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Home Decorating

Carpet in basement storage room?

15 years ago

I have a basement storage room. It's pretty wonky, and the floor is pretty sad looking, but it's surface is very inconsistent. It would cost $6800 to level it and put in hard floor (got the estimate), or I can do an OK level job myself and put in FLOR. Would it damage resale if I did carpet in a room like that? There's no plumbing in there, it's just a box room.

Thanks!

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Comments (11)

robin2007
15 years ago
I think that would be better than leaving it as is....especially for resell.
silverspring
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you, Robin.
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Cold and freezing is not a problem for anything that is dry. That includes most of what you mentioned. Freezing and melting can only happen if it is liquid. Humidity is not that big of a problem with storing things, either. Unless you live somewhere like New Orleans, where everything molds, you should not worry. Even then, keep air circulating and it will mitigate that. Attics get very, very hot and can melt some things and can be quite destructive for anything of rubber or vinyl. Count yourself lucky that you don't have a basement. Basements are a giant source of mold and mildew and are not a good environment to store much of anything for very long. My basement is a walkout basement, finished space, heated, etc, but still the moisture comes up from the floor and the some of the exterior walls are faced with moist earth on the other side. I would be not inclined to endorse those storage areas that require a major effort to get to the things that are stored. If you have so much stuff that you need to make removable floors or walls to store it, maybe you should think about getting rid of it. Other than freezable liquids there is no reason that you can't keep your things in the garage all winter. One thing about storage that I have found is best to avoid is to store things in cardboard boxes. Cardboard is NOT good for anything that is being kept. It is great for transporting, sorting, etc, but NOT storing.
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fnmroberts
15 years ago
Is the room framed? Is the floor reasonably level, just some cracks??

Check into a self-leveling concrete. It mixes very fluid, self levels itself, then hardens. You just need framing to restrain it until it firms. And, if you have cracks, they will need to be filled with very fine sand in order to keep the concrete from running away.

Anyway it is a DIY or local handyman type of project. Afterward you can install any flooring you desire, or leave natural.

Hope this is helpful.
uxorial
15 years ago
I would at least try to level the floor first. If it comes out OK, your flooring options won't be limited to carpet.

But carpet would be better than nothing.
silverspring
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, fmn, I've never heard of that. I could give that a shot.

Uxorial, agreed.
dilly_dally
15 years ago
If it is just a storage room why does it need anything at all done to it? No one really sees it.

Carpeting is going to be more work to keep clean than something that can be just sweeped clean with a broom. In some climates the basements can collect humidity due to inconsistent temperatures and if you put carpeting down it does not allow moisture to evaporate. Basement carpeting can turn nasty real fast. Basement bugs just love to live under carpeting too.
deltabreeze
15 years ago
I like Flor and have it my home. That said, I am thinking like dilly dally: why does it need anything at all? If the room looks really sad, I would just paint the floor. It would be easier to clean.
silverspring
Original Author
15 years ago
Point taken, but it's really hideous and has old (maybe dangerous tile and glue) stuck to it in parts, but not all over. We wet the floor to take up the tiles that were broken and loose, but we won't get into hacking, prying and sanding.

The concrete underneath isn't even, either.

We had a contractor in and it was quite expensive doing the demo, level and new floor (commercial vinyl).

We're not sure yet, but we may move, so we have to do something.

We like FLOR a lot too and have it in the laundry room. I love that it's washable.
annzgw
15 years ago
Does the floor have chunks of ceramic tile or bits of vinyl & glue on the floor?

If it's vinyl I'd buy a floor scraper and get the worst of it off. Then I'd shop for an economical carpet (got a carpet outlet?) and have the installer put down a pad with a moisture barrier. If you get the floor fairly smooth, another option is indoor/outdoor carpet.
DIL did this in a basement room and had no problems.

I like the FLOR but it's a little pricey compared to what you pay per yard for regular carpet.
dilly_dally
15 years ago
Silver, OK I see the problem now. Your original post just merely described the floor as 'sad looking'. If there are tiles put down in the basement, your thoughts are probably correct that it is dangerous asbestos tile and asbestos glue, and not something to mess with any further than you have done already.

I am wondering if fnmroberts idea is feasible to DIY over what you have. Often times encapsulation is the best way to handle asbestos.
silverspring
Original Author
15 years ago
Dilly dally, I think that's worth a go. I'm trying to research it to see if it's something I'm vaguely capable of.

It would be so nice to have a clean, flat surface to work with.

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