Protect your Basement Wood Flooring from Moisture

In newly constructed homes, basement floors could be affected due to reasons like- moisture absorption in the sub-floor materials due to excessive rain, rise in the ground water level due to heavy or prolonged rains, flood etc. These cause the water to penetrate the foundation walls or rise through the ground surface.

Basement floors are often prone to damage and buckling due to damp and excessive moisture absorption in the countries that have unpredictable humidity conditions. This is common in areas that have tropical climate or are located near the warm seas.

Bamboo floors, Vinyl Floors, Laminate Floors are better options of moisture resistant floors that help to fight the damage due to excessive heat or moisture. These floors can be installed in floating configuration or by nailing and gluing.

Hardwood and softwood are generally treated to prevent moisture from causing damage, mildew and caving in of the floor. Aluminum Oxide coating on bamboo and hardwood floors makes these more resilient and moisture protected. The moisture protection capability also depends on the number of coats that are applied to the floor planks to make these apt to suit your climatic conditions.

Suppose you have an existing hardwood floor in your basement and you do not want to replace it. This floor could be exposed to moisture due to rainwater run off or internal moisture. Engineered floors are most suitable for basement floors as these are composed of 2-3 layers of wood glue together. The gluing at 90-degree angles makes it more stable and resilient.

Engineered floors are less prone to damage due to expansion and contraction. Areas with very high humidity variations should be encouraged for laminate floor installations.