Basements are typically damp, cold spaces that can flood. Selecting flooring materials for your finished basement requires different considerations than the rest of your house. The foundation and floor treatment (slab vs subfloor) are factors in selection as well as comfort level. Here is a quick guide on the best flooring options for your Colorado basement.
CARPET
Carpet is our favorite flooring option for a Colorado basement. It is cost-effective, sound absorbing, and hides sub-floor imperfections. Although problematic in a flood event, carpet helps warm up a finished basement in Colorado, more than any other flooring materials. That is why it lands at the top of our list.
We also recommend thick carpet padding for extra comfort against the concrete slab below. Mold or mildew can develop in a basement with a lot of moisture, but Colorado is a very dry state and we don’t typically see issues with this.
ENGINEERED VINYL PLANKING
Engineered vinyl planking (EVP) mimics the appearance of a wood floor, but it is waterproof. It is great for areas prone to water exposure, such as kitchens and basements. EVP has a cork underlay, providing more cushion and insulation for absorbing sound. Balancing appearance and performance, this is another favorite flooring option for a finished basement.
Image: Pinterest
RUBBER FLOORING TILES
Rubber flooring is a good idea for areas like a home gym. It usually comes in the format of interlocking square tiles, with varying thicknesses. This flooring option is waterproof and shock absorbing. Additionally, the thickness helps hide any imperfections in the sub-floor.
One thing to be wary of is the color. Rubber floor tiles are typically black or dark in color, so they tend to darken a room. Basements already lean towards being dark spaces, so this is something worth considering.
STAINED OR ACID-ETCHED CONCRETE
Some people like the appearance of concrete, others go this route thinking it will be more cost effective. If choosing this option with cost effectiveness in mind, just know that the floor prep involved causes this option to be more expensive than one would expect.
Options for your finished concrete floor include acid-etched or a stain. This can be applied to your current concrete slab. A few drawbacks to keeping a concrete floor in your basement: cool temperature, hard on feet, and poor sound insulation. We recommend using rugs to soften the space.
Image: Pinterest
SHEET VINYL
Sheet vinyl is another option for basement flooring. It costs more than carpet but it is cheaper than EVP. This option is warmer on the feet than concrete. Like some of the other flooring options, sheet vinyl requires floor prep as well. It is waterproof, but it usually looks cheap and dated. For those reasons, sheet vinyl lands at the bottom of our list for best flooring options in your Colorado basement.
