6 Reasons Why Rubber Surfacing Is Ideal for Your Basement
Refurbishing your home’s basement is an excellent way to add usable living space and improve your property value. According to HomeAdvisor, the ROI for refinishing a home’s basement can be as high as 69 percent.
Yet, along with several opportunities, this underground space comes with its unique set of challenges, a major one being moisture and flooding. Therefore, it’s critical to choose durable building materials for the basement.
When refurbishing a space, flooring is the first thing that comes to our mind. It’s natural for a homeowner to look for a durable, safe, moisture resistant, cost-effective, and low-maintenance option for their basement flooring. This post shares why rubber flooring ticks all the aforementioned criteria, making it the most suitable surface option for your basement.
But before that, let’s understand the factors to be considered when choosing a basement flooring.
1. Moisture
Basement moisture is not an uncommon issue. Statistics shared by Water Damage Defense reveals that 98 percent of American basements experience water damage due to leaks and flooding, costing them $6,965 on an average.
Rain or groundwater, internal leaks, and ventilation with outside humid air are the typical sources of basement moisture. Moist basements are a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, dust mites, and a variety of pests.
Though concrete is tough and durable, it’s porous and lets water seep through the foundation walls and the floor. Hence, moisture-resistance is the first feature to be considered when choosing an ideal basement flooring.
2. Purpose
Consider what you will be using your basement for. A fully-furnished basement can be used as a family entertainment area, a play area, home gym, storage, laundry, or even a guest room. Depending on the use, you will need to install a surface that provides insulation, warmth, and is safe and low maintenance.
For instance, a basement used for laundry and storage will call for a water-proof flooring. Similarly, if you plan to use this space for setting up a home gym, you’ll need a shock-absorbing and durable surface that’s easy on the leg joints.
3. Local Weather Conditions
The flooring you choose for any area hugely depends on the local weather conditions. The basement tends to cooler than the other parts of the house because it is underground. So, if you live in a cold-weather region, you would need a flooring that would protect your feet from the cold concrete.
Similarly, people living in wet regions often experience lower-level flooding. The basement flooring used here should be able to withstand the moisture seeping from underground.
4. Budget
Keep a realistic budget in mind but don’t compromise on factors, such as durability, safety, and performance. While it may be tempting to choose a cheap basement flooring, ignoring these factors may cause you to spend more money in the long term.
Why Rubber Flooring Is Ideal for Basements
1. It Resists Moisture
As mentioned earlier, basements are notoriously damp areas. From causing structural damage to health hazards, basement moisture is a huge nuisance. Thus, one has to be extremely careful when choosing an appropriate basement flooring.
Rubber floors are naturally resistant to moisture. Thus, if there’s water seeping from underneath the tile, it will act as a barrier and protect your belongings. Further, wet rubber floors offer a good grip, preventing slips and falls.
In an event of a flood, most floorings need to be replaced due to the damage caused to them. Rubber surfacing, on the other hand, withstands such unfavorable natural calamities and lasts you for many years to come.
2. It Is Resistant to Mold
No one likes a musty and moldy basement. It doesn’t just smell bad but also contributes to poor indoor air quality. Moreover, molds are tough and expensive to get rid of. A regular basement mold abatement project would cost you anywhere between $500 and $3,000.
Fortunately, rubber flooring helps keep the basement area dry, thus getting rid of the primary factor that mold or mildew thrive on – moisture! Unlike laminate, carpets, wood, or other basement flooring options, rubber is resistant to mold and other microscopic organisms that flourish in moist conditions.
3. It Is Versatile
Rubber flooring can be used for several purposes. It is extremely versatile, high-performance, and resilient. It is resistant to moisture and offers a sturdy surface for whatever you intend to do in the basement – workout, play, or storage. It offers a soft and comfortable ground for the foot and is highly shock-absorbent.
What’s more? Rubber flooring is an out-of-the-box approach for cold weather flooring as it proves to be a barrier against the cold concrete slab. Further, it does not noticeably shrink or expand with the temperature making it ideal for most parts of your home, including areas that require hot weather surfaces.
Thus, rubber surfacing proves to be a durable flooring option for practically any application.
4. It Is Warm and Comfortable Underfoot
Basement flooring options like linoleum and ceramic tiles are ridiculously cold in winters. Also, being hard they are tough on the feet, especially if you are planning to use the basement for working out a sweat.
Being a great cold weather flooring option, rubber surfaces not just protect your feet from the cold concrete subfloor but also offer adequate cushioning that’s easy on your leg joints.
5. It Is Easy to Install and Maintain
Rubber flooring is easy to install on almost any type of subfloor, including concrete, tarmac, wood, crushed stone, sand, aluminum, steel, and even carpet. Further, depending on the existing state of the surface, the shape of the area, and the specific requirements, it takes just 2-3 days to install the rubber surface.
All you need to do is get in touch with a rubber surfacing expert, share your requirements, and sit back and relax. Once the flooring is installed you can enjoy the returns for many years to come.
Rubber surfaces are easy to clean, cost-effective, and practically maintenance-free. They can stand anything from high volumes of traffic to the shocks of heavyweights.
6. It Gives the Room a Facelift
Are your kids or guests afraid of basements? Well, you cannot blame them! Basements are often the most ignored corners of the house that look creepy and smell musty.
Rubber surfaces can change the look of your ignored basement! Besides being durable, safe, and moisture-resistant, modern these floors are available in a variety of colors, patterns, and textures. Once installed, rubber surfacing gives the area a unique aesthetic appeal.
You can also choose a specific hue that complements the overall decor. Poured-in-place rubber surfacing with a speckled or confetti look is one of our best-sellers. Get in touch with us to know your options and give your basement a sophisticated and welcoming look.
Summing Up
Basements offer extra usable space to homeowners. Yet, in many homes, the basement collects junk and dust. Most basements are pictured as scary spaces that are cold and full of oversized spiders. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
With some refurbishment like adding a cold weather surface and a fresh coat of paint, you can breathe some life into it. Rubber flooring can work wonders for basement flooring, keeping it safe from any moisture seeping in. Whether you plan to use the basement for storage, make an extra room, or set up an underground gym, once installed you can enjoy a dry and warmer space for many years to come.
If you are planning to undertake a basement renovation project, get in touch with the Rubcorp team to know your options!
