The perfect water resistant basement floors
October 12, 2016
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I'm so excited to show you the changes we've been making in the basement! If you remember, we had a water issue in my husband's office earlier this year. This was probably the tenth time this had happened and was the worst too. We had to replace walls, ceiling and baseboards and the carpet in that room was toast.
We knew the carpet had to go for many reasons and were looking for something water-resistant to replace it. I was intrigued by vinyl flooring I had heard about that looked like wood and we decided to try it.
Well, it turned out we LOVED it:
That room is done now and looks great! I still need to share that with you.
Our plan was to extend this flooring to the rest of the basement eventually. We are pretty sure (crossing fingers) we've made appropriate changes to our HVAC system (it was the culprit when it came to the water issues and we thought we had it fixed over and over) but it does make me feel better that this flooring will not be destroyed if it happens again.
The bigger issue was our sweet old cat who ruined the carpet in other parts of the basement. No matter what we did to clean the carpets he kept coming back -- if you have cats you know it's pretty much a lost cause if you have cat urine anywhere. The carpet was a mess...from the cat, the kids spilling and because of dirty spots all over from when the carpet in the office was pulled out soaking wet. We were SO over the gross carpet.
Even though I loved the soft feel of carpet in the basement, we've realized over the years we just prefer hard floors in our house. They are so much easier to keep clean and make our spaces feel so much bigger (every. single. time).
Our plan was always to extend the this Allure vinyl flooring (the color we picked was Teak) to the rest of the basement so when they contacted me about providing more of the product, I was SO thankful. Yes please! What a wonderful surprise.
We've had it for a couple months now and just last week started the process of putting it down. I did some of the floors myself but we had help for the rest of the bigger room because they were able to finish it all in one day. This is a HUGE space and that just shows you how easy it is to lay down.
We are so incredibly thrilled with the flooring and I've been excited to share it with you:
I shared how to install this flooring when we did the office, and it really needs very little explanation. There are sticky tabs along the underside of each piece of flooring that you fit onto the sticky side of the flooring on the floor...it's actually kind of fun to do. It's easy to cut too -- you can use a razor to score and snap it or use heavy duty scissors/tin snips. EASY. I promise. :)
I wondered about a few potential issues with this stuff when we installed it months ago and I've been pleasantly surprised. I worried it may be too cold underfoot and it's absolutely fine. It's nothing like the tile we have in the basement and there's no need for socks on it at all.
Also, when I researched Allure years ago (I had actually considered it way back when I saw Candice Olsen use it!), some people mentioned a smell after installation. Our basement doesn't have windows so I was concerned we'd have to deal with that, but nothing! We didn't smell a thing in my husband's office and don't in the larger part of the basement either.
When we put items back we noticed a few scuffs on the flooring:
I contacted Allure and they mentioned using the green side of a Scotch Brite sponge:
And it disappeared! I was so excited to find out this trick!:
This floor holds up GREAT and those few scuffs are the only thing that I've noticed, even after moving furniture around everywhere. I'm thrilled they come off so easily.
We rearranged a lot of furniture when the floors were done. I've been wanting to try a new layout for a year now and this was a good time to try it out -- the sectional used to face the built in cubbies:
It just created a little bit of a jam when it came to the area by the fireplace. Also, my husband's beloved recliner (that I love to sit in but hate to look at) was always in the way. Above we had it off to the right but it was in the way over there. Usually it sat right next to the sofa and it was all too tight with the support pole.
We wanted to move things around for another reason too -- our plan has always been to build in the electric fireplace in that bay window area and the sectional was right next to it. When we had contractors here working on another project they threw in framing out that area for a crazy good price so we went for it:
By the way, look what a difference the daylight bulbs make down here! No more editing pics forever and still not getting the real color of everything! (And of course, these are still on a dimmer.) This space is going to be SO GOOD! It already is but we are really excited about the fireplace area.
The flooring makes the room feel huge. The new furniture layout is going to be even better when we finish that fireplace too:
There's much better flow now -- you can walk around the whole sectional and there's a lot more open space. We all love it! Here's a view of the fireplace wall before:
And here it is now, all ready for tile!:
My vision for years has always been more modern look with floor to ceiling stacked stone and a chunky wood mantle. I'm so stinking excited to get this project started! This is the tile I found that we'll most likely go with:
Oh my goodness, I love it. It goes so well with the flooring, the walls and the whole feel of the room. I won't be able to do that till our budget allows -- I'm hoping in the next month or two.
