Recently, I received an email from a reader who’s having a little bit of problems with her basement flooring as the installed flooring is buckled and dark from the water that’s penetrating their room. It seems like they’ve got a drainage issue that pretty much keeps the place wet or damp most all of the time. Read her problem just below and then we’ll discuss if there is a solution for these wet floors.
“We have a basement level that is susceptible to water penetration from an exterior drainage problem. Unfortunately, we only found out about this after we installed bamboo flooring which is now buckled and dark from the moisture. (It’s really not possible to fix the exterior drainage problem.) We’re going to take out the flooring, but we’re not sure what to put in. The sub-floor seems to be a mix of concrete and plywood. We can’t put in a floating floor. I could really use some advice. Assume that the floor will be damp all the time
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Thanks!
Jocelyn”
Well, as you can tell Jocelyn is in a little bit of a pickle here without being able to fix the drainage issue. One thing that would help would be a bit more knowledge and information around what exactly that drain problem is that’s keeping the floor wet. Not knowing is causing me a bit of a problem here as we can’t decipher where it’s coming from. The window, walls or up through the concrete. Another puzzling piece as well is how much water is actually getting in. At any rate, you should do all that you can to at least minimize the water coming into the lower level as this could be a potentially dangerous and unhealthy situation. Whether that is having a company come in and waterproof the basement or take measures into your own hands to do so, then do the best you can. Nobody wants to end up potentially flooded. Hopefully nothing of value is down there as you certainly wouldn’t want it ruined and be out of pocket on it or worse, something not replaceable like family heirlooms.
What I wouldn’t use for flooring this room
Let’s start here first as it’s easier to say no then yes, at least for me. Wooden subfloors or any type of subfloor that maintains solid contact with your concrete floor would be out. That’s not to say that you can’t have a subfloor, as there are other types that will leave a vapor barrier in between it and the concrete so it can dry appropriately and also not rot from the water. Carpet or carpet tiles would also be out. The carpet will mildew and mold and the adhesives used to stick the tiles in place typically don’t hold up to repeated soaks in water. Engineered or laminate flooring would also not be a wise choice as you can already see what it’s done to your bamboo flooring. These would also likely buckle into an unsightly mess as well. I know most folks have an affinity for hardwood floors, but this basements a no-no.
Possible Wet Basement Flooring Ideas
Idea 1: Paint the floor. This could be a viable solution for many reasons. One, it’s cheaper to paint it than to install some type of flooring on it. Two, you can pretty much get any color that you’d like to have down there. Three, it won’t buckle or rot with water exposure, provided you get the right kind of paint. Finally, painting is easy. If you can paint a wall then you can paint a floor. Just don’t paint yourself into a corner. The one drawback with painted basement floor is that in a few years or so, you’ll probably have to paint it again as it will likely chip and peel in places depending on the exposure and traffic.
Idea 2: Stained floor. This is actually a growing trend. Although a little tougher than simply painting the floor, the outcome are beautiful and you can get really creative design wise with etchings and such. Plus with all the different types and colors of stains you have a wide range of choices to pick from. Look for some more from me soon on this one.
Idea 3: Tiled basement floor. This is another very viable option for wet basements. This one will take a little bit more manual labor than others as you’ll have to haul it all downstairs, but it also opens up the realm of possibilities as you’ll be able to use single patterns, multiple patterns, sizes, borders, etc. You can get very creative with using tiles and when they do get wet you just have to mop them up.
These are suggestions and to be used at your own risk. I would definitely consult a local professional to take a better look at the issue and then make a decision as to what you want to do with your basement floor.
“Best” is one of those words I don’t like to use much as it’s more of an opinion word. Not being a very opinionated type person, especially surrounding one’s home as it’s in the eye of the beholder (or homeowner in this case), I like to leave that part to you to make as to which one of these solutions would be the best flooring for a wet basement.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
need to know what types of flooring ca I put in my basement that gets wet every now n then whe it rains a lot or snow melting please give me a website I can look under to find the prices to get the flooring
I have a bi-level home and my lower level had some water seepage, which soaked all of the carpeting and I ended up throwing it away. I now am left w/a concrete floor w/a lot of cracks on the surface. I’m thinking of purchasing a cement mix and sealing the cracks and then waterproofing the whole floor w/seal crete. Can I still paint over all this?
