Alltight guide

Basement flooring over concrete

Basements are where floors fail first. Here is how to pick a floor for a concrete slab and what has to happen before it goes down.

Start with moisture

Concrete slabs wick ground moisture, and in the Fraser Valley the ground is wet for months of the year. Before anything else, the slab should be checked for moisture, cracks and low spots. A floor laid over a damp slab without the right barrier can cup, smell or grow mould underneath.

Vinyl plank: the usual answer

Rigid core and luxury vinyl plank are water resistant, float over the slab, and are warmer and quieter than tile. For most basements and basement suites it is the safest choice. Use a vapour barrier or an underlayment rated for concrete, and leave the expansion gap the manufacturer calls for.

Engineered hardwood: possible with care

Engineered hardwood can go over concrete as a floating or glue down floor if the slab tests dry and a proper moisture barrier is used. It gives a real wood look downstairs, but it is less forgiving than vinyl if water ever gets in.

Laminate and solid hardwood: avoid

Laminate's fibreboard core swells if it gets wet, and solid hardwood should not go below grade. Keep both upstairs.

Prep that pays off

Grind high spots and fill low spots so the slab is flat.
Seal or bridge cracks.
Use the barrier or underlayment the product requires.
Plan transitions at stairs and doorways.
Finish with baseboard that sits tight to the new floor.

Need it done?

Flooring Installation near you

Based in Mission, serving the Fraser Valley from Agassiz and Chilliwack to Maple Ridge, Langley and White Rock.

Keep reading

More guides

Pre-hung vs slab doorsThe first question on almost every door job. Here is how we decide, and how you can tell before you buy. Baseboard and trim, explainedTrim is the detail that makes a room look finished. Here is what to decide before the first piece goes up. Choosing flooring for a Fraser Valley homeWet winters, basements on concrete and busy family homes. Here is how the main options stack up and where each one belongs. Carpet to hardwood stairsNew floors, old carpeted stairs. Here is how stairs get converted so they match the floor and look like they were always that way. Drafty front door: fix or replace?Cold air at the bottom, light around the edge, water on the sill. Most of the time the cause is simple. Here is how to tell.

Free quote

Tell us about the job

Send the details and we will get back to you, usually the same business day.