Find the Right Basement Flooring for Your Home
A finished basement opens up living space for you and your family—and can provide a cooler area to enjoy during warmer summer months. Whether you're laying floors in your basement for the first time or are replacing your current basement flooring, we have all the information you need to make the best decision for your home, from floor materials to colors, textures to finishes, and tips for installation.
Our Favorite Flooring Types for Basements
Basements are often the hardest-working rooms in the house. Whether they're used as kids' playrooms, laundry rooms, storage spaces, home gyms, or offices, these versatile spaces can bear the brunt of family wear and tear. Choose a product that can meet the demands of your basement space for long-term satisfaction.
With Duravana's Dual Defense waterproof technology, these floors are protected from everyday spills, splashes and accidents. The waterproof planks are paired with a state-of-the-art locking mechanism that creates a watertight seal, preventing liquids from seeping between planks. Plus Hybrid Resilient floors are kid-proof and pet-proof, with the same extreme dent-resistance of premium vinyl plus 50% more wear resistance.
Enjoy a real wood floor with added water protection by choosing to install engineered hardwood with moisture resistance.
Protect your floor against splashes and spills with water-resistant laminate. Wood-look and stone-look options give you plenty of style choices.
For additional water protection and peace of mind, consider a waterproof laminate floor.
Waterproof, affordable, and with a simplified installation process, peel-and-stick vinyl is a popular choice for high-traffic areas.
Waterproof and resilient luxury vinyl flooring is available both in wood- and stone-effect finishes.
Rigid vinyl planking is designed to last and is fully waterproof. Choose from a wide range of colors and styles,
Cork floors are comfortable underfoot, offer great heat and sound insulation, and are available in waterproof versions.
Find Your Basement Floor Style
Thinking about your personal style and finding a floor to match is one of the best parts of any floor renovation project. But keep in mind that the right flooring should last you for years to come, so don't rush this part of the process. When shopping for basement flooring, the first thing to consider is how you're planning to use your basement space. Are you making a recreation room for the kids? A home gym for you? Or maybe you're creating a guest suite complete with a bathroom for visiting friends and family. Once you've decided how to use the space, you'll be one step closer to understanding your flooring needs.
When it comes to colors and finishes, consider your overall design scheme––would a light-colored floor work for the look you have in mind, or would the contrast of a dark wood finish create more impact? Perhaps you're planning a laundry room where you'd like to bring in a stone-effect floor. LL Flooring has a wide spectrum of colors and finishes available, from weathered-style barn planks to ultra-realistic marble-look vinyl and everything in between. Browse our website for design guides that can help you narrow down your choices, or drop into one of our stores to talk to a flooring expert in person.
Considerations for Basement Flooring
Along with style and color, you'll need to think about wear resistance and maintenance when deciding which floor to install in your basement.
How Much Use Will Your Basement Floor Get?
A laundry room or gym room floor will get much heavier use than a guest room that's only used occasionally. Elegant engineered hardwood might work well for a guest room, while sturdy vinyl planks will suit a home gym filled with heavy equipment. In addition, look for a product that can stand up to foot traffic and heavy items like treadmills, dryers, and storage units.
Laundry rooms and bathrooms will need waterproof floors to protect against potential water damage and allow for wet mopping. Laminate and vinyl both come in waterproof versions. For rooms that are used by kids and pets, a scuff-resistant floor like vinyl or laminate would be the smart choice.
If you're planning a yoga studio space or music room, then consider cork flooring, with its sound-insulating properties. Cork is one of the most sustainable flooring options available on the market as cork bark is harvested from living trees that go on to produce new bark. Cork flooring feels warm and comfortable underfoot. You can find classic cork tiles or plank-length cork for a more contemporary look. Some brands of cork floors are even waterproof.
Is Your Sub-Floor Ready?
Another consideration is the state of your sub-floor. While many flooring types recommend installing over underlayment, sometimes basement floors have a few more lumps and bumps. If this is the case for you, a product like rigid vinyl plank could work well because the plastic-stone composite core can help smooth out a slightly uneven surface.
DIY or Hire a Contractor?
Some types of flooring and subfloor configurations are more DIY-friendly than others. While an experienced DIYer can install many floors, we recommend hiring a professional installer. For example, peel-and-stick vinyl is one of the simplest types of flooring to install yourself as it comes with adhesive already attached. Click-together engineered hardwood, vinyl, or laminate floors are also manageable for enthusiastic DIY-ers. On the other hand, if you're considering traditional hardwood floors, you might decide to hire an independent contractor to install them. Whatever floor you decide on, find an array of high-quality choices at LL Flooring.
Ready to begin? Stop by your nearest LL Flooring store or browse flooring options online. You can even upload photos of your basement to our Picture It! Floor Visualizer and see an image of what your newly-installed floors could look like before you make your decision.
And we're here to help every step of the way. At LL Flooring, we provide basement flooring options, accessories, such as quarter round and baseboards.
We have professional services, and also the tools and guides to make your flooring experience incredible—from inspiration to installation.
Would you like to share pictures of a basement project? Show us! First follow @LLFlooringOFficial on Facebook or Instagram - then use #LLStyle.