Cork - bad for cats and moisture. Bamboo, pretty tacky looking (I rented a house for a year with them). Why is hardwood a bad idea? Will it be damp down there? Moisture a problem? Hardwood is eco-friendly, cost effective, healthy.

My niece’s condo has bamboo flooring and it’s pretty nice. It definitely looks like wood and is a nice color, too.
The photo is her floor and the options for removing the carpet and installing something as similar as possible.

If you have an older home, engineered wood should be in consideration. You want something as large as flooring to be consistent with the age of your house.

Since you're digging out, be sure to lay down a 6 or 10mil vapor barrier before you pour the new floor.

Still thinking about the flooring! Argh, such a big decision...

Thinking maybe very light/nearly white white oak engineered hardwood... Not textured. Any brands of recommendations?

Thank you so much! Will check it out!

White oak with Nordicseal and Traffic HD or Raw. No need to waste time searching for prefinished floors.

If there is any chance at all of a moisture issue, a wood look tile is going to be your best bet to not be destroyed by water. It can last centuries when properly installed, and is virtually impervious to all damage but a bowling ball being dropped on it.

I would also be 100% sure you don't/won't have moisture/humidity issues. We have what sounds like a similar house in the same region and have heavy clay soil. Our partial daylight basement absolutely still gets some moisture in the rainy season despite lots of $$ addressing it over the years, which leads to seasonal expansion and then contraction of wood and other similar materials. We periodically think about finishing that space and wouldn't use anything on your list but polished concrete or tile if we did, I think. Your house and microclimate/soil may be different and the digout likely already entails some steps that will help mitigate any moisture, but I'd still want the security of something that isn't vulnerable to moisture/humidity unless you're very sure it's a non-issue for your home.

Thanks @artemis78 🙏 Are y'all in the Bay Area?

@underthetableanddreaming yes, inner East Bay. :)

I'm assuming we are too even though I've never heard that term 🤣

@artemis78 Our soil is very sandy... And yes those were torrential rains last year! Held up our project for a couple months!

LOL, I generally just use that to indicate "not through the tunnel" (since costs, weather, context, etc. all change a lot on that side of the East Bay) but think of it as roughly Castro Valley to Richmond along the Bay. (We're in Oakland, right in the middle.) I know less about how sandy soil plays with rain--clay is at the other end of the spectrum--but know from friends in cities like Alameda that it can be equally tricky to design for wrt moisture. Assuming you have an engineer involved in the digout, though, you can also ask about their experiences in your area--they will likely have insight on that from past projects in similar soils.

@Artemis78 Ah ok, that makes sense... We are actually in Alameda. Our digout is done, we have a new foundation and framed walls and really need to make the final decision on the flooring! They did do a 6mm vapor barrier ( @dan1888 )

Our architect recommends tile and our contractor said he would never do that cause it's cold (same thing I'm feeling) and he's done these kinds of projects in Alameda forever so I'm inclined to trust that it would be ok to do engineered hardwood like he's saying?!?!

I'm in the southeast so water is always top of mind for a lower level rehab. My go to is always black slate- it is a natural material that has been used for flooring forever so never looks dated. Scratches to itself, readily available, easy to maintain, neutral backdrop for area rugs.

Thanks! That doesn't seem as homey to me for a bedroom etc...

You can look at this spc core hardwood engineered product. GeoWood Pacific Oak Flooring | CALI (califloors.com)

The other perennially popular choice for basements with water issues is indoor outdoor carpet. It breathes the water vapor out, instead of trapping it. So it dries out when wetted. Most basements WILL have water at some point, unless the entire exterior is water sealed, with proper grading. You want something you can wet vac, and let dry out, and be good. You're not doing that with any type of laminate or wood. It's done for. Even vinyl really won't work for that, because it traps water underneath, and leads to nasty mold.

Having your floor look consistent with your house's age is important. Tile sounds cold for ANY basement IMO.

If your contractor said it is okay to use engineered wood, like the one above, I would go with that. The color is neutral and easy to work with too.

@artemis78 I was just rereading your comment and saw that you like polished concrete. I think it would be cool! But I've been vetoed 😢

@RedRyder we're going to have a more modern/contemporary vibe downstairs... No picture rail, etc but I'm with you on the cold... 😋

If you have a new foundation (assuming it also includes drains) I'd probably feel okay with wood as long as there was no known water issue before the work (i.e., you don't need a rainy season to test it to see if it's resolved). Tile is legit cold--our kitchen isn't heated and when we switched from tile to Marmoleum years ago, it made a huge difference. I do think tile or concrete with an area rug covering most of the floor is a reasonable compromise too, though. (My in-laws have a house in Southern CA done entirely in tile, with lots of rugs in the living room/bedroom spaces to warm it up.) Just depends on how risk averse you are! I also think it's okay for a space like this to have a different look/feel from the space above--it will clearly be a new space so feels different (IMO) from renovations within the footprint of the existing house.

So we're thinking about going with Aquaproof in Mountain Air: https://www.aquaprooffloors.com/product/mountain-air/

It's waterproof, budget friendly and I like that there's no plastic...

Does anyone have any experience with the brand?

If your house is a old Craftsman, I would choose a brown floor. The gray color doesn’t feel right.

