The Best Types of Floor for a Basement Suite

Carpet

• In basements where moisture and periodic flooding aren't a concern, carpet may be the best flooring option for the job. One of carpet's chief advantages is that it acts as an insulator, helping to keep heat in the basement during the winter and making air conditioning systems more energy efficient during the summer. The downside to carpet as a basement flooring is that if it gets wet, it becomes a breeding ground for nasty bacteria and mold and will have to be torn out and replaced.

Hardwood

• A good choice for homeowners who want a durable and easy to clean surface is hardwood flooring. With its flat, smooth finish, cleaning a hardwood basement floor is as simple as a quick sweep and the occasional light mopping. Hardwood is best used in a basement suite in combination with area rugs for insulation and comfort. Hardwood flooring requires a quality subfloor before installation to provide insulation between the floor and raw concrete, which reduces the chance of expansion and contraction damage caused by temperature change but can raise the cost of the flooring job significantly. Hardwood flooring reacts to moisture by warping, making it a bad choice for moisture-prone basements. When money is no object and the goal is to increase the value of a home with a watertight basement, hardwood flooring is often the best option.

Laminate

• Laminate flooring is more durable than traditional hardwood flooring, making it a good choice for utilitarian storage applications or high-traffic living spaces. Laminate flooring conveys a similar – though not quite the same – look and feel to hardwood at a greatly reduced cost. It is also more moisture resistant than traditional hardwood because the materials used in the fabrication process limit its ability to absorb moisture.

Vinyl

• One of the best choices for basement suite applications is vinyl flooring because of all the forms of flooring appropriate for basement use, it is the most forgiving in terms of moisture damage. Stick-on vinyl tiles with moisture-resistant adhesive can be applied directly to a concrete basement floor to provide a quick do-it-yourself flooring solution at a relatively low cost. Sheet vinyl – also called linoleum – is more difficult to install and requires a subfloor for ideal comfort and longevity. Linoleum flooring is best in applications where a lot of space needs to be covered and other materials would be inappropriate. For example, a linoleum floor would stand up better to the occasional spill in the laundry room than a hardwood floor would and costs far less per square foot.