remodeling the basement

14 years ago

what is the best carpeting? Can I paint the cement and just carpet the 2 new bedrooms? Tacky? What do I do with the stairs that had horrible shag carpet. On a budget.

Featured Answer

mmonika

14 years ago

You shouldn't place carpet directly onto cement. Cement holds moisture, carpet absorbs moisture and your basement would start to take on the damp feeling and musty smell. ( I am talking about full wall to wall carpet... if your doing a rug make sure its something you can pull up and dry and clean from time to time).
There are these 24"x24" panels that you can purchase and lay that are a sheet of plywood with a sheet of dimpled plastic. They essentially create a floating floor over the cement ( = warmer, drier) but they require your floor to be level and will raise the floor too. Its not cheap, but consider costs savings in 1. heating/ cooling these basement bedrooms 2. comfort and 3. investing in a longer term floor solution.
There are these rubberized floor mats that are available now that come in all kinds of cool colors and have different styles. These will be impervious to moisture.
I dunno about laminate ( whether it needs a subfloor).
Back to the carpet, "maybe" there might be some underlays that do not allow for moisture transfer? I'd really investigate that :-)
Paint and area rugs are very economical and doable. From someone that painted a concrete floor white, don't go white!!! Fail on my behalf, and it was soo dirty all the time.

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Comments (15)

Emily Hurley
14 years ago
You can definitely paint cement. If you want to, throw some area rugs on top of it afterwards.

What is under the shag carpeting on the stairs?
ranchmama
Original Author
14 years ago
very raw wood. would need to be sanded down. etc.
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houssaon
14 years ago
I have wall to wall indoor/outdoor over badly broken tile on cement for more that 10 years and have no problem with moisture. one side of the basement is not finished and the concrete floor was painted with, I'm guessing, deck paint. Most of that is long gone. Today there are a lot of concrete staining companies. You can have your concrete stained or refinished then use an area rug or Flor tiles. Strip the shag and paint the steps. You can put simple rubber mats on the treads. Not stylish, but helps prevent slipping.
ranchmama
Original Author
14 years ago
thanks for all your comments. A lot of knowledge so quickly! I will check with the carpet company re the floor mats. Makes sense to put some kind of floating floor instead of putting down a pad and a carpet only. GOing to rethink paint and area carpeting. Also painting the stairs. the right solutions are always pricier than your budget - but long term it may be smarter to spend a little extra now and have a better space for longer.
PRO
Finished Basements of Central Indiana
14 years ago
You did not mention the age of your home. I have done over 200 basements with wall to wall carpet with no issues. These homes have had solid concrete walls and poured floor. 8 lb pad was used under a Shaw polyester.
Business_Name_Placeholder
14 years ago
Use outdoor carpet. Beautiful options that look like berber and hold up well. Paint the walls with a breathable clay based paint from Germany. Gorgeous, never flakes. Enjoy.
ranchmama
Original Author
14 years ago
My home was built in 1972. The basement was musty but no sign of water. We re-did the walls with sheet rock with a moisture barrier to replace old paneled 70's style. I was going to use Shaw nylon with a pad with a moisture barrier.

Breathable clay paint? Will look it up!
PRO
karen paul interiors
14 years ago
You say the basement was musty. I'm assuming that is past-tense?
Melinda Donnell
14 years ago
One of suggestions above was to stain the concrete. This is a very easy DIY project, that you can do yourself, I did. The biggy, make sure the concrete is cleaned properly before applying stain.
lydia123
14 years ago
You should only do things to the cement if it is in reasonably good condition. If you put down carpet (not my recommendation) you should think about using only materials that can get wet, including pads designed for basement use. If you still have a moisture problem, spend the money fixing that and get a home depot area rug in the meanwhile.
PRO
Sterling Rugs
14 years ago
Go for a loomed rug for the stairs rather than a Shag ! A shag rug if on a lighter tone would attract dust . A broadloom silken runner would look fab and also would last long.
lydia123
13 years ago
Depending on your moisture situation, a floating floor may not be a good idea. I would check with neighbors and local professionals before investing in that. There are places in the country that are just too wet for that without other more serious water abatement investments first. That said, they can often be the best solution.
Janette McIntosh
12 years ago
I agree that floating floor is not a good idea if you have any moisture issues. We laid our whole basement with a floating floor and then laid laminate. We had a flood (sump pump problem) and the whole floating floor was ruin. Had to tear up the laminate and remove all the floating floor that was water logged mess. It couldn't dry out even with dehumidifiers going all day for about a month.
Angel 18432
12 years ago
I live in Canada and have had carpet on underpad in basement for years with no problems.
The key is - is there any moisture problems under the concrete. if no problems, then carpet away. If there is moisture, then whatever you put down there is going to be an issue.