When laid directly on your concrete basement floor, traditional carpeting alone is not appropriate for a basement finishing project. Water leaking into the basement from the walls and or coming from plumbing leaks as well as water vapor seeping through concrete basement floors will find its way into your basement and collect in the carpet. Soon after you’ll notice that  mold and mildew will form, releasing musty smells into your finished basement and will affect your health.  Eventuall you’ll have ti rip the carpet up and replace it. Read more »

Picking floors for the basement can be quite a task because basements often come with a set of restrictions that make you fully search  around every possible flooring option with the fear hat  moisture may ruin your floor in the future.  Its best to consider all of the options you have, like hardwood floor, laminate, ceramic and porcelain tile, for example, and make an educated decision. Read more »

Adhesive Installation Over Concrete Subfloors

Carpet with porous backings can usually be installed successfully over concrete floors, but the risk of moisture-related problems increases.

Site Conditions
The environment in which the carpet is to be installed must be controlled with the temperature between 65° F and 95° F (18° C and 35° C) and the relative humidity between 10% and 65%. The slab temperature should not be less than 65° F (18° C). These conditions must be maintained for at least 48 hours before, during, and 48 hours after the installation.

Floor Preparation
The concrete must be inspected to determine the special care that might be required to make it a suitable foundation for carpet. All cracks, holes, joints, and protrusions must be adequately addressed to ensure a smooth, finished appearance and prevent accelerated wear. Read more »

Wood is affected by climate change.  The wood fibers expand and contract with fluctuations in relative humidity. This movement and the resulting moisture problems can be controlled with proper installation techniques and the use of high quality wood flooring products.

If you’re going to be installing over concrete, it’s very important that you understand what part of the tree the boards are cut from and the manner in which the boards were processed. Both of these factors are vital to your overall success and satisfaction with the floor.  Wood cut from the center of a tree contains a higher percentage of vertical grain which makes it less susceptible to movement and thus a higher quality material. Read more »

You can install carpeting over concrete provided the necessary site conditions exist, the cement floor is prepared correctly and moisture and alkalinity testing is properly performed

Site Conditions
The environment in which the carpet is to be installed must be controlled with the temperature between 65° F and 95° F (18° C and 35° C) and the relative humidity between 10% and 65%. The slab temperature should not be less than 65° F (18° C). These conditions must be maintained for at least 48 hours before, during, and 48 hours after the installation. Read more »

Installing tile of a concrete floor is possible provided the necessary preparation steps are followed

Paint, cutback adhesives, gypsum based fillers or levelers, sealers, or chemically treated cement substrates are unsuitable surfaces to install ceramic tile over and should be removed by non-chemical methods whenever possible. Read more »

This article speaks specifically to Armstrong and Bruce Laminate flooring and may pertain to other brands of laminate flooring. Armstrong Laminate Flooring can be installed over most subfloors and existing floors on all grade levels.

All substrates must:

• meet applicable building codes
• be structurally sound
• show minimal deflection
• be dry, clean and flat

Precautions:

Read more »

All carpets are manufactured with synthetic fibers; nylon, polyester or polypropylene, and are  immune from mold and mildew.

To support mold growth, certain specific conditions must exist: humidity consistently above 60%, temperatures between 50 and 90°F, continued darkness, a pH of 3 to 8, and a food source. As a form of thermal plastic, carpet cannot, in and of itself, be a food source for supporting the growth of mold and mildew. Things like dirt and food that get trapped in the carpet fibers can become a food source, but the carpet alone cannot. Read more »