We also have plans to extend the kitchenette area a bit. Here's how it's looked for awhile now:
Evertything is still unhooked because we're eventually adding a corner cabinet and more cabinets along that wall:
The wood wall will stay because I love it. :) We hope to add a wine/drink fridge under the counters as well. The basketball hoop is moving and I'm thinking up storage/decor ideas for that wall.
We're pretty excited about these changes! The flooring is the best part though:
I hung one of those IKEA mirrors for the future bathroom renovation and I love it down here! :)
Overall the whole basement is going to be a little more sophisticated and edited quite a bit. Our son is getting older and wants to make this space feel more grown up. I'm both thrilled and sad about that...sniff.
I'm pretty sure these shelves will go and I have an idea in mind for the TV wall above the cubbies:
Those cubbies will stay because they are AWESOME storage and I love them. Our son doesn't play with the toys as much but we have a grandson (my older stepdaugher's son), nieces and nephews and friends with younger kids who will play with them for years and years. This will always be a kid's space -- I don't want to make it too sophisticated.
We'll definitely add a rug under the sofa eventually:
I love that the new layout allows us to enjoy both the TV and the future fireplace wall. :) How fun would that be to have that done by Christmas? I'd love another mantel to decorate!
This flooring change is so awesome, we're thrilled with it. If you are looking into vinyl flooring that looks like wood, is easy to clean and is water resistant, I highly recommend it. We've had it in the office for six months and it's held up great there. It makes this room feel so much larger!:
Be sure to check out this post to see how it's installed -- it is so simple. We chose this design because it was in stock at Home Depot but Allure has a ton of other pretty colors and finishes to pick from too.
Have you tried this vinyl flooring made to look like wood? It's perfect for basements, kitchens and bathrooms but I think it would look great anywhere!
Allure provided some of our flooring for this project but all opinions and experiences are my own. I only share products and brands I use and love!
Your basement was beautiful before, but I love the changes with the new floor! Can't wait to see what else you do with the space. :)
ReplyDeleteOooooh, I REALLY want to do the stone tile + chunky mantle to my living room fireplace and cannot wait to see how you do it!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! We went with wood look vinyl flooring throughout our main living areas because my husband is wheelchair bound. It has held up beautifully, especially in the laundry room where are dog dishes are. We have a lab who is a very sloppy drinker:) Every once in a while we will notice scratches. We use a Minwax stain pen to fill them in and it is virtually undetectable.
ReplyDeleteWe are planning on putting in an electric fireplace. Do you have any tips? I can't seem to find anything in blog land. :) We also put this allure floor in our camper a couple of years ago and it has held up awesome!
ReplyDeleteWe bought ours online and there are a ton of options! Ours is more traditional looking but there are more modern versions that are cool. We had a shelf built for it in the wall and when I tile I'll make sure we can easily pull it out if it ever needs replacing. They are pretty simple simple otherwise!
DeleteI helped my dad put this vinyl plank flooring in their RV and while it does look better (anything is better than the crap they put in there). It's a great product for RVs and other specific applications (such as Anonymous' comment above), but personally, I would never put it in my house. My best friend's husband owns a flooring business and likes it but her and I are like, nope, not going in either of our homes. With that said, all that matters is that you like it and it functions for your family :)
ReplyDeleteYep, that's what matters. :)
DeleteWe would have preferred wood flooring, but we needed to cut costs when building. Our plan is to someday replace it with wood flooring and use the vinyl flooring in the basement. It really does look great though. We get a lot of compliments on it and people are amazed its not wood. I can tell though:)
DeleteLooks awesome. We are planning on using the click together vinyl flooring I think it may also be allure. It snaps together like a tongue and groove laminate. We are going to use it in our basement family room and laundry room. Currently we have old vinyl tile that our inspector believes may have asbestos. So he suggested finding a flooring that can just be installed right over top so we don't have to disturb the asbestos. Have you noticed the feet of your furniture making any divet marks in the floor from the weight? I notice our laundry machines are making marks on the tile floor we currently have and wondered if it will happen to this product too.
ReplyDeleteOur floor definitely can have divit marks in them, but I don't move our furniture around a lot, so they are not visible. I've seen marks made from high heels, but that can happen with wood too.
DeleteLove the new look! I would've never considered vinyl wood-like flooring had I not seen this post. We just moved into a "new" home that's more outdated than our former 100 year-old home. :( Because of my asthma, my doctor says the carpet in our bedroom has to go but I'd hoped to save most of our reno budget for the kitchen (which I thought was a walk-in closet on our initial walk through. Enough said. :) Now I have hope that I can do both!!
