What are Best Basement Flooring Options After Flooding Water Damage?
Water damage to a basement is costly, both on your wallet and on your nerves. There are several options for basement flooring, but not all of them are ideal in situations of flooding or water leakage, which can damage your floor and floorboards. Ideally, you want to use materials that are cost-effective (won’t cost you a fortune should they need to be replaced) and offer a quick dry time without the risk of mold.
What is the best flooring for basements that flood?
The following basement flooring options are best suited for all basements, but especially for basements that are prone to water damage or have a history of water damage.
Sealed, Painted or Stained Concrete for a Cost-Effective Basement:
The least expensive and worry-free basement flooring option is your existing concrete. Rather than cover your concrete with additional materials that risk damage or mold in a water prone basement, keep your concrete exposed with a stone-look finish. There are paints, stains and epoxies available specifically for concrete floors that can add a rustic and elegant finish to your basement floor, without the added cost should your basement flood.
Luxury Vinyl Tiles for a Waterproof Basement:
Luxury vinyl tiles are elegant, water-resistant, and warm underfoot without the risk of chips or cracks like ceramic tile.The tiles install easily over concrete, with or without grout, and come in a wide range of style options, such as hardwood, slate or a stone-look finish. If water leaks or spills on the floor should happen, it’s no problem, just grab the mop, wipe, and you’re done. Vinyl flooring is made from synthetic materials rather than organic, such as plywood, hardwood and carpet, so it stands up against moisture far better.
Laminate Hardwood for a Durable Basement:
Laminate hardwood floors are a suitable basement flooring option because it is not real wood, which would get severely damaged should your basement flood, yet it looks like wood. The plastic coating of laminate hardwood adds durability and easy clean-up for those who are tougher on their floors.
Laminate flooring and subfloor system
However, what’s critical for laminate flooring is the subfloor system you install along with it. Many subfloors include plywood flooring which, once wet, can be costly to replace and has a higher risk of developing mold. To ensure this doesn’t happen, you want to add an extra layer of protection to give the flooring the ability to dry after flooding. Products like Amdry Insulated Subfloors are designed specifically for subfloor systems that require better insulation and air flow between floor and concrete.
Reduce Your Basement’s Risk of Severe Flood Water Damage
All of the basement flooring options above offer durability, water resistance and cost-effective solutions to water prone basements or basements with a history of water damage. Make sure that the basement flooring option you choose is installed by professionals who use materials that will reduce the chance of damage and mold created by excessive water, just like you would contact professionals to aide in a basement flooded by water.
Does your basement need waterproofing or flood/water leak repair? Contact our professionals at Abarent Construction.