Introduction To Choosing Basement Finishing Materials:

Choosing custom finishes (tile, stone, flooring, paint) is one of the pleasures of partnering with a basement finishing contractor. Because most people live in a previously owned home, a basement finishing project is a rare opportunity to create an entire floor of custom, living space that expresses a unique aesthetic vision.  However, the fulfillment of this vision is frequently thwarted by basement finishing material choices that are overly trendy or gimmicky, of poor quality, installed improperly, or of dubious taste. It is the purpose of this article to guide homeowners through the process of choosing tile, granite, cabinetry, flooring, etc. for their basement finishing project.  Chosen properly, the installation of these materials will transform what might have been merely a professional yet bland functional space into a vibrant and luxurious lifestyle retreat that highlights the benefits of excellent taste.

Part One: the varieties of basement finishing contractor, homeowner, and supplier relationships

If the final appearance of the basement finishing project is paramount to your overall satisfaction with the project then you must choose a finished basement contractor who will give you the maximum number of material choices within your budget.  Basement finishing contractors can be separated into two distinct types relative to how they go about giving clients the ability to pick out tile, cabinetry, flooring and other basement finish materials. Below is a summary of each of these different basement material acquisition methods that importantly differ as to the amount of choice and input. A letter grade for each type follows the summary.  

BYOM or Bring Your Own Materials Contractors:

The first type of contractor sets up a ‘bring your own materials’  (BYOM) material acquisition method whereby the homeowner buys and delivers all of the tile, cabinetry, flooring etc. that is needed for the basement finishing project. In some cases the basement finishing contract stipulates material allowance numbers that stipulate how much money is included in the total price in the contract for each type of basement finish. In other cases the contract assumes that the homeowner buys and delivers the materials out of pocket. 

The advantage to this arrangement is that it gives the highest degree of autonomy to the homeowner in choosing the various finish materials. If a homeowner is expert in finding reputable suppliers and has the time to arrange for delivery and paperwork then the greater freedom that this arrangement allows might be a good choice. However, most homeowner neither have the time or the expertise and this type of arrangement often obscures the true cost of the finished basement project once all of the materials have been purchased and delivered by the homeowner. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, this arrangement unnecessarily adds other possibly responsible parties in any warranty issue that might arise. For this reason alone the ‘bring your own materials’ (BYOB) arrangement is to be avoided.  GRADE: C minus

Finished Basement Contractors with Dedicated Basement Material Showrooms:

Basement finishing companies that have their own brick and mortar showrooms or design centers and are direct dealers for various tile, cabinetry, flooring, and plumbing providers usually set up an all inclusive arrangement with homeowners. In this case, the contract for the finished basement includes finishes that are displayed in the contractor’s showroom. This method has a number of advantages.

One, it is likely that the homeowner will have far more selection within their defined budget as direct dealers enjoy significant price discounts on the materials that they display. Moreover, these price discounts are much lower than those enjoyed by designers that do not have their own showroom.  Also, homeowners are guaranteed to have the most updated selection of materials as the reps. for the different tile, carpet, cabinetry lines visit showrooms frequently to update their displays. Finally, this all inclusive approach gives homeowners the piece of mind to know that any problems that may arise from the materials chosen will be handled by the contractor who has a direct and longstanding relationship with the material suppliers. GRADE: A

Conclusion:

When choosing a contractor for your basement finishing project it is imperative that a wide variety of updated, high quality material choices are available for selection by the homeowner. Basement finishing contractors who have a dedicated showroom are much more likely to provide the means by which a homeowner can create a custom, unique living space that expresses the style of the household.

 

 

 

Poor choices in flooring often undermine even the most well appointed basement finishing projects.  In fact, of all the finishes that you will be asked to choose when finishing your basement, it is this one that will determine both the aesthetic and functional success of the newly created living space.  Because basement finishes are below grade and are thereby more likely to be affected by moisture issues such as humidity, flooding, groundwater, etc., some of the most popular flooring choices such as solid hardwood must be ruled out entirely. Additionally, the majority of basements were built with a concrete slab floor which further restricts flooring material options.  In sum, finished basement flooring choices should be determined by the type of basement floor the house has (concrete, wood, or engineered), moisture resistance of the basement flooring material, function each basement area to be finished, and aesthetic considerations. As a result, the go-to choice for most homeowners for their basement is carpet. Below, we’ve taken the time to walk through each of the major basement carpet options out there.

