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The first and foremost thing that you have to decide before even thinking about the kind of means and materials to be adopted for preparing your basement floor, is to decide the kind of activity you plan to have within the basement. You will agree that you can't have the same kind of flooring for using it as a workshop, as when you want to use it as a music room. Basements are also being used for a personal gym, and library too, apart from the most often utilization as a storage place for food or even for housing laundry. The purpose you intend using it for decides the preparation and thus the final treatment. For instance, if the intended purpose were storage of food on a long-term basis, the flooring wouldn't matter much. Having determined the purpose, you may go ahead with the planning and preparations for the installation of desired flooring. Irrespective of the material that you may have to cove the floor, one very basic requirement has to be taken care of. And that is moisture. As a basement is below ground level it tends to draw moisture from the earth beneath it. You may not be able to see it, but it definitely is there. In due course of time you may be able to sense a smell of mildew or musty odor to confirm its presence. With concrete setting, water will start appearing on the walls or floor of the basement if it had not been sealed properly. That is because cement is porous by nature. Therefore it is imperative to give a waterproofing treatment to keep moisture away from the basement.
If you are not pleased with having base concrete as basement flooring, you may have an additional material fixed over it to give it a more comfortable look to and thus reduce the possibility of damage being caused by moisture. It imparts the finished floor a smoother and warmer look. It also aids to dry the final basement flooring faster and better in case there is a broken pipe or even a simple water spillage. But in case of a very dry basement, you could avoid the installation of a sub floor.
Quite a few basement-flooring ideas do consider the different types of materials that may be employed for installation. If you are thinking of making use of your basement as a plain bedroom, like many house owners do, you need to consider who is going to stay in that room. If it is going to be for visitors who are not going to stay for long, you may opt for flooring that may comprise of low-priced materials. You may choose a material that needs low maintenance as compared to wood or carpets. Even a plain cement floor will suffice. Use a bit of your imagination and mix and match the colors of the walls and ceilings to get a cool effect, as basements are naturally enclosed spaces with no windows.
Ceramic or porcelain tiling is a good and economical option because tiles are easier to clean and maintain. Another advantage is that the installation is not so time consuming. But the preparation of floor is the most important part of the process of fixing the tiles. Before starting with the installation of tiles you have to make sure that the floor is totally free of dirt and filth and there should be no visible cracks or creases. Any such unevenness may cause the tiles to crack. Once the grout has set in and the tiles are shining, you can move in all your planned items to the basement and enjoy the surroundings of your room.
