Our Basement Renovation: Part Four - Flooring

Now that we have paint on the walls we can install flooring.  Flooring is a big decision and can really influence the feel and style of a room.  There are a lot of choices for flooring out there but Brad and I were adamant that we wanted a hard flooring.  We looked at cork, ceramic that looks like wooden planks and engineered hardwood.  All had pros and cons but none thrilled us for various reasons (price, feel, coldness,  function, price!!).  

Some people were confused as to why we didn't want carpeting.  Well, if you've ever ripped up carpeting you'll know that carpet hides a lot of dirt and while it's warm and squishy on the feet I really didn't relish the idea of vacuuming this big ol' basement regularly or going around the edges to get rid of the dust line that invariably forms on carpet near the baseboards.  To me, Swiffering and mopping are preferable to vacuuming any day.  And just knowing that there's dirt I can't get out of the carpet easily - just hiding there in the fibres - wasn't a bonus for me.

A big factor in flooring choice for our basement stems from a disaster that happened to my parents last spring.  Their basement flooded and created such a horrible mess and months of renovating.  After seeing them deal with ripping out their basement and renovating it back to a livable space we knew we didn't want to worry (as much) about water issues.  My parents opted for a different flooring product for their new basement.  Vinyl planks.

I know, right? VINYL?!?  "What is it the 70's, Mom and Dad?"  I pictured 1970's linoleum tiles in browns, rusts and dark yellows.  Ew. And then we saw the product.  O-M-G!  Beautiful! Brad and I did some research and apparently vinyl flooring is the biggest thing to hit flooring since ... um, flooring - you get the idea.  

Mannington offers so many colour and style options and this stuff is as good as water proof!  They have vinyl in styles such as slate, travertine, marble and lots of different wood options so there's lots of choices for any style. This is gorgeous stuff, people!  

Like my parents we had a professional install our flooring but apparently it's fairly easy to do yourself.  He installed it in two days and we couldn't be happier with it. It's a little cooler on the feet than carpet but it is definitely warmer than the cold concrete.  And I won't lose my mind worrying about people spilling drinks on it (my Type A side always thinks of these situations) because it's so easy to clean.  We even put it in the bathroom because you can mop it and using one flooring throughout gives the basement a nice cohesiveness.

The product we used was in Mannington's 'Adura' line called Country Oak "Rawhide" (get its details here) because of its rustic feel with the knots, graining and rough saw marks that you can feel and give it a great depth. Gah!  We love it!  Rawhiiiide!

Absolutely loving the cracks, knots and rough saw marks.

Even after a few months I still marvel at how nice it is. Honestly, the pictures don't do it justice.

We also decided to do the stairs.  I didn't want tile on the main floor, vinyl planking in the basement and then carpet on the stairs. Too busy.  You have the option to buy the stair kit from Mannington but it will run you ... ready for this? ... over $100 per stair.  Say WHA!?! I thought Flooring Dude was joking when he told me the price even after he warned me of sticker shock.  Nope.  That price is ridiculous, Mannington!!  Instead we opted to use a new stair product/technique that had less waste of flooring tile due to the amount of cutting and had a narrower metal lip on the edge of each stair.  

Unfortunately our smaller edging along the stair edge is quite hard and does take some getting used to since it kind of digs into your toes as you step down.  

Live and learn. It's not a deal breaker and we opted to see less of the metal edging on the stair and more of the wood plank.  Them's the breaks.  It still looks amazing.

Overall, we are absolutely thrilled with our flooring. It gives the space a nice warmth and goes well with the gray walls.

We think it looks amazing, cleans like a dream and I'm not going to worry about spills or leaks.  Mission accomplished.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated by Mannington flooring. All comments and opinions are my own based on my experience with their product.

Coming soon to a blog post near you: 


Furniture Choices - How many people do we want to fit on one couch?

Custom Cabinetry - A place to keep my books, booze and toilet paper. -- 18 feet of bookshelves/entertainment unit plus a wet bar and bathroom vanity

Fireplace - to gas or to plug-in? THAT is the question!