Each category of basement carpet options will be graded on an A to F scale with an attendant justification for the grade relative to the unique requirements that any finished basement must meet.

Brothers Construction’s Basement Carpet selection in our showroom.

 

Basement Carpet and Pad:

The most popular flooring choice for a finished basement is carpet over pad.  Importantly, the fiber that the carpet is made from is paramount in determining whether it is at all suitable for a finished basement.

Polyester Carpet:

Finished Basement Carpet Grade: D

The cheapest and most used carpet fiber in basements is some version of the polyester polymer. Varieties of this synthetic fiber are variously named but are most frequently designated either ‘Olefin’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olefin_fiber or ‘PET’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate. Although polyester carpet is very stain resistant, has above average moisture resistance, is inexpensive, and can be dyed in a variety of bold colors its very poor resilience and texture retention make it impossible to recommend.  Moreover, polyester carpet wears especially poorly on stairs which are often a focal point of a basement finishing project.

Polyester carpets will look ‘crushed’ and ‘matted down’ in high traffic areas and on stairways often within the first two months of installation.  After a year of use polyester carpet invariably looks worn and old.  These wearability issues are so prevalent that we do not even offer them as a choice for our finished basement clients.

Nylon Carpet:

Finished Basement Carpet Grade: B

Carpet made with continuous filament Nylon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon, although more expensive then its polyester counterpart is a vastly better choice in flooring for you basement finishing project. Its high wearability on stairs and high traffic areas in your basement coupled with above average stain resistance gained by topical, factory applied, coatings such as Rx2 http://www.shawcts.com/training/quiz/Fiber101_R2X.pdf, Scotchgard Protector Advanced Repel Technology https://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring/carpet/brand/ScotchGard, ‘future proofs’ your newly finished basement with flooring that will maintain aesthetic beauty for years.

Mohawk offers finished basement carpet made with 100% Nylon and 100% Triexta fiber.

Nylon carpet is our best selling carpet for basement finishing applications and after over thirty years of installing in our basements has rarely caused problems for our clients.

Triexta Carpet:

Finished Basement Carpet Grade: A-

The most expensive of the synthetic fiber carpets used in finished basement is carpet made with Triexta https://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring/carpet/brand/smartstrand/. The Triexta fiber was developed by Dupont and then purchased by Mohawk https://www.mohawkflooring.com/assets/files/smartstrand-forever-clean.pdf, who has exclusive rights to its manufacture and use in carpets. Triexta combines the high wearability of Nylon with the intrinsic stain and moisture resistance of polyester. Additionally, because Triexta based carpets resist stains and moisture so thoroughly they are ideal for finished basements that are frequented by dogs, cats, and children.

Finished basement carpet winner is Mohawk’s SmartStrand, 100% Triexta fiber carpet.

The only caveat to this full throated recommendation is the relatively short time (10 years) that carpet with this fiber has been tested in the field. Because of this a straight A cannot be given pending the feedback and additional studies of its performance in the field after 10 years of installation.

Other Carpet Considerations in a Finished Basement

An often overlooked but important factor in the durability of the carpet that is installed in a basement finishing project is the type of pad used. For long lasting comfort we recommend using 1/2 inch 8 pd pad. It is crucial to note that thickness is not the most important factor in determining the quality of carpet pad. A basement’s floor that uses 1/2″ 6 pound pad will feel much worse than a carpeted floor that was installed over 1/2″ 8 pound pad. In sum, depth and density rather than thickness is the crucial concern when it comes to the choice of pad for your basement floor.

The final consideration when choosing a pad to install in your basement is whether to invest in a pad that has plastic coating applied to the front and back of the pad.  We very stongly recommend this type of pad which is variously named ‘Spill Guard’, ‘Pet Guard’ https://www.stainmaster.com/carpet/petprotect, and other names with ‘Guard’ in them.

Although stains can often be removed from the carpet, especially if it is a Triexta fiber based variety, the stain often soaks into the pad which is much more difficult to take out. Installing carpet in your basement over a pad with the plastic coat protection will keep the stain on top of the pad thereby making it possible to fully eliminate the stain. When it comes to pet urine, milk, and other onerous liquids it is essential to have both a stain resistant carpet and a stain resistant pad.

Conclusion:

Triexta fiber based carpet installed over a plastic coated pad is the best choice for a finished basement.

Finished Basement showroom and design center in Historic Downtown Littleton, Colorado.

Finished basements with integrity since 1978.