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Gonna Redo The Basement Floor…Tile or ‘Engineered Wood’?

rideit

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
23,351
11,516
In the cleavage of the Tetons
Pretty self explanatory. Concrete floor, 1000 square feet. Has a small kitchen and laundry room. It has never flooded, but we feel like this would be an opportunity to flood-proof it. Anyone go through this decision?
Tile would be a LOT more (I think?), but probably more durable.
Curious if any of you have experience with sub floor heat with either of these materials.
Would likely have to be sun touch or an electric solution, we won’t run pipes or whatever.
Thoughts?

Try It Nao?
Gorilla Tape?
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,998
9,659
AK
Tile looks kinda nice, cold touch is nice in summer if it's hot.

Wood, can slide in socks much better.
 
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Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,442
20,248
Sleazattle
Engineered wood can tolerate the humid/damp conditions of a basement floor but I doubt it could handle a full on flood/submersion if that is what you are trying to avoid. Tile would be the most durable but there are cheaper and decent looking vinyl solutions these days, including realistic fake wood options. I guess it all depends on how you are using it and what you are willing to spend. You can also just put an epoxy coating on which isn't very fancy but better than concrete and super durable.
 
junkyard

junkyard

You might feel a little prick.
Sep 1, 2015
2,601
2,303
San Diego
Polished then colored concrete is cool. My house has nice tile that looks like wood. It looks really nice and it is definitely durable. I have dropped metal thing and thought for sure I chipped a tile, but no. But let me tell you, it(tile) is fucking cold over here in bend. Gotta wear slippers, and it’s hard. I like to sit and stretch on the floor and lay on the floor for a spell for my back. I can tell it’s harder than my other place with raised foundation and real 1940’s hardwood. Wouldn’t think so but I can feel it. High quality engineered wood can be durable but ultimately it’s a particle board and isn’t as durable as ceramic tile. Tile doesn’t scratch easy. The tile is a total bitch to change out though. It will last a long time. I would hire out tile work and do thin grout gaps. So I could just cry once.

But you also rent this space? That could change things. Carpet is super cheap and can get changed out every tenant or few years for whatever is in style(it’s grey now I think). A rolly office chair or similar can destroy engineered wood quickly, or a potted plant that leaks.

I would consider your long term goals too. How long do you need or want it to last. Will it make your house worth more in the long term or more desirable. Probably doesn’t matter in Jackson hole.
 
junkyard

junkyard

You might feel a little prick.
Sep 1, 2015
2,601
2,303
San Diego
I forgot to add, my bathroom has a heated section. It’s electric and under tile. It works and is nice on my feet. It’s a small section so I don’t have any idea of electric consumption and it was there when I bought the place so no idea on install. it’s only by the shower and toilet and I can’t see where it is at all. I would think you wouldn’t put it by the walls because no one stands there.
 
boostindoubles

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,880
6,178
Yakistan
I re-did part of the concrete floor at my last house. I rented a concrete wet sander tool from the local tool rental and ground the floor down nice and smooth. Then we painted it with that glossy floor paint. It was easy to clean but bad to drag furniture on. We used big rugs so it wasnt cold and slippery to walk on.

In another room we put in that soft vinyl click together floor and floated it on some thin padding. The soft stuff shapes to the seams and cracks better than the brittle stuff. It turned out nice and we did it ourselves.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,442
20,248
Sleazattle
boostindoubles said:
I re-did part of the concrete floor at my last house. I rented a concrete wet sander tool from the local tool rental and ground the floor down nice and smooth. Then we painted it with that glossy floor paint. It was easy to clean but bad to drag furniture on. We used big rugs so it wasnt cold and slippery to walk on.

In another room we put in that soft vinyl click together floor and floated it on some thin padding. The soft stuff shapes to the seams and cracks better than the brittle stuff. It turned out nice and we did it ourselves.
Click to expand...

With a painted floor it is a lot easier to hose away pools of blood if you have an-in floor drain.


From paper cuts and such.
 
Jozz

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,887
7,424
SADL
Quality engineering wood will be more expensive than tiles. Tiles will be most durable. Please, no tiles that are made to look like something it's not. Base your selection on whether you intend to keep the house for a long time or sell within a short period.

Radiant heating is not cheap, but the comfort level of the floor is worth it in my opinion. Check out the Schluter line of product.
 
Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,345
8,902
Crawlorado
This a DIY or you hiring the job out? Gonna ahead and assume someone else is doing it.

We'll be doing flooring in our basement soon and will be going with Dricore foam panel underlayment (R4) + LVP. The LVP is advertised as waterproof and after laying it in our full bath 6 months ago, I have little evidence to disagree.
 
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Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
We redid our bathrooms with wood-look tile. It was gorgeous. We'll use the same when we eventually redo our bathroom here.

For the basement, I would do wood-look tile or vinyl. I think vinyl would be really nice as it's a little less sensitive to temperature/a better insulator, so it's less likely your feet would get cold. They make some great options now and it doesn't seem like a bad way to go.
 
OGRipper

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,654
1,129
NORCAL is the hizzle
Radiant heat under tile is super comfy and durable. CBJ's floor looks awesome. I personally hate wall-to-wall carpet and it seems like a particularly bad idea for a place that might get wet from time to time. You can always throw down a few area rugs if desired.

You could also look into some of the pimp garage flooring products (coupled with radiant heat), but that could get pricey for 1,000 feet.
 
CBJ

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,878
4,221
Copenhagen, Denmark
OGRipper said:
Radiant heat under tile is super comfy and durable. CBJ's floor looks awesome. I personally hate wall-to-wall carpet and it seems like a particularly bad idea for a place that might get wet from time to time. You can always throw down a few area rugs if desired.

You could also look into some of the pimp garage flooring products (coupled with radiant heat), but that could get pricey for 1,000 feet.
Click to expand...
Thanks mand it was a big project. We also lowered the floor and moved all pipes into the floor plus all new electric but I now have an super nice basement and actually rental income too. One thing I highly recommend is ventilation. I have 4 ventilators that first blow out air and then suck in fresh air and reuse heat from the air pulled out. Really helps the air quality.
 
CBJ

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,878
4,221
Copenhagen, Denmark
Jozz said:
What brand did you get?
Click to expand...
I have two of these

S4 PLUS ventilationsløsning til sommerhuse og kældre

Nem måde at få ventilation i din bolig. Med et rums løsninger kan ventilationen tilpasses det enkelte rums behov.
dukaventilation.dk dukaventilation.dk

but I also have two from another company and I think they are manufactured by the same company just different brand names. There is something inside the pipe that is heated up when air is pulled out that then is used to heat up air being pulled in for something like 70-80% reuse of heat. Huge difference in air quality and also helps reduce risk of radon ase the air is sucked out of the rooms.
 
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