Advice on flooring for the basement apartment

[Guest]

Hi All,

I need some help choosing an appropriate flooring for the basement apartment in the San Franciscan. I cut a new floor for the basement bash from plywood today and that got me wondering what do people use as flooring in basements... We don't have basements in Australia (well I don't want to say we don't ever have them, but I've never seen one.. they are pretty rare).. so I'm not sure what you use, given the associated damp issues etc. My first choice would be wood but I'm not sure that that is appropriate. Tile sounds practical and I will use it in the bathroom but it seems a little cold for a living area that doubles as a bedroom. I don't want carpet because there is a kitchenette also, plus does anyone put carpet in a basement? Seems fraught with issues. .. I thought about a brick floor, or cork tile for practicality and a bit of warmth but I'm not sold..

What does one put on a basement floor?

 

[Cyn-AK]

Hi Samantha,

I don't live in a San Franciscan style home here in Alaska.... But I do have a basement. My real basement floor is concrete, over that we had carpet padding layed then a nice carpet on top. I do have a bathroom down stairs as well with tile flooring. Boy does it ever get COLD in the Winter.... Not sure if that is helpful.....  

[KathieB]

It depends on how the basement is finished. If it's a living area, then treat it as you would on any floor.

In our Missouri house we had ceramic tile in the family room area. The rest of the basement (laundry, half bath, and work/craft areas) we painted the concrete floor, which turned out to be a mistake, as dampness from beneath caused the paint to bubble and flake off in a few areas. Not pretty, but hey, it was a basement.

In a mini house, you can assume it is in a dry area that won't trigger any issues with whatever you use for flooring.

 

[havanaholly]

The houses I've been in that had finished basements usually had some sort of tile over the concrete floor.  As its a dollhouse, I would finish it however its story dictates.

[Sable]

Linoleum tile is what we had in my childhood basement.

[Mid-life madness]

3 hours ago, havanaholly said:

 As its a dollhouse, I would finish it however its story dictates.

Ditto what Holly suggested.

Maybe a faux ceramic tile floor. You can add accent rugs for warmth. Plus if it is a rental unit, they are very durable

[Guest]

Well, I have brick floors stuck in my head, so I think I'm going to explore that option for a while and see where it goes. Thanks for the input ladies.
This picture has been speaking to me. It already has the ceiling I had planned and I like the floor with it... Not sure if I can pull it off but we shall see. 

[havanaholly]

What a wonderful treatment for a basement apartment!  I'd go with it.

[Debsrand56]

Oh, I like that floor!  You could really do anything, since the apartment is really just ground level, not underground, but that is such a beautiful room.  I'd definitely give it a try.  Will you do white furniture, too?

[fov]

When I lived in an apartment behind the garage, the floor was concrete with carpet over it. (It was not a very pleasant apartment!) A nicer in-law apartment would have hardwoods. Even if it started out as part of the basement/garage, a legit renovation takes care of the moisture issues so hardwood isn't a problem. (A lot of SF in-law apartments are *not* legit renovations, but that's another story!)

If you're going for authenticity, this is a great book about San Francisco Victorians and how they were traditionally decorated, inside and out: https://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Style-Randolph-Delehanty/dp/0811853608

But of course, do what you want to do! People do different things to their houses, so just because it "would have been" one way when it was built doesn't mean it couldn't have been renovated!

[KathieB]

35 minutes ago, fov said:

... just because it "would have been" one way when it was built doesn't mean it couldn't have been renovated!

That's a good thing to keep in mind no matter what house has your attention.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Debsrand56 said:

Oh, I like that floor!  You could really do anything, since the apartment is really just ground level, not underground, but that is such a beautiful room.  I'd definitely give it a try.  Will you do white furniture, too?

Yes Deborah, I was always intending to do white furniture or at least pale neutrals with aged wood accents. Off to the hardware to buy some builders foam. I'm going to try to carve some bricks into a sheet of it, rather than lay egg carton. Of course, it will depend on whether I can seal it to make it more durable. Some testing required.

 

[havanaholly]

Sam, you want to be very careful what you use to seal the builder's foam, as some oil-based sealers will melt it.  Patricia King does brick finishes in foam, but I don't recall that she sealed hers.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

Sam, you want to be very careful what you use to seal the builder's foam, as some oil-based sealers will melt it.  Patricia King does brick finishes in foam, but I don't recall that she sealed hers.

Haha.. yes Holly.. Spray adhesive will melt it as well.. don't ask me how I know this.

 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, fov said:

When I lived in an apartment behind the garage, the floor was concrete with carpet over it. (It was not a very pleasant apartment!) A nicer in-law apartment would have hardwoods. Even if it started out as part of the basement/garage, a legit renovation takes care of the moisture issues so hardwood isn't a problem. (A lot of SF in-law apartments are *not* legit renovations, but that's another story!)

If you're going for authenticity, this is a great book about San Francisco Victorians and how they were traditionally decorated, inside and out: https://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Style-Randolph-Delehanty/dp/0811853608

But of course, do what you want to do! People do different things to their houses, so just because it "would have been" one way when it was built doesn't mean it couldn't have been renovated!

Yes, the apartment will be renovated... it's how the tiny occupants are funding the rest of the renovation.  Plus, I don't want a dingy apartment with ratty old carpet.. I've lived in one of those in SoCal myself.. no desire to relive that. ;)

I'm going to check out that book. Thanks Emily.

[otterine]

I have done faux stone on builders foam using a technique I found on a modeling website.  Gesso was used to seal it and then acrylic paints and spackling for grout.
http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/the-aero-squadron-lounge-structural

I have also done egg carton stone floors, which will give you more texture.  They go faster because the tiles are larger, but they are still a lot of work.
http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/egg-carton-stone-tiles

Another foam type is called Cellfoam 88 here.  It's very thin and white; it comes in different sizes and thicknesses.  I've used that to make stone for a tower, so you could use the same treatment as the builders foam but it would be thinner and perhaps easier for a floor.  I used gesso and acrylics on it, too.  Woodland Scenics also makes white foam sheets.
http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/the-aero-squadron-lounge-tower-1

[Guest]

1 hour ago, otterine said:

I have done faux stone on builders foam using a technique I found on a modeling website.  Gesso was used to seal it and then acrylic paints and spackling for grout.
http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/the-aero-squadron-lounge-structural

I have also done egg carton stone floors, which will give you more texture.  They go faster because the tiles are larger, but they are still a lot of work.
http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/egg-carton-stone-tiles

Another foam type is called Cellfoam 88 here.  It's very thin and white; it comes in different sizes and thicknesses.  I've used that to make stone for a tower, so you could use the same treatment as the builders foam but it would be thinner and perhaps easier for a floor.  I used gesso and acrylics on it, too.  Woodland Scenics also makes white foam sheets.
http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/the-aero-squadron-lounge-tower-1

Thanks Brae! That's a lot of great information. I think I saw the foam bricks on a site where someone was making war-game castles out of it... I'm not sure it's going to be the best option so I'm keeping egg carton in my back pocket.  But looking at your Aero Squadron gives me confidence. Your brick & stone work turned out fantastic.  

I'm definitely going to see if I can source the Cellfoam 88 here.