There is laminate made to look like tile and it has a cushion backing. We have a friend who installs flooring and he recommends this type flooring frequently for kitchens or other rooms where you might be on your feet alot. What he does is use another layer of cushioning (not sure what exactly this is) under the laminate with the cushioned backing. I would think, in addition to the comfort factor, that it would help with warmth also. Just an idea.

tina

I have Congoleum DuraStone installed on a below grade level. It looks like ceramic tile, has texture, is not cold underfoot and is very easy to care for.

Here is a link that might be useful: DuraStone

Definitely DO NOT use a peel and stick product. If that floor gets any moisture it will peel up. I realize you live in a pretty chilly place, but ceramic tile or concrete glaze (if your floor is in good shape) might be the best way to go given the occasional leaking. You may want to check into installing radiant heating in her room too. My youngest and I live with severe allergies (dust mites being the worst). Hopefully your daughter will get some relief soon. I'm sure making some changes to her room will help greatly.

I'm worried about anything you might put down there -- except for ceramic -- if there might be water issues. Can you do anything to the downspout to be sure it won't disconnect again?

If water isn't an issue, I'm a big fan of cork. We have glue-down in our house, but there are also floating floors. I don't know which one is specified for below-grade applications. Ours is glued down on a slab and is never cold, even when it is 15 degrees outside. We used to have wall-to-wall carpet an ripped it out because of allergy and flea issues. We went with the cork and haven't looked back.

There are radiant heating panels that you can install as a DIY. They are sort of a thin "mat" that is installed under floating floors. But when I did the math, they seemed very expensive per square foot.

You could also just refinish the concrete slab and get FLOR carpet tiles, or some similar product.

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY radiant heat for floors

If you can solve the water issue, radiant heat and ceramic tile would be the way to go. I had that in both houses we lived in when I was a kid and it is wonderful. With an area rug over the tiles next to her bed, she will be in heaven.

Thanks for the replies. I wish we could solve the downspout problem. The first time it froze in really cold weather and the snow melting on the roof just went straight off the roof. The second time the two pieces disconnected on the bottom. The third time, something different, not sure what.

I also think my first choice would be ceramic over radiant heat. But I worry what happens if we have water in there again.

If we install ceramic without radiant heat, do we have to worry about moisture damage? Or would we be better off with sheet vinyl? I just liked the peel and stick because we can install it ourselves. Probably we could do ceramic ourselves too, just think it would be cold.

I am not a specialist about floors, but have allergies myself and think about bedding issues.

There is not much clinical data to prove hepa filters help, so you may want to avoid investing in that option. However, frequent vacuuming and wet dusting is helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: bedding

Another allergy sufferer and I would bet dollars to doughnuts that her problems are from mold in the carpet due to it being wet.
I would do a tile floor and look for throw rugs that you can wash often.
Linda c

My younger dog is allergic to dust mites so the carpet in the bedroom had to go. I have an older dog too and she tends to slip easily, so I wanted something that was soft and non-slip like carpet, but easy to keep clean. Money is very tight because of all the vet bills, so I needed something inexpensive that I could do myself.

As an experiment, I put down EVA foam tiles. I went with really cheap ones from Walmart (sporting goods department) and did the whole 12x13 room for less than $150. I cleaned the slab well and filled the tack strip holes and other imperfections with a premixed product from Home Depot. The tiles were very easy to lay. The whole room took about four hours with about 2/3 of that time spent cutting along two walls and two doorways. Just used a utility knife and straight edge. The tiles are loose laid except for two strips of carpet tape in each doorway.

I'm kind of embarassed to admit that I actually like the floor. It's well cushioned, non-slip, and very easy to keep clean. I was concerned about things leaking through the seams (older dog is incontinent), but that has not been a problem so far.

One drawback is that the floor is ugly. I'm considering replacing it eventually with better looking EVA foam tiles that I've found online.

I also have allergies, and dust mites make you miserable.. Papers and cardboard boxes contribute to dust mites. For me mold is also bad. I would suspect that you daughter is also bothered by mold. Anything you can do to control these things will help her. I also have been taking shots for over 10 years and medication daily. This has helped me immensely, plus we have all hardwood on the first floor and good furnace/A.C. filters. Does she get congested when she goes to her room? I hope you can find what will work!

From another long time allergy sufferer who has been "cured" after 10-years of shots, I agree that there is strong possibility she either is or will be allergic to mold given conditions you describe. There are some products (forget the name) that can be installed under tiles to keep them warm. See the bathroom forum. Small area rugs (cotton chenile) that can be washed in the WD on hot would be OK to use. Invest also in good bedding and mattress/pillow protectors than can be washed regularly in hot water. Do think about shots. It changed my life.

Haven't read all the replies...but Congoleum Duraplank has been wonderful in our basement. It even held up to minor flooding caused by our rain-barrel over-flowing into a window well...the day after installation! (We fixed that problem.)

So take a look at Duraplank. It's a glue-down solid vinyl product.

Here are a couple of pictures of our floor:

this is an old post just wanted to add ive had allergies for a really long time and i would say get your daughter out of the basement room.anyone with allergies needs a main floor or even better upstairs room.you can control the mold allergy better but yes youd still have to adress the dust allergy as you are doing.