Painted basement floor vs Vinyl planks..
#1
03-08-16, 06:15 PM
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Painted basement floor vs Vinyl planks..
I'm struggling to make a decision with finishing our basement concrete floor. I have finished the basement in terms of walls, ceilings etc, now it's down to the flooring and final trimwork.
I'm on the fence between doing some kind of midrange, if not cheap, vinyl plank flooring or just painting the floor with a nice quality paint and putting down large area rugs. Water seepage/moisture not an issue. This floor was painted in the past, but since them has worn out or peeled in spots where kids spilled a drink or two- I used the cheap box store basement/porch floor paint.
has anyone here done the painted floors instead and used rugs? Did you find that to be satisfying enough for a "Livable" space down there in terms of a tv area, office area etc?
thank you for any thoughts and advice!
Greg
I'm on the fence between doing some kind of midrange, if not cheap, vinyl plank flooring or just painting the floor with a nice quality paint and putting down large area rugs. Water seepage/moisture not an issue. This floor was painted in the past, but since them has worn out or peeled in spots where kids spilled a drink or two- I used the cheap box store basement/porch floor paint.
has anyone here done the painted floors instead and used rugs? Did you find that to be satisfying enough for a "Livable" space down there in terms of a tv area, office area etc?
thank you for any thoughts and advice!
Greg
#2
03-08-16, 06:54 PM
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As someone has already painted and the floor has failed, you are now beholden to what ever prep they did that obviously did not hold up. You will have future failure with paint. I would go with a click or floating vinyl floor. Easy to install and lift to dry with the very rare 100 yr flood that would bring moisture into your basement.
#4
03-08-16, 07:19 PM
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Pulpo- do you mean like rubber mats? I googled around and found this, looks interesting:
Premium Soft Wood Tiles - Interlocking Foam Mats
But Im not sure I want my floor to feel like Im at the gym, and imagine it's not quick to sweep dust off of it. But Im intrigued with the wood look mats and will order the free samples they offer. Thanks!
Premium Soft Wood Tiles - Interlocking Foam Mats
But Im not sure I want my floor to feel like Im at the gym, and imagine it's not quick to sweep dust off of it. But Im intrigued with the wood look mats and will order the free samples they offer. Thanks!
#6
03-09-16, 03:41 AM
We used to paint a lot of basement floors back when I was young. Painted concrete floors is often problematic. While improper prep can be to blame the most common cause for the paint failure is moisture migrating thru the slab - that will make paint peel every time! I'm glad folks got away from painting basement floors 
If moisture is not an issue and proper prep is done, painted floors can be a nice economical finish but I agree with the others that there are better alternatives.
If moisture is not an issue and proper prep is done, painted floors can be a nice economical finish but I agree with the others that there are better alternatives.
#7
03-22-16, 02:25 PM
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We're at the same point of a basement renovation. We're doing carpeting in the main area, which you can go pretty cheap with a berber/low-pile carpet if you wish. In our utility/laundry/workshop area, I was thinking of painting the concrete, or possibly using an epoxy flooring like what is found in some garages (like this).
#8
03-22-16, 06:00 PM
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Yes, we would love to do the carpet as well but can't. Our two cats could easily ruin it anytime with even the smallest accident.
But we have come to a decision finally, after many hours of research. We are painting the concrete floors, and will do large throw rugs. Apparently the vinyl planks are only worth the investment only if you go higher shelf, where the "wear" layer is far more than the lowly 4 mil standard. And I've read too many reviews of minor scratches or seams popping apart, to take that chance. We are very excited to do the paint and will try to do a two tone approach, with a rag applicator for a textured look like people do on walls.
As for the epoxy, yeah we are looking at that. but not sure we want that- it would look cool for a mancave perhaps or garage but for an all purpose family and TV area, maybe not. Trying to find a good quality gloss enamel floor paint, then I'm ready to roll (pun intended).
But we have come to a decision finally, after many hours of research. We are painting the concrete floors, and will do large throw rugs. Apparently the vinyl planks are only worth the investment only if you go higher shelf, where the "wear" layer is far more than the lowly 4 mil standard. And I've read too many reviews of minor scratches or seams popping apart, to take that chance. We are very excited to do the paint and will try to do a two tone approach, with a rag applicator for a textured look like people do on walls.
As for the epoxy, yeah we are looking at that. but not sure we want that- it would look cool for a mancave perhaps or garage but for an all purpose family and TV area, maybe not. Trying to find a good quality gloss enamel floor paint, then I'm ready to roll (pun intended).
#9
03-22-16, 09:09 PM
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Cool, if you want, post a picture of how it turns out! I'm debating painting our utility area, but there are some bumps in the concrete from when they did the waterproofing, and I'm not sure if I should, or how I could, try to fix that beforehand.
