What type of flooring would you put on a wood basement floor?

2/10/2015 at 9:03:59 PM

Hi ,

John Delorme from DELTEC in Montreal.

I would look into putting down two layers of t&g plywood 3/4 in glued and screwed at 8 inches with a vapor barrier.

You can come back on top with any floor finish.

2/10/2015 at 9:25:38 PM

Ila,

First thing I would suggest is to have the area in question taken apart and checked for mould. As you mentioned leaks in the past, mould and other water issues (rotting wood) become a problem not only for you but also if you were to sell in the future. (Issues such as this are to be "disclosed" when selling a property).

Have the floor joists checked (they are the main supports for the floor and whatever is on top of the floor (water tank, washing machine, dryer, etc.) Replace if needed. Replace the subfloor with, at lease, one level of 3/4" T&G plywood. Tongue and groove means that there are not open seams between the sheets of plywood and the strength is distributed properly. A second layer of subflooring is not a ba idea.

Once that is done, you can almost pick whatever you desire for a finished flooring type. (Tile or slate does require the extre thickess of the subfloor to accomodate the extra weight.) Some products that I like are the better laminates (thicker is better) and some of the new products like Allure (a brand name available via Home Depot).

The main thing is to thing of the problem and work back from there.It is all workable, just take your time.

2/10/2015 at 9:48:52 PM

HI Ila,

I agree with John and Mark, I would also consider to add just on top of the new subfloor a crack isolation membrane (especially if you planning to install tiles), which is also waterproof.

2/11/2015 at 10:06:01 AM

Awesome suggestions.....couldn't find people that knew anything about the wood basements.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Will see what transpires.

Thanks for all the input.... very helpful

IF