I would love carpet too, I'm just nervous for this to happen again. I was debating about carpet tiles.. then its more easily replaceable..

Carpet tiles sound awesome...until you realize how expensive they are. Yes you can 'replace' the damaged tiles....but the COST of putting it in is almost double (sometimes triple) a traditional carpet. And then you have to HOPE (against hope) the SAME tiles are available all those years later....only to find out they are not.

well, it really doesn't matter what you have if it floods again, does it? carpet, LVP, Tile,,,,if it floods, it all has to come up.

You should probably get that matter squared away so that you don't have any more floods.

carpet tiles are an option. you'd have to weigh the cost (plus, there won't be padding with those so won't it be hard?)

Beth, I imagine waterproof flooring would be a lot easier to clean up then carpet, no?

I love my LVP in our basement it is 13 yrs old so a bit old school but we put Dri-core down and then the vinyl plank on top of it. The dricore can handle some water because of how it is made , it keeps the floor feeling warmer and mops up to look like new. We have 3 huge dogs that go in and out all day from a dog run in all kinds of weather .

The 'clean up' of vinyl (I'm assuming DAILY clean up) is much easier than carpet. If there is a flood and you need to 'clean up' the vinyl you are S.O.L.. To 'save' a vinyl floor you must:

1. Remove the planks (you WILL LOSE 15-20% of planks = need SIGNIFICANT replacements on hand...they are discontinued every 18 months = never find them again)

2. Wash each and every plank in the bath tub in a 10% bleach solution (this is once you get all the mud/gunk/sewage off the planks)

3. Towel dry each and every plank

4. Lay the planks outside IN SUNLIGHT for 12 hours or so (flipping the planks half way through).

The UV rays of the sun will kill off all the bacteria/mold/mildew that the bleach left behind. All of this happens ASAP. While someone is cleaning up the basement, your will be gathering up all the planks, inspecting them for 'edge breakage', culling the unusable, and the washing down and sanitizing all of them. And then you get to cart them outside to sun bathe.

Now imagine doing all that work only to realize you do NOT HAVE enough product on hand to finish the job. Sigh. Your 1 box of extra product does not cover the 100sff you lost due to breakage. Now you need a new floor.

SJ, so what do you suggest is best option then?

I like cork in a basement - especially as a playroom and carpet replacement. Vinyl works but you need to remember you will NOT save a floor should a flood occur. The 'sales tactics' are all about 'reusable' after a flood. Technically that is true but the REALITY is less than 10% of owners go that far. The rest order new flooring.

As others have pointed out, you should spend the money on the real fix (drainage, sump pump, etc) and figure out the flooring afterwards.

I had a similar flooding issue in my basement playroom. While I figured out how to solve (and pay for) that problem, I put down temporary foam interlocking mats so that my son wasn’t playing on cold hard concrete. They were very inexpensive, admittedly inelegant, but was a great solution for us during the years of rough and tumble play. They cost about $30 for each 16sf package and took about an hour to install. I have since undergone a significant project to waterproof the basement, so I can make a more permanent solution. For now though, my son doesn’t want to give up his tiles, so they’ll stay.

I did a moisture seal then metallic epoxy coating and have area rugs - love it