Just had new concrete floor poured in my mother's basement. We are preparing house for sale.
Plan to cover area once concrete cures. As we are selling I looking for inexpensive covering. Most laminate flooring suppliers do not recommend putting their floors on concrete that is below grade (IE: Basement). So I think I will go with carpet. Never laid carpet before. Therefore I am thinking about carpet tiles so I can do it myself. Not sure if this will be more expensive than getting wall to wall installed.
Questions:
- Can I lay carpet right on concrete with no under layment?
- If wall to wall is used I ankor strips to hold carpet to concrete floor.
- I have to trim around ceramic fireplace hearth. So I have concrete butting up flush against ceramics. How do I install trim pieces. Do I pre drill and use concrete screws????
Any advice on getting this done (Cheaply) would be appreciated.
Not a good idea to install carpet without a sub-floor, specially on newly poured concrete.
Even after it settles, there will be a lot of moisture seeping through from the ground. Carpet will soak up all that moisture and will eventually cause some mold concerns.
However, you also need to mind the kind of sub-floor you are willing to use. Stay away from plywood or any kind of hardware store basement sub-floor option that is lined with wooden compounds.
They don't work for the same reason the laminates don't: wood is organic and soaks up water, organic matter combined with moisture favors mold growth.
Some will recommend you line the concrete with a vapor barrier, like a thick poly sheet or seal it with some waterproofing coating before laying the floor. Bad idea as well.
These will do not to prevent the water from seeping through the concrete. Instead, they will trap it underneath and will not allow it to dry. Overtime, waterproofing coatings tend to peel off and there is no way to tell what is happening under that poly sheet vapor barrier once the flooring is installed.
That said, here are the best options for basement floors: floating, interlocking basement flooring tiles or laminates.
These products are 100% waterproof, non-absorbent. and inorganic. Will not soak up water, grow mold or get ruined if the basement floods.
They are raised from the concrete by a system of pegs. That creates an air flow under the tile that allows the slab to dry while keeping all that moisture from evaporating into the basement.
The tiles also offer some level of thermal protection. Their surface is usually 10 degrees warmer.
The laminates reproduce the feel and look of hardwood floors, while the tiles come in several finishes, including parket, vinyl and carpet.
Another alternative, if you really want to go with carpet: ThermalDry mats.
New Basement Flooring Options
Would laminate flooring be a better option to go right on a new concrete basement floor? Costco has nice laminates with foam backing right on each plank. They are brand Golden Select.
Reason I do not want to use a subfloor is that the concrete was poured right up to the level of the fireplace hearth and floor in adjoining room. It was poured too high but nothing I can do now.
A subfloor would raise it so there would be to much of a transition between rooms and hearth would be more that an inch below floor height.
There is a new vapor barrier in place below concrete slab.
If you are willing to go with laminates, please pick a laminate that is engineered to work in basements, which means, laminates that are not made with wood, or anything organic and have no foam padding on the back.
The foam will absorb water and trap enough dust to grow mold overtime. And wood, is organic so will soak up water, grow mold and rot as well.
I am not familiar with that particular brand but, unless the manufacturer gives you a pretty good warranty concerning the product's ability to withstand basement moisture and potential water problems (floods, plumbing accidents, burst water heater tanks, etc) I would not risk spending my money on them.
Basement laminate flooring is 100% inorganic and waterproof, will not need a padding or sub-floor, can go straight over the slab. It won't get ruined by typical moisture or if the basement floods.
Here's a video about what you'd be looking for in terms of basement flooring.
commerical carpet is sold at 4.00 sqyrd. and up , carpet adhesives 40.00 can 256sqft. per can . you are selling the house WHY SPEND ALL THAT MONEY ON laminate and engireened wood . Moisture from any finshed concrete that has been cured 30 -60 days will not affect the bondind of the adhesive or the carpet . Commerical goods will allow moisture to Breath through. Sheetrock can wick more moisture from concrete than carpet and cause mold problems. I am a commerical installer 18 years exp. , you will not see department stores ,schools ,hospitals, airports, or any large installs using subfloor underlayment plywood . fullspread adhesive carpet install , SELL THE HOUSE DONE...
Carpet will be fine, just dont use a moisture barrier, carpet tiles are more expensive then wall to wall and alot more work.
Now Just go to you local carpet place and tell them you have $2 bucks a Sqft to spend installed. I know at my store you would have the choice of basically any style you want, berber, frieze, plush/texture etc. No sense in doing it yourself.
I also dont recomend using any form of commercial carpet down there. Use a residential style to make the area more like an extra family room rather then the basement with comerical carpet. As a matter of fact 9 out of 10 customers actually use frieze's these days.
smart strand would be a good fiber to look at. Its non porous and solution dyed. Moisture can not get into the fiber wich allows it to wick out faster.
$ 2.00 sqft. = $18.00 sqyd . 20'x 20' room $800.00. + tax. Slby said cheaply --inexpensive and to do it his self . Glued down carpet for a D.I.Y. easy'est way to go
Tags: carpet, concrete, floor, basement, grow mold, laminate flooring, vapor barrier, wall wall, adhesive carpet, basement floods, carpet tiles
