Laminate Wood Flooring For Basement – If you’re considering finishing a basement, you’re probably rightly concerned about moisture issues. But the good news is that several types of basement flooring will work. And the keys to its installation are quite simple: the basement is dry and the surface is smooth and flat.
Since your basement floor is below grade and the lowest surface in your home, you will need to consider a few issues before installing it. If water infiltration and flooding have occurred, these problems must be addressed first.
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Basement damp proofing or “damp proofing” typically costs $3 to $6 per square foot; waterproofing costs $5 to $10 per square foot. Damp proofing does not protect against water seepage, so paying more for waterproofing may be a better option.
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You also have to think about humidity and condensation. Because moist, humid air is heavy, it sinks into the lowest part of your home, the basement. There, the warm, moist air meets relatively cool surfaces, such as a concrete slab floor, and condenses. Condensation control during warm, humid months will help stabilize your flooring and protect it from mold and mildew.
Your heating and cooling system probably has a humidifier that maintains relative humidity (RH) levels between 30% and 60%. The Environmental Protection Agency and building codes recommend this level for a healthy indoor environment. A portable, plug-in unit for single-room use will cost about $200 and includes a monitor to adjust the RH level.
It is also important to inspect the existing concrete basement floor and adjust for any noticeable slopes or imperfections. They can not only affect its aesthetic appeal, but also damage the new floor finish.
Patch or fill small cracks and imperfections with an elastomeric concrete sealant. A 10-ounce tube costs about $4-$10 at home improvement centers.
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Use a three-foot or longer bubble level to see if any part of the floor in eight feet is sloping more than half an inch. Fill in low spots with self-leveling compound, available at home improvement centers for about $30 for a 50-pound bag. Rent a concrete sander for about $172 a day to reduce high spots.
To create a smooth, level surface, you can use a tile base made of cement or fiber-reinforced gypsum as a subfloor over the basement slab. Materials to install the base cost an average of about $1 per square foot. Labor and materials cost an average of about $6 per square foot.
Once you’ve addressed any potential moisture-related issues and created a smooth, even surface, you’ll have several flooring options for your basement.
Carpets offer some advantages for basements. It isolates the area and is comfortable underfoot. Tile versions are also easy to install for DIYers. The downside is that water and carpets don’t mix. So if your basement tends to be damp or, say, has a leak, mold can develop. In the worst case scenario, you may have to go up and put the carpet down due to flooding. Carpets also stain more easily than other floor coverings. However, some carpet options work better than others.
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For example, peel and stick carpet tiles are easy to install and remove if damaged. They cost an average of $2.25 per square foot.
Low-pile rugs, such as Berber or other looped varieties, show less wear and tear than looped or macaroni rugs and are less expensive. Full or partial nylon blends are also more durable and less expensive than natural materials. In fact, some experts recommend using only synthetic materials.
Wall-to-wall carpeting is one of the cheapest and easiest basement flooring to install. Nylon carpet installation costs an average of $800 to $1,400, with most people paying around $1,000 for 200 square feet of cut nylon carpet. A plush nylon rug treated for extra stain resistance would cost about $1,800.
If you’ve fixed moisture problems in your basement but are still concerned about moisture or liquid leaks or pet accidents, consider a pad. They help prevent moisture from seeping into the carpet or from getting through the underlay to the concrete floor. Moisture-resistant pads are about 70% more expensive than standard pads. While they may reduce cleaning efforts, they won’t solve chronic moisture problems.
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Resilient vinyl flooring has a lot to offer. It is durable, moisture resistant and maintenance free. Vinyl sheets come in 12-foot-wide rolls that virtually eliminate seams. Self-adhesive vinyl tiles are a good choice for DIYers.
You can choose from a wide variety of colors and styles. Generally, thicker vinyl is of higher quality but costs more. It can have a textured surface, and some types resemble real stone and wood.
Vinyl is easy to install over a concrete slab, but the surface must be smooth. This is because the imperfections will show through and possibly damage the flooring. Thicker (and more expensive) vinyl flooring can help hide minor irregularities in the concrete.
Vinyl is one of the most affordable types of flooring, costing $1 to $1 per square foot for sheet vinyl flooring and $2 to $2 per square foot for vinyl planks. Professional installation costs another $1 to $2 per square foot.
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Installing ceramic over concrete slab is relatively easy, and the many styles and colors available make it a good designer choice. If you install and care for ceramic tiles properly, they should last as long as your home.
In some lower quality applications, condensation may form on the surface of ceramic tiles, making them slippery. If you’re concerned about slipperiness, consider purchasing glazed ceramic floor tiles with a non-slip finish. Look for tiles that meet the slip resistance standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ceramic tile floors average $1-$30 per square foot. Standard home ceramic tile at a home improvement center would be relatively inexpensive. But a decorative tile from Mexico or a porcelain stoneware tile from Italy could cost much more. Hiring a professional to install ceramic glazed tile flooring costs about $3,500 per 200 square feet (national average).
Before manufacturers introduced hardwood flooring, few builders or remodelers recommended or risked installing a hardwood floor over an inferior concrete surface. Since solid wood changes dimensions with changes in temperature and humidity, the possibility of warping and cracking was too great. Also, there weren’t many reliable options for installing wood floors without traditional nails or screws.
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But engineered wood floors provide a more stable base for planks while still looking and feeling like a solid wood floor. A thin layer of solid wood veneer is laminated to a plywood base. Plywood boards better withstand temperature and humidity fluctuations without deformation.
The person installing engineered hardwood boards glues them to the basement floor using industrial grade adhesive or floats on a thin sheet of foam. A system of connecting ends and edges holds the boards in place.
Engineered hardwood flooring typically costs between $2.50 and $10 per square foot, mostly between $4 and $4 per square foot. Their factory treated veneer is virtually maintenance free. Installation costs about $10 to $13 per square foot.
Manufacturers build laminate flooring in a similar way to engineered wood flooring. Difference? Top veneer is a durable film coated with plastic resin that looks like wood, stone and ceramic tile. Some varieties are treated to withstand moisture and are good choices for basements.
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Laminate floor tiles click together just like wood-look boards, so the edges are not sewn or sealed. Tile costs $3.50 to $5 per s
quare foot, and the average installation cost is $6 to $14 per square foot, including labor and materials.
One of the easiest and cheapest options for finishing basement concrete slabs is painting or staining the slab. Concrete painting typically costs between $7 and $15 per square foot. Contractors charge $2 to $4 per square foot for a simple stain job and $12 to $25 per square foot for a high-end design.
Assuming the basement concrete slab is unsealed and still porous, a colored stain will probably penetrate quite well and hold its color for several years before you need to reapply. Concrete paint will likely show wear in high traffic areas and will need to be reapplied every three to five years.
An epoxy coating system that combines a solvent-based adhesive coating with decorative (and non-skid) paint chips is much tougher than concrete paint or stain. It costs about three times the cost of a gallon of paint or stain, but covers four times the area and leaves a durable, industrial-looking finish.
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You can also cover the concrete slab with an additional thin layer of concrete that is pigmented with paint. Athin coat can also be stamped to resemble brick, stone or even wooden planks. Since the color goes all over the coating, it will never wear off. Pigmented concrete costs 10% to 30% more than just unpainted concrete. The basement was a project we put back when we moved in because it didn’t seem like a priority. Two years later, it had become a dumping ground for things everywhere. This bothered us both because we hate clutter and it seemed like a waste that we would have to use, especially considering
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