What's the best flooring for a basement?

What's the best flooring for a basement? When your putting a floor in a finished basement moisture and the subfloor material are two of the more critical issues you have to deal with. When addressing the issues of a basement the more obvious choices seem to stand out. The choices I'm going to throw at you aren't to be taken as absolute gospel but they are a very good starting point as considerations.

Ceramic Tile is a very good option. Ceramic holds up well with moisture and humidity. You can also install it over concrete whether using true ceramic with a backerboard or even the kwik tile, glueless, ceramic floating floor.

My favorite however, is carpet tile. The cheaper the better. I would stay with the commercial style instead of a fluffy, plush design. Commercial carpet tiles have a very durable backing and actually hold up better than you would realize with water and humidity. You can pressure wash them for goodness sake! If you can do that to them, a damp basement won't hurt the tile. The other reason I like commerical carpet tiles is of course the price and the fact that it is very easy to do yourself. As the cheapest and easiest flooring available on the market, it's kind of a no brainer.

The last option is a luxury vinyl flooring product. The total installed cost may run a little less than ceramic. It will hold up pretty well as well with the moisture problems. I would not use a peel and stick product though. Those tiles or planks will be coming up soon as the adhesive on them isn't very rugged for the long haul.

One other option is to paint the concrete or stain the concrete. I know very little about these options but you're kind stuck with the concrete being there one way or the other anyway. Probably the cheapest option is to get some paint and a clear coat and go to it. It won't be very soft on the feet but it would get the job done I guess.

I do not consider laminate a viable option. Moisture kills laminate floors. There are some very good moisture barrier/pad combinations available but it just isn't on my favorite list for basements due to the potential for issues later on. With that being said, I actually have laminate in my own finished basement, but it was that way when I purchased the house. I haven't had any problems yet (knock on wood) but the basement is dry as a bone. If ever re-do the room I will use another option.

I hope this helped a little bit! If you are looking to do your basement and aren't sure what to use or where to start PLEASE give us a call. We are here to help you. We get a lot of satisfaction from helping consumers pick the right floor for any room or application. We feel that if we help you get a great looking floor and it's the right floor, you'll come back the next time you need flooring. That's how we've done it since 1949 and it seems to work! Give us a call @ 1-800-232-5537.