Is Hardwood a Good Choice for Basement Flooring?

Hardwood flooring is usual for homes in California. It gives a refined and attractive look to any room. However, it may not always be the best choice for a basement. Since a basement uses a concrete slab foundation and is right above the ground, it requires high maintenance, unlike other home spaces. Choosing Pasadena hardwood flooring for the basement means leaving it prone to water damage.

People can design their basement floor to withstand moisture attacks when building a new home. It involves setting a robust foundation, vapor barrier, and exterior or interior drainage. The first two improve energy efficiency while the drainage system lessens water seepage.

The foundation should also have adequate grading and a sump pump to prevent water problems.

Preparing the Basement

Homeowners must take steps to ensure their basement can accommodate their chosen flooring material when building the home. The concrete slab should be durable and have a porous fill layer in the overall bed to enable better groundwater damage. The water should go underground or toward a sump pump basin away from home.

The concrete slab needs a radiant heating system underneath it to parry its natural cooling. It will also require flexible tubing before pouring the concrete slab. Upon pouring, the top Pasadena hardwood flooring company recommends curing it for a month before installing a subfloor. Additionally, the subflooring should have a vapor barrier to seal the ground and prevent moisture permeation.

Vapor Barriers

These can come from various materials, such as 15-pound roofing felt, polyethylene sheet, or PVC. The exterior walls avoid heat leeching by using a layer of insulation on the top. The layer must be approximately 2 inches thick per the home’s environment.

Note: A thick insulation layer helps in colder climates.

The latest vapor barrier type, polyethylene, is popular due to its ability to endure fungus and mildew, mold, and heavy loads. Any kind of flooring, such as hardwood, carpeting, linoleum, laminate, and tile is compatible with it.

Choosing the Basement Flooring

The appropriate flooring material is critical to building a new basement or renovating it because of moisture. It creates splits, warps, or cups. So, using hardwood is not a good idea for basements since these spaces attract moisture.

However, homeowners can choose from a wide variety of natural wood to finish their basement. Some offer moisture-preventive quality, such as laminate, solid hardwood, and engineered hardwood. These are effective Pasadena hardwood flooring options. Talk to a professional flooring specialist for more information.

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Created on Dec 31st 2021 00:11. Viewed 634 times.

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