broadbill

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Hi Everyone;

I'm interested in hearing from those of you who have finished their basements and what flooring you went with (and why).

We are currently in the the process of finishing part of our basement as a multipurpose room w/bathroom. Now it will be a playroom for kids, TV room for us, and pull out couch for visitors. Maybe a bar going in at some point...

Anyway, its a nice poured concrete foundation with no water problems. Contractor is recommending a vinyl plank flooring system w/ wood finish (think Basement Finishing Systems product) in case any water problems every arise. It is totally waterproof and also pricey.

Another option we are exploring is Pergo laminate flooring going in over a Dri-core subfloor. Dri-core is a particle board product that has a plastic layer on one side that goes down onto the concrete. Dri-core panels lock together to form a subfloor.

Any thoughts? We are looking for something that works well in a relatively dry basement but is somewhat moisture resistant (condensation/humidity in the summer can be a problem that hopefully a dehumidifier will fix). Comfort (insulated from cold concrete) and looks/price are also issues (obviously!).

Thanks!

riverfrontbrewer

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Bill-


If you have no water problems as you say, why not carpet? Better for the kids to play on. Also, wood/laminate wood are going to be almost as hard and cold as concrete unless you put infloor heat in.


Good Luck!

dataz722

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You really are not supposed to use hardwood below grade but just about anything else would be fine. I am going with carpet when I do mine but tile around the bar.

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conpewter

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My basement has carpet and pergo. I like the carpet, the pergo flooring dents easier than a real hardwood floor. If I re-do it I'd probably just do everything in carpet with a really thick/nice carpet pad. My friend just did his basement and the carpet and padding make it really nice to walk on/play on.

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homebrewer_99

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We have a walk-out style basement (front of house it partially underground and rear of house is at ground level) that was carpetted when we bought it. We tore it out and tiled it.

If you do flood the laminate will probably warp all the hell and have to be completely torn up and tossed. No need for that waste of time and money with tile. Also, if a tile breaks all you do is remove the grout around it and hit it with a hammer to break it up, scrape the mortar out and insert a new tile. Too easy.

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srm775

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my basement has carpet with no padding - which is a blessing. I have had a few water problems and with a plain carpet, clean up is fairly easy. If there was a padding, we'd have to tear it all up and replace everything. The pergo flooring is nice, but if you have water problems at all, then the flooring will be instantly ruined.

kanielb1

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Paint the concrete...I am not a fan of carpet.

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HighPlainsDrifter

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Yep. Lay out a grid and score the floor with a diamond blade. Then paint/etch the surface. The end result will look like tile. Plus side is if you ever decide to do something different, there is no tear out.

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rdwj

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Take a look at acid staining. I almost did this, but went with carpet instead. My main reason was the COLD floors.

http://www.wikihow.com/Acid-Stain-Concrete

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springer

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I used laminate flooring its been down there a few years with dogs, kids and a lot of parties looks like it did when I put it down . I used the thick foam under the laminate its fairly warm and with the wood stove we walk around barefoot in the winter.

This is a recent pic

not a great pic of the floor but you get the idea

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