are floating floors with the clic/loc type of installation....no glue. We live in the cold mid west...so I wanted something warmish underfoot. we are also adding a small wet bar, and turning the room into a games/enertainment area..there is a carpeted theater room attached...luckily, kitty did not mess up in there!
We purchased the wood (handscraped maple) online...infact...delivery is due tomorrow. We are researching the best underlayment to put down... We were happy to see that the concrete is in good shape...very level. Hubby filled in some of the dings that occurred from removal of the carpet. We will do a basic test for moisture...and hopefully, we will be laying floors down this weekend. I hope we have made the right decision...I am a little nervous! Let us know what you decide!
daburke
13 years ago
I'm in the same boat, concrete floor and what to do??? Rather than fighting moisture and possible spring rain flooding. I'm going to stain and polish the exsisting concrete floor. Next time your in HD or LOWES, Costco look down. These floor look great and TAKE A BEATING. A couple of area rug's will keep the toes warm.
To Newhome3-you may want to get your cat fixed to prevent more spray and over population. Tha t smell never goes away
Good luck
newhome3
13 years ago
tjburke...our cat is a neutered male! Got him fixed at 6mths old...he is now 5 yrs old. Guess he is just one of those rare ones that will still spray after being neutered :(
Funnily, he does not do it upstairs at all....he just had an issue it seems with our basement rec room! Needless to say, he is not/will not be allowed downstairs...a baby gate at the foot of the stairs has taken care of that! After we removed all carpet/padding...the smell dissappeared completely! It had actually soaked through to the pad...so, we really had no choice but to just rip everything out.

Our wood floors arrived yesterday...and they are beautiful!
As soon as the underlayment arrives, we will be laying them down.
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone! I am leaning toward the idea of polishing the concrete or the engineered hardwood. Both sound beautiful-thanks!

flooring over basement slab

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flooring over basement slab

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cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)Original Author

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ferngarden

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cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
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