Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Which Carpet Is Best for a Basement?

By Rob Terry


If you are thinking about carpeting your home's basement the first thing you will want to make sure of is that your basement is waterproofed. The majority of basements aren't designed to have long lasting quality carpet unless it has been finished. Having your basement finished can help to eliminate existing water problems that you may currently have within your basement. Even if your basement is finished, however, there can still be issues with water due to high moisture problems. One example is if you have leaky gutters water can sit stagnant around your basement and that moisture can actually be forced through its walls even though they are solid concrete.

Even if you are able to get your basement's moisture levels under control you'll still want to take extra steps if you decide to carpet your basement. The reason is because mold and mildew are attracted to air that is moist and stagnant. Therefore, your goal should be to keep the environment in your basement dry and airy and you can do this by installing an automatic dehumidifier as well as ceiling fans. This will not only help to keep the air circulating within your basement but it will also help to make your basement more comfortable as well. Also make sure to have carpet padding installed under your carpet that has an anti-microbial built into it as this will help to keep the carpet from harboring mold and mildew.

Selecting certain carpet styles like looped, twisted or plush should also follow your main floor carpeting rules as well. For example, if you expect heavy foot traffic or pet wear and tear on your carpet you may not want to purchase the most expensive carpet on the market if you're just going to have to replace it in a few years.

You'll also want to consider what fiber you want your carpet to be made of as well as this will influence the performance of the carpet in your basement. You may want to consider purchasing carpet that is made of olefin face fiber because it is a product that is resistant to chemicals and if you find that you need to aggressively clean your carpet with something like bleach, it won't damage your carpet. Definitely make sure your carpet is made of a synthetic product and don't get something like jute-backed carpeting.

Jute backing is very similar to a potato sack, so you can guess how that would hold up to moisture. For all the possible problems associated with basement carpeting, the good news is that most basements aren't exposed to direct sunlight. Many synthetic fibers fade under sunlight. If you're able to keep moisture out of your basement, your carpet fibers should stay in good condition for many years.




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