Basement Flooring Options 101

You’ve decided you need the extra space for your growing family, visiting guests, or maybe to generate some rental income.  Whatever your motivation renovating the basement is a big project, but it doesn’t have to be daunting.  It can help to break the overall project down to its component parts and make the key decisions early.  For your basement floor, here are the questions you should keep in mind and your choices:

The Budget

You should be clear about the budget of your project and each of its component parts.  Relatedly who will do the work?  Will you need a contractor to install your floor or are you a DIY-er who is eager to tackle this project yourself?  Saving on a contractor is a big savings for sure, but know what you’re committing too!

Flooring Priorities

We may not be able to have it all, but we can be very clear about what our priorities are which will certainly direct us towards some options and away from others.

Consider:

Who will be using the space? If it’s kids do you need something stain resistant that’s easy to clean like tile, or do you prefer the soft, insulating (to noise and heat) and hypoallergenic surface that cork provides?

Is your budget tight? Linoleum or laminate are cheap alternatives to hardwoods and bamboo.

Are you trying to make your reno eco-friendly?  If so bamboo and cork are your best options.

Are there health concerns like asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivities in your family? If yes beware of carpet and vinyl flooring and certain adhesives and look closer at tile, cork and bamboo.

A Word About Water: Do yourself the monumental favor of ensuring you do not have a leaky basement before you start your renovating.  Have it checked out, either professionally or on your own.  And address any inkling of a problem promptly!  The last thing you want is to finish a basement reno – or lay just the floor – to find out you have a leaky or damp basement.  Because it will be back to square one – all your work, materials, and investment gone.

Flooring materials:

Hardwood is a beautiful addition to any room.  Properly maintained it lasts a long time and because it can be easily stained it can change as your interior design plans change, lending it some versatility.  The biggest downside to hardwood is its expense.  Adding to its expense is it’s need to be professionally installed (it’s not an easy job!).  Moisture is also no friend to hardwood, so this isn’t a great choice for damp basements.

Laminate has become a popular alternative to hardwood because it comes in an array of wood-like hues, is inexpensive and easy to install by the DIY-er.  Constructed from three layers including a base of fiber board, a photographic layer (an image of wood or concrete) that’s topped by a melamine resin, and a top hard clear finish, it’s not particularly durable and moisture is its enemy.

Bamboo is a green alternative that simulates wood flooring.  Harveting of bamboo doesn’t kill the root system and bamboo reaches maturity within 5 years (compared to the 20-120 it takes hardwood trees).  While bamboo is technically a grass, it is very hard, harder than most hardwoods making it a very durable material.  Bamboo is a naturally light color and can take virtually any stain well .  It isn’t  as expensive as you might think and is worthwhile considering if sustainable design, durability, and the look of wood is important to you.

Cork can be a  fabulous option.  It’s eco friendly, made of recycled cork from the bottle stopper industry (not to mention cork bark harvesting leaves the tree and its forest intact).  It’s available in an increasing number of colors and dyed using natural water-based pigments, while the adhesives used to lay the floor are VOC-free.  Cork contains suberin which makes it naturally hypoallergenic, mold, mildew, and pest resistant and fire retardant. Cork also insulates keeping heat in during the winter and out during the summer, while also dampening against echo and soundproofing the room it’s installed in.  It’s also very durable and comfy underfoot as a result of its naturally elastic properties.  Downsides include higher cost over other products, the material will dent under heavy furniture (the use of coasters will help), and it may discolor with prolonged exposure to sunlight.  If your basement is a wet one, cork isn’t the flooring for you as it can absorb moisture, which will warp tiles.

Ceramic tile offers an amazing range of color, texture, pattern and design possibility with the freedom to mix and match.  It’s also durable simple to clean and many types are inexpensive (cost starts from about $1 per square foot and can climb steeply as you expand your options to include other stone).  The downside: it’s cold, hard and very slippery when wet.  Grout can also be difficult to maintain and degrading grout will compromise the stability of your floor.  From a design perspective, it doesn’t tend to warm up a space.

