What is with tiled basements in this area? (wood floors, townhouse)

[slclady]

My husband and I are looking at homes and we keep seeing homes where the entire basement is tiled! I don't understand this. The basement family room is supposed to be cozy, right? Tile does not say cozy to me.

So I'm wondering if people do this for a reason. Is it because of flood potential or something? I'm from Utah where floods aren't something we worry about too much. And we love our cozy carpeted family rooms!

[wildbeast]

I do not know why some tile their basement. Could be worried about cleanup in case of basement flooding.
You are thinking of 'Floods". Not a typical problem in most of Virginia, has happened, just depends on where you live.
I think more basements are flooded from poor drainage around the house and sump pump failure, can be problem with heavy rains.

[sullyguy]

I can see using tile in the basement - either linoleum tile (not flooring) or ceramic-style with throw rugs of some sort.

I have a large unfinished basement. That place is dry as a bone and has been dry as a bone for more than 20 years.

Except twice.

Both times the cause was sump pump failure (water-depth-sensing switch failure) and water rising right THROUGH the concrete floor as well as from around the floating-slab edge. Each time the amount of water was minimal - 1/4"==>1/2" in only part of the basement...but can you imagine the horrible damage had the flooring been carpet?

So...whenever I get around to finalizing the finishing of this basement (Soon! Soon! Studs and pre-connect wiring in for 10 years now!) I certainly am considering some sort of tile floor.

[LynchburgLover]

Never thought of the basement as "cozy". I thought of it as a practically indestrucible place for children: playdough, easels and finger paint, school projects etc are much easier to clean up on tile. It is also easier to build block towers etc on level flooring. My kids even roller skated on rainy days. We always had area rugs near the tv/sofa area.

[CaliTerp07]

I'm with you! I hate tile floors in the basement! It's so cold and uninviting. As we look at houses, I'm mentally calculating the cost of putting in carpet in any basement rec rooms.

I'm one of the weird ones who wants carpet in the bedrooms too though. I don't like cold wood floors when I get out of bed in the winter.

[Kembek]

I installed vinyl wood-look tile in my lower level for three reasons: 1. The washer is in that area. Shortly after installation a hose burst and there was water to clean up. On the good side, the water cleaned the floor. 2. I have a sliding glass door and knew I'd be in and out a lot in the warm months. Tile makes for easier cleanup. 3. My floor is not level, so vinyl was able to conform to the floor. I have an area rug on top of the tile. It works for me.

[slclady]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

I'm with you! I hate tile floors in the basement! It's so cold and uninviting. As we look at houses, I'm mentally calculating the cost of putting in carpet in any basement rec rooms.

I'm one of the weird ones who wants carpet in the bedrooms too though. I don't like cold wood floors when I get out of bed in the winter.

I'm the same. I don't care for cold floors in bedrooms. Carpet lovers unite!

[CAVA1990]

The only rooms in my house with carpet are in the basement. The entire main floor is hardwood, cork (kitchen), and tile (bathrooms). I prefer hardwood with area rugs to carpet.

[marie5v]

Tile floors are practical for several reasons. First, they are pretty flood-proof. Also, even if there is not a complete flood, they are better for damp areas. Carpets can get a little moldy and musty if the room tends to be damp. Also, tile is just a really durable floor - much more than carpet or hardwood. I'd prefer a tiled basement floor, or maybe even cement, but I'd put lots of area carpets over it. It's so humid in VA...a lot of my friends have carpeted basements, and they always feel damp and smell funny.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by Kembek

I installed vinyl wood-look tile in my lower level . . . Tile makes for easier cleanup. 3. My floor is not level, so vinyl was able to conform to the floor. I have an area rug on top of the tile. It works for me.

I've used these types of tile before and their quite nice. Seems like they're getting better and better too. It has the look of wood but resilience and ease of vinyl. The finished floor looked better than I had imagined.

Our townhouse in Loudoun Co had a walk-out basement (not walk-up) and we put carpet down when we finished it which worked fine. However, as others have stated, I would not use carpet if there is a concrete floor that tends to be damp.