Flooring guys and those with nice finished basements.

[SVT32VDOHC]

A little over 500sq ft. of my basement is finished. Over the weekend thru last night, I patched and painted all of the walls. I went from all light blue, to all medium grey, with one wall that "Sherwin Williams" blue. Ceiling is an off white drop ceiling style tiles. Right now I have indoor/outdoor carpet, but it's old and it shows where marks from traffic, it's been cleaned three times since I bought the house 5 years ago, it's time for something new.

What did you guys do with your basement flooring? Color, brand, material...???

Right now I am thinking of going with Allure Traffic Master vinal plank flooring. It looks pretty badass to be honest. It's a floating floor that only sticks to the adjescent plank. It has a 25 year warranty and is recommended for high moisture areas and basements. Also says it's waterproof. My basement does not have any moisture. The cement under the carpet is dry and clean year round. I've been You Tubing some vids on the stuff and there are a lot of success stories. I came across one vid that showed a nasty failure of it 6 months later, but the house looked OLD as hell and I think this particular guy had previous flood problems. It's about $1.99 a sq. ft.

Link to product: http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-V...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[Topless_Pony_00]

haven't had a chance to use that particular product yet but looks like it would be ideal. In the past I have used ceramic tile or the interlocking laminate flooring. Both work great, obviously the laminate is much easier to install, but I love tile and you can find stuff for less then $1 a sq ft.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

haven't had a chance to use that particular product yet but looks like it would be ideal. In the past I have used ceramic tile or the interlocking laminate flooring. Both work great, obviously the laminate is much easier to install, but I love tile and you can find stuff for less then $1 a sq ft.

It does look nice. I tried peeling it up on the display in the store, lol, and really couldn't. It's some sticky tape. I tried scratching it with my key too, didn't get too far with that either. I think it'll hold up well against my dog and peoples shoes.

Did you lay the click laminate/ceramic in a basement (over cement) or elsewhere in the house? I did notice that ceramic is only 79-99 cents a sq. ft, but I know I'd have to buy all the T's and the motor/grout. The time it would take me would be too long as well because it is time consuming, plus I've never layed ceramic.

 

[soap]

If you plan to do wood or tile in the basement I would put down a breathable subfloor first. Not only will you never have to worry about water/condensation, but it will also keep the floor warmer. Regardless whether you think your current carpet is dry it is still pulling some moisture up through the concrete/subbase below it.......that is impossible to avoid.

Use something like this.......
http://www.ovrx.com/basement-flooring.html


--Joe

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Joe--How much are those tiles? It doesn't have pricing on the site. Say's they're 2' x 2', but no price.

 

[Topless_Pony_00]

yes, used both in a basement. When I used the laminate I first put down a vapor barrier to help with the moisture. The thinset is roughly .14 a sq.ft. (http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-A...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) and the grout is roughly .05 -.07 a sq.ft (http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-A...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) so it is not as bad as you might think. The time to lay tile is inevitable, it takes a while and is very labor intensive but once done you have a floor for a lifetime. If you go the tile route depending on how old the home is I would look at the latex additives for the thinset to reduce some of the cracking that may happen due to settling.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

yes, used both in a basement. When I used the laminate I first put down a vapor barrier to help with the moisture. The thinset is roughly .14 a sq.ft. (http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-A...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) and the grout is roughly .05 -.07 a sq.ft (http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-A...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) so it is not as bad as you might think. The time to lay tile is inevitable, it takes a while and is very labor intensive but once done you have a floor for a lifetime. If you go the tile route depending on how old the home is I would look at the latex additives for the thinset to reduce some of the cracking that may happen due to settling.

I had no clue that grout and motor were that cheap. :lol: I'm still thinking. I've been to Home Depot about 3 times looking at options and reading about the products. I still have some things to finish up, like removing tape from ceiling eges and take up the old carpet (which is a 20 minute job cause it's thin indoor/outdoor) but I need to make a decision soon. Thanks for your input, I'll share some before and afters soon.

Anybody have pics of their set ups? I need some other ideas on what to do with the "oak" wood paneling behind the bar, and the bar itself is oak paneling. Looks nice, it's not outdate looking, but I just want a change. I don't know if I should paint it, leave it, or find new paneling.

 

[DSG SNAKE]

My basement floor is all ceramic tile with the exception of about 450 sq ft carpet for the sitting area (couches, tv, kids toys area). I know a lot of people who have done both carpet and ceramic in basements with no issues. As long as the basement is pretty dry it should be fine.