Simple Approaches To Complement Your New Flooring With Your Home Furniture

A few years back we thought we would acquire new engineered hardwood floors in our loft. Formerly our floor was a cement one, it wasn’t horrible per se but we had little ones and kids tend to fall a great deal, so for safety issues and since we did want the house to look more put together we made a decision to search for some other floor alternatives. The furniture we owned was pretty kid friendly and neutral and since it was a small loft the kitchen was connected along with the dinning/living room area. After a few months read more…

Ways To Be Safe When Making That D.I.Y. Project Become A Reality

For some people, the weekend is a time to rest and relish the company of close friends, however for most property owners the weekend is for renovating the home and starting D.I.Y. jobs that seem never-ending. If you’re a home owner, then you might have attempted being handy so that you can avoid the cost of paying out a professional the exorbitant fees they charge. But to take on the most basic of jobs all by yourself might seem difficult, so here’s a list of what I generally do when plunging into a new job.


Plan:
You can find read more…

Why Choose To Do It Yourself

It often is just common sense to hire a specialist. If you are renovating your current cellar and you’ve got not a clue how to handle the vents after you get rid of the ceiling panels, it might be best if you hire a professional to sort it all out. If you are upgrading the floor in your own lounge room and you have little idea of what a hammer looks like, I’d say it’s a great plan to employ an expert. You must judge the time you’re going to be spending on the project, if it’s something you’ll read more…

Decorating? Easy And Quick Methods For A Stylish Change

Living with the same old colour design and the exact same home furnishings can at times appear mundane. Some of the most effective ways to discover creative ideas are via the internet. If you are wanting for a little something to liven up your place, no matter whether is redesigning your bathroom, living room or perhaps adding a couple of stylish highlites here and there one of the very best possible choices is the world wide web. You will find countless resources on the web, you can find whole webpages devoted to assist you to map out your room. read more…

Considerations When Investing in Living Room Furniture for Contemporary Abodes

Modern furniture for the home is now simple to get for all the rooms at your house, and shopping for the most recent contemporary furniture is very convenient. One can find different kinds of modern furniture that range from living room furniture to outdoor furniture. For modern living room furniture, there’s a huge variety of modern home furniture including attractive leather couches, two or three seat leather sofas, the unique bobo leather sofa featuring arched Beech wood backrests, not to mention innovative chaise lounges that have been built in assorted sizes and designs that will help enhance the style read more…

Guidelines to Look at When Choosing Dining Room Furniture

There are lots of things to be looked at when choosing dining room furniture which can satisfy your everyday living in addition to taste. When you learn about some interior planning principles, it will be less difficult to achieve a beautiful dining room.


 So, when arranging furniture for the dining room, look at the following imperative aspects:


 It does not matter what dining room furniture you choose, balance is the most important aspect, because it provides your dining room the sense of equilibrium. To obtain balance, consider the following things:


• Color – A lot of color will interfere with the results.


• read more…

Awesome Tips for Modern-day Office Furniture: Focus On Chairs

A great deal of furniture can be bought in a normal office setup, but the single most vital furnishings is the kind of office chairs people use. There are actually numerous things which you should look at when choosing chairs and other office furniture. One is its potential to help keep you sharp all through the day.


But more importantly, the kind of chairs you need to use, specifically if you might sit for prolonged hours in front of your working computer, are those which can keep your legs and muscles healthy, such as an office recliner chair. However, in read more…

The Importance of Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Most realtors will advise you that there is nothing more appealing to potential home buyers than natural wood kitchen cabinets, because they bring a sense of luxury and charm into any kitchen. There are a number of other features of solid wood kitchen cabinets.


   1. Natural wood cabinets go with any kitchen style. You’ll discover certain practices with regard to the woods and finishes most frequently utilized in diverse kitchen designs and styles, together with customs about cabinet door types. a darker timber like ebony, mahogany or cherry is most appropriate in a classic, country or eclectic style read more…

Old-fashioned Bedroom Furniture for the Modern Home

Traditional furniture commonly refers to one of two things: furniture hand-made from natural resources, or furniture that seems handmade. Traditional furniture is the type of furniture typically used in a hunting lodge, mountainside chalet or a vacation cabin in the forest. Authentic rustic furniture is heavy, solid, and tough. At present, rustic bedroom furniture has come to be the latest trend in bedroom furnishings .


Bedroom furniture is one thing that a person uses for a whole lifetime. If treated with the utmost attention and care, traditional bedroom furniture is the perfect pick for any bedroom. Beds, dressers, armoires, chests, read more…

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