I know what I want in terms of color... We don't want a brown floor 😊 We have red oak upstairs where it's more classic looking and downstairs will be more contemporary. The bathroom will be spa like and have anthracite tile, marble looking walls in the shower and a soaking tub 😊

I don't think you understand what laminate is to say "there's no plastic in it". There's a lot of plastic resins in it, combined with sawdust, and a picture on top, then plastic coated. That death rattle gray is also pretty awful looking for a character home. If you want light colors, it should at least be wood colored fake wood.

Well that's disappointing when they say:

100% Waterproof and >>>>Plastic Free<<<<<, AquaProof is the next generation of flooring that works hard so you don’t have to. Easy to clean, and powerfully durable, this floor is built to withstand life’s daily duties.

100% Plastic Free Floors

With a Black Waterproof PVC Free Core, AquaProof is 100% Organic, PVC Free, Plastic Free, and Phthalate Free. The flooring being crafted with Degradable, Recyclable, and Sustainable materials, it is 100% Environmentally Friendly. Our Laminate Flooring also keeps your family safe. Aquaproof has no added urea-formaldehyde. Certified by FloorScore our floors are chemical-FREE and promote safe Indoor Air Quality.

But then it does say

NanoTek FinishNanoTech is a fast drying, very low odor, semi gloss finish. This is a true acrylic nano polymer technology. This finish protects against scuffs, scratches and stains, which makes it highly favorable among high traffic areas. This easy-to-clean floor surface lasts 10 times longer than traditional waxing.

Soooo not actually plastic free? The flooring guy was saying it was fiberglass...

What do you think acrylic is? Ever heard of acrylic nails? It's plastic. Just because something isn't PVC doesn't mean that it isn't full of other plastic resins. You cannot make laminate without some type of plastic. You cannot make wood floors with some type of plastic resin finish as well. Polyurethane, acrylic, etc. All some type of plastic resin with some type of solvent, including water, as the carrier. Quartz counters are as much plastic resin as rock. At least Corian is honest about that. "Microfiber" sheets and clothes are polyester resins. There is not much modern life without plastic in it somewhere. Using other terms is just marketing. Tile, aka baked clay, is eco friendly, and recyclable, and lasts for centuries.

Yes, I understood that now. The flooring guy also made it sound like there was no plastic based on their advertising.

Life being full of plastic is just awful. And yes tile would probably be best but I don't want cold feet 😭

And no, no shoes indoors and no hard sole slippers either (I'm all in on barefoot shoes!) to remedy the cold.

Ugh. Pros and cons to everything, eh?

How about Gemcore then? At least it's 70% stone?...

https://www.gemcoreflooring.com/pages/gemcore-introduction-new

OK OK... What wood look tile would y'all recommend?

From Gemcore, these two feel like what you may want. This first one has a hint of cool gray but is actually a warmer tone than the ones you’ve posted previously. Their website has a visualizer too.

I like this one. Feels like it would go well with a family room.

https://www.daltile.com/products/Wood-Look/Saddle-Brook/Oak-Trail

@RedRyder - you reeeeally want me to change my mind and go for brown, eh? 😂

@DeWayne - thanks. I'll look into those 😊

OK y'all... Here's where we are now: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6409501/aquaproof-or-lago-flooring

agree with @RedRyder - personally the grey floors are so tough in real life, I would really make sure that is what you want - don’t skip the step where you see rooms with them installed (where I live all the ultra cheap homes have them)

A friend of mine has grey floors so I've seen them lots and love them 🤷🏼‍♀️ I think maybe some of you have a bad association with them because of the "cheap homes" or because they were trendy? I don't pay attention to trends... I just like what I like...

In any case, what brand do we go for? The one that has the whiter option? 😉😂

I am trying to be politely convincing… but if you want grey floors, go for it. My issue with grey floors, as opposed to ones that look more like real wood, is that the grey forces other design decisions. It’s hard to buy warm-toned furniture and rugs.

And for an older Craftsman, they seem out of sync with the feel of an old house.

Let us know what you get and post a photo when the floor is installed. Then we can give you ideas/help with the rest of the room.

Also ..any house built in 1907…is worth the time and effort to research what floors were used then…and also to consider preserving the historical integrity of the home …many times..it adds more to the appeal of the home..even tho’ it is not the “in” choice of today

But that's the thing, downstairs won't feel like an old home...

That’s a shame…

You are right that the downstairs being a refinished space won’t feel “historic” but keeping the design choices to something more cohesive with an old house is what we are saying.

I had a 1925 colonial and was very conscious of keeping it consistent. I chose a simple maple cabinet when I redid the kitchen. But I also had a television in the living room. We live modern lives but our historic architecture deserves some sense of preservation.

No, you don’t have to do the basement the way many of us are suggesting. But it will feel more like “it’s always been finished” if you consider the structure itself as you make design decisions. Not nagging you but sharing a different perspective.

We definitely could have done that but that was not the choice we made. It's too late to change at this point plus there will be French doors and a spa-like bathroom which is not very historic...

We went with Aquaproof in Mountain Air. Hope we like it when it comes in!

Right about now something called “aquaproof“ sounds like a good choice, LOL! Please post some finished photos once it’s installed!

That's for sure, @artemis78 haha Stay safe and dry!