Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We have a nice finished basement that we're adding heat to, so it will be a full-time playroom soon We put nice plush carpet down there about 4 years ago, but we have a tiny flooding problem sometimes in extreme conditions (just one corner of the room) that will hopefully be fixed, but we're ripping out the carpet anyway.

What type of flooring do you have in your finished basement? I want it to be cozy for the kids to play in, but with the possible flooding issue (it's happened 3 times in the 6 years we've lived here, and thankfully it's only minor, but still frustrating & messy!) we want something practical.

What do you have?

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

In our old house we had laminate wood with area rugs. I loved it!

This house we have a flat crapet similar to what you would see in an office building. Its ugly but in great condition. We have a few colorful area rugs around to brighten things up and also define play areas.

You can also do carpet squares if you are afraid of future flooding.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

we did a an outdoor indoor type of carpet..very thin..no padding ..we had floods so it was the best to prevent mold if we ever have a flood again

heres a pic

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

we had carpeting bound wall to wall, looks installed but its not....padding underneath, can roll the whole thing up if needed...

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We have a berber rug and it is awesome. Soft and worm for them to play on, cleans up easily and hardly shows any dirt or wear.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We had this problem: a finished basement that was not waterproofed.

We paid the $$$ to have it waterproofed fully and professionally. It made a big difference with the humidity, but we ran into the question of floors.

Laminate tile or linoleum is best for floods: it stands up well & is relatively inexpensive.

Hard tile is also very good.

Both are not cushy.

Commercial carpets are OK: but you need to pay someone to clean them WELL after a flood to prevent mold.

Everyone who I spoke to recommended rugs.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

we have a low pile, indoor/outdoor type carpet but no flooding problems. if i was to do it over i'd probably just get carpet squares, i think. my subfloor isn't very level.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We have a small basement playroom that we semi-finished ourselves (just painted the concrete walls, put up plyboard ceiling) and we had a berber rug put down and it is perfect! The pile is low so there's no problem finding small pieces of toys and it's comfy too.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We have thin berber like carpet, not padded.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

laminate wood flooring. We put it down over the existing tile floor that was just laid on top of concrete! We put a vapor barrier down first. Luckily, for the bottom half of our house being mostly underground, we have no water infiltration issues. But don't get me started on the times the shower in the bathroom backs up dirty water when the cesspools are clogged/full

We have central air and a dehumidifier that runs full time down there.

Message edited 2/21/2011 1:16:50 PM.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We have a finished basement with ceramic tile throughout. It makes the basement cold in the winter but keeps it cool in the summer. It is very hard though so if your LOs take spills, not a good idea. But we do have a large rug and some foam playmat squares in the playroom area so it makes it safe for DD to play in that area.
The plus of the tile is that if anything floods it is easy clean up.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We plan on tiling the basement, and putting carpet squares in certain spots. Its going to serve more than playroom to us. Dh will have his man cave, office and drums there. Carpet thruout just wont work for what we need, and if it ever floods...yuck.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

We had similar problems with our basement and ripped up the rugs. We installed fiberfloor. It has cushion to it but is completely waterproof. Its a huge roll that you lay down and if you get water you can roll it up to dry the area and then put it back down. It is mold resistant which is great. We absolutely LOVE it! I also put a small area rug in one area on top of it as well as colorful foam mats.

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

Thanks so much everyone! My thinking was mostly along the lines as most of you!

I was thinking about the thin industrial-type carpeting like I have at my office (we have the squares at my work actually). We're having our foundation repaired where there's a visible crack, so hopefully that will help prevent future flooding but I definitely want something on the floors that's easy to deal with if need be.

Thanks again!

Re: Finished Basements that are also playrooms-- what type of flooring?

we have ceramic tiles... never had a flooding problem but DS & DH both have allergies, and carpets are a NO NO in my house.

we have an area rug and foam tiles from BJs.