ReplyDeleteThe new floor looks beautiful and I love the new layout. What a great idea to change the fireplace wall. You would think it would make the room feel smaller but it actually feels larger! I also love that kitchette wall. Always fun to see your changes.
ReplyDeleteShelley
The new layout is fantastic! And I love the stacked stone tile for the fireplace!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear you love the flooring! Pulling up carpeting is the way to go! I'm installing Allure white maple in my kitchen and can't believe how much it looks like real wood!
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic - and this post could not have come at a better time!! I have a moisture issue in my lower level and I need to have all the floors replaced - now I'm going to have to check out Allure! Perhaps they'd want to sponsor my flooring as well? :) Love your house, always have - you have terrific style!
ReplyDeleteAlthough the flooring looks nice, I have to wonder how objective bloggers are in situations such as this. I don't recall ever seeing negative reviews about a product that was given to them by a company for promotional purposes. I'd love it too if it was free.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the post I linked to, I raved about it when we paid for it and installed it six months ago. As I mentioned, I only work with brands/products of good quality that I love. I don't mislead my readers, ever.
DeleteWhen we did out upstairs over we installed this floor in the three bedrooms and the hall. We had the bathroom tiled. After almost 2 years we still love it. We did put area rugs under the beds but it is easy to clean and looks terrific.
ReplyDeleteHow does the product hold up to heavy furniture? Any "dents" in the product?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen dent marks from our furniture, but I have seen them from dropping something heavy, or high heels. They dents do seem to "bounce back" though.
DeleteI'll have to look -- I haven't noticed anything yet but I'll check.
DeleteIts just awesome to watch this wood floor. I really every part of this home.
ReplyDeleteThe flooring looks beautiful! We had a similar situation with our basement and installed vinyl "wood" flooring about 2 years ago as well. It has held up wonderfully! And the best part is that I was afraid that it would be too cold for a basement, but it's actually quite cozy! :)
ReplyDeleteWOW! That looks great. Love the new arrangement of the furniture too.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get the stone tile for fireplace?
ReplyDeleteLowe's!
DeleteWe just started installing LVT in our basement and plan to do the whole house, with the exception of tiled bathrooms. So far we love it! It looks amazing, was much cheaper than laminate or hardwood and will (hopefully) hold up longer, and it's so easy to install!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful floors! I have been thinking about something like this for our home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Great job! I have the vinyl plank flooring - for a year now and I LOVE it, can't imagine using anything else.
ReplyDeleteI got this on sale a year ago for our basement laundry area and have yet to install it! I need to, but painting has to happen first. It is a concrete flooring and almost an extension of the garage but I want to have something nice to look at one I do laundry!!
ReplyDeleteI was curious where you purchased your accent table with the telescope on it? I have been searching for what seems like forever for a similar side table. I don't want to spend a fortune because I know my kids will be rough on it. All the tables I find at Target, etc. all seem to be to small. Thanks!
ReplyDelete:) It was a clearanced table I found at TJ Maxx and I remade the top: http://www.thriftydecorchick.com/2013/01/wood-and-metal-industrial-side-table.html
DeleteThanks! Your search sounds like mine. By the time I find something I like (and price point) it won't be in style anymore. Ha!
DeleteI've been thinking about using vinyl wood-look flooring in our new build to save costs initially, and then upgrading it after a while (or not, depending on how I like it). I don't know that I would put it in our main living areas, but I've thought about doing it upstairs in the kids' spaces. We won't have a basement, but it would be a perfect choice there.
ReplyDeleteMeant to ask... With it being stuck down, do you think it would be difficult to remove it later?
DeleteWe have this in this in our kitchen and just had estimates done for hardwood. Each place said they could install over it. No need to remove. :-)
DeleteThat looks so good, Sarah! We used vinyl plank in every single room in our last house and we loved it so much that we are planning to put it in our current home. I also used the same stone that you have chosen to resurface our previous fire place and it looked fabulous. The subtle colors and the texture...LOVE! Can't wait to see how yours turns out.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn! I'm wondering how it was received in the sale of your house. It is so much more cost effective, but how is resale when used through out a home?
DeleteWe have Allure in our basement now, too, because of water problems. I love it! It is easy to care for and looks great! Our son is actually installing some in HIS basement TODAY. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteWe had a flooding issue within a few weeks of installing our last fall and had to pull up about 1/4 of the flooring in our main room. It went back perfectly and we permanently fixed our water issue thereafter. Love the stuff!