3 Flooring Options for Your Basement

If your basement is unfinished, basement renovations in Waterloo can convert it into a comfortable living space. If you already have a finished basement, you can still remodel to get the most out of your space through upgrades. In either case, you have the choice of new flooring materials for the basement. There are many options available, but some are more appropriate for the basement than others.

1. Ceramic Tile

If you are willing to invest some significant time and money in a high-end look for your basement floor, ceramic tile is an excellent choice. Ceramic tile is available in a wide array of different colours, shapes, and sizes. This means that you can use it in just about any area of the basement and it can fit into whatever design style you use down there. Ceramic tile is waterproof when glazed, which is important for basement flooring. However, some people find ceramic tile too cold for the basement because it adheres directly to the foundation. It may be able to install heated tile, but this would add to the expense and the time it would take to install. Rather than installing ceramic tile over the entire basement, you may prefer to use it in only a few strategic areas and choose another flooring for the others.

2. Hardwood

If you have hardwood flooring on the main level of your home, you probably appreciate its natural beauty and elegance. It makes sense that you might want to extend the same flooring to your basement with the help of a handyman near me.

Is it possible to install hardwood flooring in the basement? Technically yes, but it is inadvisable. Installing hardwood flooring anywhere is costly and time-consuming, and it might not be worth it in the basement because conditions down there work against hardwood flooring.

In some areas, basements are prone to flooding, but even those that are not are still moist, humid environments, meaning that condensation inevitably collects underneath the hardwood planks. When exposed to moisture, hardwood twists and warps. Moisture collecting in a space where no air can circulate also leads to mould growth. Because hardwood flooring is organic, it provides food to mould spores, allowing them to proliferate. Mould growth can aggravate allergies and asthma, and some species can cause respiratory illness even in people who do not have these underlying conditions.

Ultimately, hardwood flooring is an option for your basement, but there are other options that are much, much better.

3. Vinyl

Vinyl flooring comes in many different forms, including tiles and planks. Some people equate vinyl flooring with cheap linoleum, but this is not fair. Vinyl flooring design and construction have improved dramatically over the years. In fact, it is nearly indistinguishable from higher-end flooring materials such as ceramic tile and hardwood, meaning that you can have the look of these materials at a much more affordable cost.

Unlike hardwood and ceramic tile, vinyl flooring does not attach to the subfloor. This makes it easier to replace or remove altogether as needed. It is nonorganic, meaning that it is resistant to mould, and it does not get as cold as tile flooring. Made of PVC, vinyl flooring is highly durable and less expensive than high-end flooring materials.

By most objective measures, vinyl flooring is the most suitable for basements. The biggest downside is that most vinyl flooring manufacturers use virgin plastics, so even if your flooring is recyclable, it may not be recycled. However, there are a few vinyl flooring manufacturers that use recycled materials to make vinyl flooring, and if more consumers buy sustainable vinyl flooring, more may follow suit.

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