Wood floors are a definite no-no here. Rubber, vinyl, or PVC tiles would do well. Anything that raises the walking surface to facilitate moisture management/ drainage would be effective.
i’m having vinyl put down in my basement. We’ve had carpet down and had water 3 times over the last 12 years, the most recent being several days ago. Before laying down the vinyl,,,,should the concrete be treated with bleach or something to avoid mold?
Hi June – vinyl basement flooring is actual a good choice. Although not impossible, carpet in a basement can have problems if you are prone to water issues. Wet carpet in a basement is never a good situation, so it’s good that you are getting that out of there before any major health issues could occur. As far as the mold goes, are you experiencing visible signs of mold? Can you see mold patches on your concrete floor? This will determine a lot of the different remedies that you could use to alleviate a mold problem if you have one. I’d definitely leave some time between the wet carpet being removed and the new vinyl basement flooring being installed to see if you are going to have any issues with mold. Now, I just want to preface this with I’m not a mold expert. Far from it, so if you are worried about it, it might be worth your while to have one come in and do an inspection. As far as treating the concrete with bleach, it’s not really a good idea. In fact the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation specifically states that “BLEACH is not recommended”. You can see that here. They say that “The most compelling reason for advising against bleach is that fumes are harmful but in addition, overuse of bleach will result in increased releases of chlorinated effluents which can be harmful to the environment.” They suggest that for a small area of cleanup to instead use an unscented detergent solution for cleaning as it will allow you to still detect any residual moldy odors. However, if you have any of these scenario’s you should really seek professional help:
You have a lot of mold
The basement stays damp
You’ve already cleaned the mold and it’s come back
Someone already has a respiratory problem in the home like asthma or something else
Hope this helps and good luck with the new vinyl!
Our basement leaks through an outside wall basement window that apparently was “fixed” around 10 years ago but leaks down the wall and onto the floor pretty much every time it rains. During the last storm (Irene) our sump pump was not working due to no power and the floor and everything in its way got soaked. The flooring is yucky brown tiles with concrete over it. it’s all cracking and a lot of the tiles have buckled up and off. I have heard of “rubber” tiling but can we put that over this basement floor without having to jack hammer everything off?? There has also been a white powdery substance that has been coming up from under the tiles in a few places. Could that be dangerous? The house is over 50 years old. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Hi Janice, sorry to hear about your troubles there. From the sounds of it, seems like you have a recurring problem that you should really get looked at and corrected. Having water leak into your basement every time it rains is never a good situation and every precaution should be taken before doing any kind of remodeling to save your self further heart ache in the long run.
While you are at it, you may want to venture putting in a battery backup sump pump system to work with your primary for a little peace of mind and added protection. These battery backup systems will turn on when the power goes out or if the primary pump fails. They even have ones that will alert you with a beeping sound or visual light.
Most all of the rubber tiles that I’ve seen are interlocking. That is they lock together and not to the floor making them basically a floating floor. I would think that if your floor is basically level, even though it’s cracked, that you should be able to install them directly over the tiled concrete floor as long as everything is still in place.
The white powdery stuff is likely a harmless material called efflorescence. Although it’s harmless, what it does mean is that there’s been moisture or water there that’s been either seeping up through the concrete basement slab or is leftover from the previous water problems you’ve experienced. Definitely keep an eye on it as it could mean you have a high water pressure coming up underneath your slab probably due to all the rains and storms you’ve been experiencing.
Please help me out. My home is a “mother-daughter” set-up, and my basement (the entire back of which is on level ground, although the front of the basement is under dirt, which makes for a sloping lawn, front high to back low.) There is very old rubber tile over concrete in the entire basement, some of which rubber tile is cracking. I have wall-to-wall carpeting over the tile, and after some major rainfalls this year, the carpeting shows some moisture rust marks under the frame of a bed. I need to replace the carpeting, but with what? I’d like to keep with carpeting because I live in the cold winter northeast. After the carpeting is removed, is there a way to “waterproof” the rubber tiles before installing new carpeting? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.