 

[Topless_Pony_00]

No problem, where are you located?

 

[OldbutNew]

I did half my basement floor with a good quality floor paint. This is the area where the kid's video games, the fridge, drum kit, etc are. It sees the most traffic. Painted it, threw down a couple of area rugs: Done.
The other side of the basement had vapor barrier and a carpet and pad rated for below-grade applications installed. There is also a full bath down there that got ceramic tile. So, I guess I have everything BUT composite!! Sounds like you're taking the right approach. I'm sure it will turn out nice!!

 

[soap]

Joe--How much are those tiles? It doesn't have pricing on the site. Say's they're 2' x 2', but no price.

The 2x2 square (4sft) is about $7 on their website but I bet you can find them cheaper through a high volume dealer.

http://www.buybarricade.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2

--Joe

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I thought about the floor paint with the decorative chips but the wife doesn't like that idea. LOL. Now that we're married, I gotta make her happy too. I found some wood laminate floor on Lumber Liquidators website pretty cheap, much cheaper than Home Depot and for what seems to be a quality brand. Some of it is up to 10 and 12mm thick too. ($1.69-$1.99 for that thickness). They suggest a moisture barrier for that, obviously unlike the floating vinal floor I'm still in the air about. I wish decision making wasn't so difficult, but I gotta live with it.

12mm bamboo laminate. Same thing as what I posted from HD but that was vinal laminate.

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=7312

 

[LITTLEMAGS]

did my whole basement in ceramic....16x16 tiles and that was the best choice we have made. Larger area rugs can be moved for cleaning and never worry about moisture. Plus summer time it keeps the basement cooler (IMO)...

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

did my whole basement in ceramic....16x16 tiles and that was the best choice we have made. Larger area rugs can be moved for cleaning and never worry about moisture. Plus summer time it keeps the basement cooler (IMO)...

Did you lay the motor and tile right on top of the cement, or are you supposed to sheet rock it? I've never done tile.

 

[Topless_Pony_00]

right on top of the cement. You will just have to build it up a bit by the drains to get it to lay right.

 

[cASe SenSiTive]

I did my basement in laminate "wood" flooring from Costco. Looks decent, was inexpensive, and has worn well for a couple years.
Like others have said, make sure you use the vinyl underlayment when you install it.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I did my basement in laminate "wood" flooring from Costco. Looks decent, was inexpensive, and has worn well for a couple years.
Like others have said, make sure you use the vinyl underlayment when you install it.

Thanks, so you just bought a general vinal underlayment? At Lowes I saw some cheap vinal underlayment and then I saw some crazy "egg carton" style stuff, but it was crazy expensive. That would have cost more than the floor itself. Also...you said a couple years...so the seams are still good? No popping/lifting or other issues?

 

[cASe SenSiTive]

Thanks, so you just bought a general vinal underlayment? At Lowes I saw some cheap vinal underlayment and then I saw some crazy "egg carton" style stuff, but it was crazy expensive. That would have cost more than the floor itself. Also...you said a couple years...so the seams are still good? No popping/lifting or other issues?

I bought a couple install kitrs from Costco when I got the flooring, and they included the underlayment, which was just heavy vinyl. The flooring itself had a very thing pad already glued to the bottom. I did end up having to buy some extra underlayment from Lowes, but it was just the plain vinyl stuff. Pretty cheap.

As far as the seams and such it's holding up great. Just make sure to clean up and liquid spills quickly. Those are the big problem makers for laminate.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I bought a couple install kitrs from Costco when I got the flooring, and they included the underlayment, which was just heavy vinyl. The flooring itself had a very thing pad already glued to the bottom. I did end up having to buy some extra underlayment from Lowes, but it was just the plain vinyl stuff. Pretty cheap.

As far as the seams and such it's holding up great. Just make sure to clean up and liquid spills quickly. Those are the big problem makers for laminate.

Okay, thank you. You know last night I was at B-dubs and I looked at their floor (wood laminate) and noticed how the edges were lifting. For as much traffic that place sees and as many times people spill stuff....it wasn't that bad. I know for the one party I throw a year, and the times I have 4-8 people over at a time should hurt whatever I decide to lay down there. :lol: I'll def keep everyone updated and post pics up in the Photo Forum.

 

[MAXAMUS]

Do you guys have a pictures of your floors after you finished.