quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
Also, eventually, we probably want to install a railing on the outside of those stairs, do we need to do that at the time that we do the flooring or could it wait?

I'm only responding to this one item. I'd do something about that open staircase sooner rather than later. I say that because of a personal experience.

I was helping a friend track down an electrical problem and was in his basement when my two-year-old daughter decided to come downstairs to see what I was doing. As far as I could reconstruct, she leaning on the wall at the top of the open side of the stairs for support as she came down, only to run out of wall as she descended. I heard a sound and turned to see her tumbling headfirst from the stairs to the concrete floor below. I still remember the sickening sound as her skull hit the concrete.

Fortunately, no permanent damage was done. We had to watch her for signs of concussion, but children can be amazingly resiliant. Nevertheless, any time I see that variety of stair, it gives me a cold chill.

Big Al

WTG, looks great! Re the raised tiles

quote:

I've been surprised at how much of a thermal break they provide. The floor feels much warmer underfoot.

Yes, one of the complaints I read about LVP in basements is how cold the floor feels. I bet that pocket of air between the tiles and the subfloor or concrete makes all the difference.

Steve,

quote:

I’m surprised that I missed the railing because usually it’s the first thing I look for. That installation is not code compliant and it’s a a hazard, IMO.

Yeah, we want to add a railing eventually. So, can we add it without taking up the carpet on the stairs?

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:

quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:

Anyway, how would it change our course of action if the current sump included waste discharge?

The backup pump would have to accommodate the waste. And/or you would avoid using the downstairs bath if the primary pump failed.

Ah, ok. I don't think the sump and waste lines are connected, but I'll check the next time I'm there.

Jodi,

quote:

I was told basement (cement) floors need to breath, that you don’t want to put a waterproof flooring on them

I think I maybe read about this, although it wasn't phrased this way. It makes sense though.

But again re our old house, the raised tiles that we used in the basement there had a lot of give. But I don't think LVP flooring does.

Another thing to keep in mind.

quote:

I still remember the sickening sound as her skull hit the concrete.

OMG. Just reading this is giving me a heart attack.

quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
Jodi,

quote:

I was told basement (cement) floors need to breath, that you don’t want to put a waterproof flooring on them

I think I maybe read about this, although it wasn't phrased this way. It makes sense though.

But again re our old house, the raised tiles that we used in the basement there had a lot of give. But I don't think LVP flooring does.

Another thing to keep in mind.

Whether it's vinyl tile or carpet, there is always a chance that there is moisture in the concrete that can get trapped and/or transfer to the flooring put over it.

How to check your concrete floor and what can be done:

https://www.thespruce.com/test...for-moisture-1821688

I only did a quick review of the article, but I didn't see a concrete sealer as an option. edit: I just found a mention of the sealer.

I think that's something that can be done so you don't have to go the sleeper route. I just saw an episode of Ask This Old House where they were doing an epoxy coating on a garage floor. The moisture test showed the slab was damp, and they sealed the concrete before applying the epoxy finish.

Interesting! That site says waterproof luxury vinyl flooring is suitable for a concrete slab that is still transmitting some amount of water vapor, but if the flooring is airtight (or close to it), that doesn't seem ideal. Maybe they just mean that the water vapor won't damage the flooring, which isn't the only consideration.

Anyway, maybe we need to live there for a while before we can make a good decision about what to do.

So maybe we'll just do the sump pump, back-up battery, and railing for the stairs and call it a day.

Maybe.... I'm going to get home this evening and think I have this all figured out, and have to read 4 pages of WTF to Mr. SK to get him up to speed!

I added a bit about concrete sealer to my previous post...

quote:

the sleeper route

What's the sleeper route?

If you get just a little bit of water, you can usually dry out the carpet with fans and dehumidifiers and be ok. I wouldn't necessarily assume that water seepage means the end of your carpet. Heck, at our last house, we had a pretty good flood - maybe a foot of water. We dried it all out fast with some rented industrial fans and dehumidifiers and it was ok - even the drywall was. (I have a very sensitive nose for mold/mildew and it never smelled so that's why I'm assuming it was fine.) I think maybe they used that green waterproof drywall like they use in bathrooms though.

We have carpet in our basement now and I like it - basement floors are COLD and carpet helps keep the room feeling cozy. We are on a hill and have a daylight drain and the only times we've had any water in the basement was due to clogged gutters (knock on wood) so I feel pretty confident that barring a major foundation crack or something, we should be ok.

We also carpeted our basement stairs and I kind of wish we hadn't done that - the carpet on the stairs seems to be wearing faster than the main room (probably because the traffic is all concentrated right there). I think eventually we'll have to remove the stair carpet and stain the stairs or something. That's just something to think about if you do decide to replace the flooring. Personally, I think your basement looks great as is and I would just leave it be for a while. That gives you time to decide what you want and also see if water really is a problem.

Also, that vinyl/tile flooring looks to me like they were trying to give you an entryway for entering from the outisde door there -- somewhere where muddy shoes wouldn't immediately get on to the carpet. My mother's basement entry door has the same small area of tile surrounded by carpet. In your house, it looks like they intentionally made a walkway from that outside door to that door on the opposite side of the room so maybe they expected a lot of traffic going back and forth - like if that was a laundry room or the place they stored the gardening tools or something. Anyway, again, leaving all your flooring be will give you time to see how often you use that door and whether you need the same "weatherproof" entryway setup or if you want to make the whole room "weatherproof" flooring.

Sleepers:

https://www.bhg.com/home-impro...sleeper-floor-frame/