In the yesteryears, basements were used as a storage space to stack all worthless, useless things. Now that days have changed, more and more people are considering a facelift for the basement interiors in an attempt to make it a part of live-in quarters. This has led to the evolvement of different flooring systems for basements.
Before we proceed to give you a detailed account of each single flooring system for basements, we deem it necessary to inform you that basements need excellent sub-flooring in order to combat the moisture/humidity problem.
A properly built polyethylene plastic covered sub-floor, by preventing water and water vapor from traveling up, transforms a chilly, murky world of the underground room into a colorful, inviting usable space. The sub-flooring, at the same time, forms a nice sound cushion.
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Now that we have clear perception of the basics, let us get back to the topic and consider each flooring system for basements individually:
Wood/Hardwood Flooring
Wooden flooring has had an unmatched charm in all ages because of its elegant looks. However, people would hardly consider wood (even hardwoods) for basements, cellars or underground vaults because of the humidity-factor, unless they could afford frequent replacements.
The arrival of engineered hardwoods answered this problem. The supreme technology behind engineered hardwoods (which involves lamination of three to five layers of different hardwoods under high heat and pressure) does away with problems like contraction and expansion or even warping.
You too can consider engineered hardwoods for your basement floor. And if you would like to actively participate in the proceedings, this piece of information is surely going to help you – hardwood floors can be installed in two different ways, the first is the glue-down flooring system and the second free floating flooring system. You can go for either of the two; you will only need to ensure that you have a watertight sub-floor.
Natural And Man-made Tiles
With so many options in both natural and synthetic tiles like ceramic, granite, marble, slate, and PVC, you will really be spoilt for choice if you opt for tiles for basement floors. While the natural tiles exude an earthy grandeur, the man-made tiles are not to be left behind in terms of eye-catching looks.
The only problem with tiles (both natural and synthetic tiles) is that they allow for transference of the ground chillness making the floor a bit too cold. To overcome this chillness, simply place area rugs here and there.
A note of caution for you – Try preventing concrete fractures/cracks from affecting the tiling before going ahead with the flooring job. You may use a crack-isolation membrane as a preventive measure.
Rubber Flooring
Rubber because of its many virtues – durable, waterproof, slip-resistant, hygienic and other positive attributes happen to be the ideal flooring system for basement floors. It fully combats the problems, which are common to all basements. The easy installation and simple maintenance features of rubber are a boon for you.
Laminate Flooring
Laminates arrived in the scene much later but has, slowly and steadily, emerged as unparalleled flooring system for basements. The latest laminate flooring materials have a moisture resistant backing, which together with an impervious sub-floor forms a watertight surface. The melamine or resin-based aluminum oxide coated top-surface of laminates will give your basements stunning looks, preventing stains and scratches from showing up.
by Manuel Kupka
