As you can imagine, when it comes to choosing the best flooring for your home, every room has special considerations and requirements that can be complemented with the right flooring option.
This is especially true for basements, which often face a specific set of challenges regarding moisture, humidity, and temperature changes that can harshly affect flooring integrity and longevity.
This pretty much narrows down possible flooring solutions for the basement, but there are still plenty of options to choose from that can provide both durability and aesthetics.
So, whether you want to use your basement as a simple storage and laundry room or create a more inviting space like a gym or guestroom, there are flooring options that can meet every criterion.
We will now explore which flooring options are suitable for each situation to give you an idea of where to begin your basement flooring journey!
What to Consider When Choosing Basement Flooring?
Moisture and Humidity
The first and most important thing to keep in mind is the simple fact that basements are underground. This means they are subject to hydrostatic pressure, which is water pressure from the soil surrounding the foundation.
So, when it rains heavily or snow melts, the water table rises, and pressure can force water through cracks and pores in the concrete slab. The level of this challenge depends on many factors, including soil type, foundation quality, and climate conditions, but it’s safe to say that water damage is something that you should account for in your basement flooring.
This essentially narrows down our choices by eliminating flooring materials susceptible to water damage, like traditional hardwood and laminate.
Temperature Fluctuations
Since basements are partially or fully below ground, they can be subject to more significant temperature shifts. Some materials might expand or contract more than others, which can affect their longevity and performance.
Subfloor Concerns
Most of the time, the basement floors display the highest level of unevenness due to the process of house foundation concrete slabs settling over time and the fact that basements are in direct contact with the ground beneath.
This calls for another basement flooring precaution: Avoid rigid materials to avoid issues like crackling, creaking, or “bouncy” spots. Additionally, you could invest extra effort in leveling the basement surface and investing in a quality subfloor, but depending on the type of soil your house was built on, in a span of a few years, unevenness could easily show again.
Having that in mind, the safest option for the basement is investing in a flooring solution that can show some flexibility, like vinyl plank or carpet tiles.
Use of Space
Last but not least, it is important to consider how your basement will be used. Is it going to be a space where you spend a considerable amount of time or a space that will simply serve a specific function and have you passing by every now and then?
This is a classic debate about comfort vs. practicality in basements, and it requires some thinking. Luckily, some options offer the best of both worlds, and you can easily find flooring solutions that can withstand the harsh conditions of the basement as well as provide a decent level of comfort and aesthetics.
Each flooring solution sits in a different place on a comfort vs practicality scale, and we will now explore how they compare in terms of what they offer.
After all, not all basements suffer equally harsh conditions, so it's up to you to assess which flooring type will best suit your space and if you have the freedom to go for something a bit more delicate, like engineered hardwood.
Best Flooring Options for Basements
Now that we have established what we want and don’t want to see in the basement flooring, it is time to explore the best contenders.
Vinyl Plank
Vinyl plank is synthetic flooring made from polyvinyl chloride, a material known for its desirable qualities in basements—water resistance and flexibility.
Vinyl is first on our list for a reason because it is the most likely that you can find suitable basement flooring within this category, whatever your needs are. There are several reasons that make vinyl plank a perfect contender for basement flooring:
- It's affordable: Vinyl plank generally falls in the price range of $3-$9 per square foot, which is quite the range that offers different levels of aesthetics and overall quality, but even at the lower end of the price range, you can still find a lot of beautiful and quality options for your basement.
If you want to go with under $3, you can also consider vinyl sheet, which is extra adaptable to uneven subfloor and terrain fluctuations while offering water resistance. It's not very comfortable and durable, but it's a solid solution if you don't intend to spend too much time in the basement.
- It's durable: We established that basements are challenging environments, and vinyl is up to the task. Vinyl planks are known for being waterproof, flexible, and able to withstand a lot of wear and tear.
If durability is an especially important factor for you, you can also opt for SPC (stone plastic composite) vinyl plank, which is made from a mix of limestone and plastic that is known to go the extra mile when it comes to withstanding water and overall wear and tear.
- It's visually appealing: In addition to being suitable for the basement environment, the vinyl plank also offers a lot of designs to choose from, and it doesn't compromise on aesthetics. This makes it a perfect choice if you want your basement to be a more inviting area like the playroom or guest room.
Whatever your specific needs are, you can easily express yourself and complement the overall decor of the room with the wide vinyl plank selection.
Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tile is another great contender for basement flooring because it's waterproof and easy to maintain. Practicality surely takes the first place.
The tile was always known for being kinda boring and simple, which isn't necessarily true, as you can now easily find contemporary-looking tiles with intricate patterns and designs. However, those are not really budget-friendly, and we would expect those ready for such investment to put them in a more prominent space rather than in basements.
So, when it comes to basements, we suggest opting for smaller, budget-friendly tiles because bigger ones can be susceptible to cracking due to fluctuations in floor leveling, and smaller ones are much more adaptable and easily replaced if the need arises.
You can find budget-friendly tile at around $7 per square foot. They are excellent if you use your basement as a laundry room or storage, they are super-easy to clean, and while they may be a bit cold underfoot, they are not expected to see a lot of everyday traffic anyway.
Engineered Hardwood
Engineered hardwood is one of those options that need a little bit of consideration on the buyer's end if the plan is to install it in basements.
While engineered hardwood is significantly more practical when compared to regular hardwood, especially in terms of water resistance, it's still not as resistant to elements as a vinyl plank or ceramic tile.
If you are certain about your basement insulation and sealing, as well as being ready to invest a few extra bucks on top-quality underlayment, then you can still bring the beauty of natural wood to your basements.
Moisture levels in concrete should not exceed 4-5% if you plan to install engineered hardwood on it, and the humidity level should be under 50%. If you check these boxes, then engineered hardwood is a viable option.
It goes without saying that this investment makes sense if you intend to make your basement a commonly used living space.
Carpet Tiles
Another interesting choice for basements is carpet tiles. They also show quite a bit of durability and a certain level of moisture resistance if you know how to pick the right kind.
For basements, you should choose carpet tile with synthetic backing and loop pile construction. These are moisture-resistant, durable, and good at handling a lot of traffic.
They are also quite budget-friendly, and you can easily replace them even in case of little accidents, like a place of rot due to the particular area leaking water.
Carpet tiles will create a cozy and welcoming atmosphere for your basements, but again, while they offer a solid level of durability, they are not really meant for the harshest of environments, so it's up to you to evaluate your basement conditions.
Rubber Flooring
While not the most common choice for common living spaces, rubber flooring can be great for basements. If you ever went to the gym, you probably walked on rubber flooring.
Aside from being the best for shock absorption, it’s also water-resistant, prevents mold, and is extremely durable. It's also quite practical when it comes to cleaning and is notorious for noise reduction. In addition to these qualities, it also provides solid insulation levels, making it one of the best floorings for basements over concrete.
Rubber flooring is perfect if you want to make your basement into a home gym or kids' playroom. It also won’t break the budget, with the price ranging from $3 to $9 depending on the thickness and quality. Generally speaking, at the lower end of the price range, rubber flooring is still pretty good, but you should probably increase the investment if you intend to make a home gym and drop heavy weights around.
Choosing the Best Basement Flooring
As you can see, there are plenty of flooring options for your basement, each suiting different needs for different environments and lifestyles.
Whatever your choice ends up being, make sure that you are familiar with your basement's environmental conditions and account for how you plan to use your space.
