That’s the question I had to ask myself a couple months ago. I desperately wanted to extend the sand and stain wood floors we have on our main level to the basement but was concerned about the risk. In a basement, there are so many ways water can seep in – through the walls, floors, and windows. While the basement passed our home inspection and there was no notation on our seller’s disclosure, there appeared to be a few water marks on the cedar of the North wall that led me to explore our basement flooring options.
Of course, there’s stained or painted concrete, carpet, tile and sand and stain hardwoods, but I’m going to discuss a few other basement flooring options we explored when seeking a wood aesthetic:
Peel and stick vinyl plank wood. We used this for the basement flooring of our previous home. It’s perfect for lightly used spaces, to layer over existing vinyl and is very inexpensive and easy to lay. Did I mention it’s inexpensive? Oh yes, I did, but I still can’t get over the fact that we completed a large space for just $300! To give you an idea of how real it looks, I placed the product on top of our very expensive custom hand scraped wood floors.
A floating engineered wood floor interlocks and is sturdy and affordable. It’s modern and suitable for dry basements. It can expand when it gets wet.
Laminate flooring has always been a popular option, but it’s been my experience that it can scratch and warp.
After talking with our flooring guy who I truly respect and the flooring department at Lowe’s, I learned that locking vinyl plank is one of the most durable basement flooring options for spaces that have a potential of getting wet. It is so soft on foot but has beautiful, subtle lines that mimic hardwood. If it gets wet {like a water spill that the girls fail to mention or clean up, not that that would happen}, it dries and you’d never notice. We opted for locking vinyl plank basement floors so that in the winter they can roller-skate and ride their scooters without fear of scratching it.
A little paint and new floors have completely transformed this once dreadful basement, don’t you think? I love the worry-free environment we’ve created for our girls to play.
A huge thanks to Lowe’s, one of my long-time sponsors for partnering with me on this project to find the best basement flooring that suits our families’ needs. All ideas and opinions are my own.
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Excellent round-up!
If it helps at all: we live in Quebec, so the basement is somewhat more humid than the rest of the house BUT dries out like crazy in winter, temperatures in the basement can fluctuate by up to 10 degrees in a day, and, while flooding is unlikely where we are, it can be a concern. We went with the stick-on vinyl wood look-alike strips (your first option) and recommend them +++.
It looks enough like wood that someone commented on how wood in our basement is a bad idea, so they ‘fit’ with the rest of the house. It cleans so easily (cat puke, litter box accidents, paint spills from the toddler, etc = no problem). It’s really resistant. And it’s affordable. Oh, and for a very cold environment (quebec…), you can add extra insulation under the floor, and the vinyl won’t get chilled like wood or tile.
Also, if it helps: we picked a darker version of the same ones that are used on the floor of the medical clinic where I work. Those have been there for 10 years and don’t have a mark/scratch/discoloration. (And if there IS a scratch, you can take a hairdryer to it until the glue melts, and replace the tile in question. Not that it’s been necessary after 10 years in a medical clinic, but the option exists).
I agree! I put vinyl wood plank type flooring into my basement and it is impervious to water and can take a beating, plus it looks darn fabulous. Best inexpensive choice ever!
That’s great to hear, Jackie!
Excellent, Looks great! Was it a fairly cheap re-model? We thought about doing that in our basement but we decided on on tiles as we had a terrible flood a couple of years ago. We got a great deal in the UK.
The best flooring for the basement is none other than vinyl flooring. Its easy to install and it is really best in places that is humid/moisture. Aside from that, its really inexpensive. I personally love vinyl ones for it really works well in our home.
Could tell me what color your vinyl planking your basement was at Lowe’s? Do you still like it two years later. We are thinking about putting it in our entire basement and then to follow upstairs in the kitchen. So I really want to pick a nice color not to dark and not to trendy. Thanks!
We still absolutely love it. I can’t recall off the top of my head, but I have extra in a package at home – I’ll let you know when we return from vacation. It has been so easy to clean glitter, marker, and glue off of it!