dgressak , I've attached a helpful diagram of our American made Engineered flooring. Here is a helpful article on our Blog about picking quality Engineered flooring. Take a look at our portfolio on Houzz! There are lots of inspirational photos of Engineered floors.

It's all about the use of the space. If the basement is dark and dingy, then go with something that is super light (almost like a Scandinavian look). If it is a walk out basement with 9ft ceilings and a massive amount of light, then the depth of colour on the floor won't matter as much. If this is going to become a public space (you will have guests over for movie night) then going with a higher quality product is part and parcel of the renovation. If this is a private space for the family to 'hang', then laminate will work very well. Just make sure that you put the MONEY into the subfloor. Carpets hide the WORST possible substrates imaginable. That's why they are used. The builder can muck up the slab because s/he knows the carpet will hide the horrors of the bad pour. A well prepared concrete slab (that used to be covered in carpet) can cost $2-$4/sf to 'fix'. That's normal. That is to be expected. Please budget for it. If you can get away with less, then great. But at least you will be prepared to pay the price at the beginning. Once the slab is fixed, you can go ahead and put down any rigid floor you want. Engineered floating hardwood is not a problem. Laminate is not a problem. LVP is not a problem. Nothing is a problem so long as the concrete slab is fixed. But be aware that you will need to float the floor. We've got too many horror stories of 'glue down' floors in basements (or over old slabs) that were ruined (complete gut and redo) by moisture. Had those homeowners used a floating floor, they would not have had the troubles they experienced.

Have you checked out our collection? Proudly manufactured here in the USA!! www.woodco.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to chat with us through the live chat on our website or reach out via phone or email!

I like to point out a simple fact. FLOORING is the MOST ABUSED 'finish' inside the home. The only thing that takes MORE abuse is the ROOF. If you have a $50K roof line, then feel free to spend roughly the same amount on the flooring. Roofs should last 25 years. That's why we pay so much for them. A floor (or finish on a wood floor) *should last the SAME AMOUNT of time. That's why we pay so much for them. Think of ALL the floors that do NOT make it 25+ years. They are all cheap. Carpets that are 25 years old are considered DISGUSTING. They are considered 'builder favourites' because they are CHEAP and EASY to install. That's why builders love them. Laminate floors (entry level to mid-grade = $0.79/sf - $1.99/sf) are 'disposable' floors and will offer 10 years before they look really bad. They are in the same category as carpet. Disposable floors that are cheap and cheerful...for a small amount of time. A low-end engineered hardwood ($4.99/sf at LL) is much the same as an entry level laminate. Your expectations should be 10-15 years....just like laminate. If you want a floor that will offer 25 years of service (wood floors can go MUCH longer but they need refinishing to do this = HIGHER GRADE = MORE MONEY) you need to work in a HIGHER price bracket. I like to ask people: How do you feel about redoing/refinishing your wood floors in 15 years time? For today's investment of $7/sf (not including labour) do you EXPECT more than 10 - 15 years? You shouldn't. That's entry level stuff. How about 'upping' the price to $12/sf? Would you expect 25 - 60 years worth of life? You should...because the $12/sf price SHOULD get you a wood floor that has the ability to be refinished AT LEAST once (20 years + 20 years = 40 years). If you purchase carefully, you can get 2 refinishes out of it = 60 years. A sand/refinish = $5/sf. Compare that to a 'rip out ($2/sf) and replace ($7/sf)' cost of $9/sf (not including installation). Now you really see the difference. How much did you pay for your roof? Going cheap on a roof NEVER works out. Now compare how much you are willing to spend on your floor. Going cheap on flooring is the same thing as going cheap on a roof.