Tile in basement w/ kids?

We just bought a new home and are renovating it. I purposely wanted a basement for the kids (we have a 1 yr old and another one on the way) - i just wanted a safe place for them to play in as our previous home didnt have a basement and was not childproof at all. DH noticed the basement carpet that is in there now is wet and moisture is coming through the floor - he says it will always be issue and we have to put in tile instead of carpet im just nervous the kids will get hurt and that was part of the reason we bought the house. Is it really as big of a problem w/ kids as i think?

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

Def put tiles down. Then get a large area rug, and put rug padding underneath for the kids. We made the mistake of carpeting and the basement flooded because of a drain back up when we were not home

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

thanks for the advice!

Tile in basement w/ kids?

Tile in the basement for sure. As PP said, get area rugs/foam squares to soften the areas the kids will play in. You don't want your kids to be exposed to the mold/mildew that could linger in wet carpet.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

They make some really nice interlocking tiles for the basement which are more of a rubber type of material and are nowhere near as hard as tile. They are actually not glued down so that if water gets into the basement or they get damaged it is not a big deal to lift them up or remove/replace them. Check with your contractor as I'm sorry but I don't know who the manufacturer is.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

As an aside, you also should seriously consider waterproofing the basement as much as possible.

We live close to the water so are pretty much F'ed with this anyway, but DH did as much as possible to put in drains and re-grade the outside and waterproof everything.

If we get another Sandy, it is what it is, but at least now it's not as bad with a major rainstorm.

If there's moisture down there now, I wouldn't be surprised if that basement floods.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

do the tile, then an area rug. How is the humidity in the basement? We just got a dehumidifier and empty it everyone in the summer. The humidity down there made everything wet.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

Moisture is a mold factory, even under tile. I would look into fixing that issue first. Especially if you are making a play area for young children. It is fine to put an area rug/foam tiles over tile. I would not put rug in a basement.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

tiles are fine if you just cover it with area rugs or playmats, however moisture if an issue regardless so have someone look at it...maybe if you fix the issue you can recarpet

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

if the water is coming up through the rug, it will damage the tile and grout too.

You need to waterproof or fix why there is water in the basement.

the tile is just going to help with water that goes on top - where the tile is sealed. It's not going to help if the tile is coming up from the bottom, where the adhesive and grout are. KWIM.

Do you have a sump pump/french drains?

You can get area rugs for pretty cheap and those foam tile mats too for a play area.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

we have tile in the basement, and never had any problem with our 3 kids. We didn't finish the basement so I had no choice but if I did I would go with tile with radiant heat. The tiles get so cold in the winter.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

We have tiles (which we will be redoing with new tiles) and plan on putting an area rug and those play mats for our son.

Re: Tile in basement w/ kids?

we put tiles in when we re-did our basement. best thing we did. we have an area rug down and will probably get some foam tiles for when DS starts crawling and moving around.

Tile is also great cause we have a bar and big tv down there, we entertain alot. makes cleaning up food and spills soooo much easier and cleaner.