How to Finish a Basement Floor: Your Complete Guide
When it comes to basement floors, concrete is an incredibly popular material. It’s durable and offers many other benefits. However, installing the concrete floor is only half the battle. After installation, you’ll want to finish the concrete basement floor as well. This guide will explain everything you need to know about the process of finishing this type of flooring.
Benefits of Concrete Flooring in Your Basement
Before we get into how to finish a basement floor, let’s answer why concrete is such a popular option. Concrete floors come with a long list of benefits, which we will go through one by one.
Low Maintenance Requirements
Concrete floors have very minimal maintenance requirements. As long as it’s properly sealed, you can sweep and wet mop the floor to keep it in great shape.
Resists Stains and Dirt
Part of the reason that concrete floors are so easy to maintain is their ability to resist stains, spills, and other surface damage. They are rarely damaged by hard impact. They also don’t attract grit or dirt.
Prevents Mold and Mildew
Using concrete flooring will reduce your chances of mold and mildew accumulating in your basement. This protects you from health and hygiene concerns and reduces the risk of odors in your space.
Eco-Friendly
Compared to other types of flooring, concrete is more sustainable. It requires less energy to produce, is poured locally, and doesn’t deplete natural resources. It also doesn’t contain any potentially harmful VOCs.
It also absorbs both warm and cool air. This means that you won’t have to spend as much money (or use as much electricity) on heating and cooling your home. Best of all, you can recycle concrete flooring at the end of its life.
Promotes Good Air Quality
On top of the lack of VOCs in concrete floors and their ability to discourage mold and mildew, this type of flooring is generally associated with improved air quality, so long as you stay on top of maintenance and cleaning tasks.
Affordable
Concrete floors are among the most affordable options, another major reason for their rise in popularity in modern structures. Of course, costs will vary depending on the type of concrete, your location, market trends, and more.
Your Choice of Finishes
When you choose to get a concrete floor, you open yourself up to dozens of finishes. From protective coatings to gorgeous designs and polishing possibilities, you can take your pick for the most appropriate look for your structure.
Why Finish a Concrete Basement Floor?
We’ve already covered why concrete floors are such a good choice for the basement, but what about finishes? Professionals are likely to recommend you to finish concrete basement floor spaces because of the numerous benefits it offers.
Reduce Trip Hazards
One of the biggest advantages of finished basement flooring is it reduces the risk of slips, trips, and falls. A slippery floor, especially covered in dust, can be a fall risk, and so can an uneven floor or one with pits and cracks.
All these issues can be eliminated or dramatically reduced with the right finish. Finished basement flooring has an even surface and slip-resistant coating, which reduces the risk of someone falling while walking in your space. Moreover, finished floors are brighter, increasing overall visibility (and therefore safety). While this is all important for residential properties, it’s especially crucial for commercial properties, as you don’t want to be liable for injuries from a slip and fall.
Mitigate Moisture
Even though concrete already has some moisture resistance, it does much better with the proper coating or finish. This is especially true for basements, which are known for their high moisture content. By applying a coating or finish, you can prevent moisture from getting into the tiny cracks and pores of your basement floor.
Reduce Maintenance
As already mentioned, concrete floors don’t require much maintenance. But you can reduce the maintenance needs of your facility by finishing the basement floors. That’s because damage to the concrete floor can make it especially hard to clean. After all, how do you efficiently get dirt out of small cracks? A finish will seal up these pores and cracks, giving you a smooth surface to clean.
Improve Appearance
Finishing your basement’s concrete floor will also increase your facility’s aesthetic appeal. This can give your residential or commercial space a more pleasing atmosphere. For businesses, well-maintained concrete flooring can help you make a better impression on potential clients.
Increase Market Value
The improved appearance, ease of maintenance, and safety of a finished concrete floor can increase your residential or commercial facility’s market value. Whether you’re looking to sell or simply want to live or work in a more appealing, structurally-sound environment, finished concrete floors will help.
What Is the Best Flooring for a Basement Floor?
When deciding how to finish a basement floor, you have several options, ranging from wood to cement. If you choose cement/concrete, you will need to figure out what is the best flooring for a basement cement floor.
Some common finishing options for concrete floors include painting or staining the floor, using an epoxy coating, polishing it, and laying tile on it. You can also use sheet vinyl, vinyl tiles, or planks, or you can even install wood flooring on top of the cement. You can also opt to leave the floor as is and add an area rug or carpet tiles.
Why Penntek Polyurea Coatings Are Your Best Option
“What is the best way to finish a concrete basement floor,” you might ask? We suggest Penntek for finished basement flooring for a few crucial reasons.
Quick Installation
Penntek coatings can be installed incredibly quickly, typically within one day. This lets you use the space right away.
Long-Lasting
In addition to easy installation, Penntek coatings are highly durable and long-lasting, letting you enjoy them for decades.
Low Maintenance
These coatings are also incredibly easy to maintain. The coating is stain-resistant, so you can sweep the floor clean without having to exert too much effort to remove unsightly stains.
Customization and Appearance
Penntek coatings allow for plenty of customization. Choose your favorite color or consider a metallic or chip coating. You get a full range of appearance options.
What Is the Best Way to Finish a Concrete Basement Floor?
Now that you know that Penntek coating is a great choice, you may need guidance on how to do it.
The best option is always to hire a professional to do it for you. Their experience enables them to finish a basement floor excellently and efficiently. Whether you hire a professional for finishing basement floor spaces or choose to do it yourself, you’ll need some basic supplies. Prepare some applicators, a large bucket, a scrub brush, and painter’s tape, among others.
Begin With Preparation
The process of how to finish a basement floor always begins with the right preparation. Start by checking for moisture in the basement, particularly using the plastic sheet test. Tape a small piece of plastic sheeting to the floor for around 16 hours. Lift the sheet and check for condensation. If there is condensation, you need to reduce moisture in the basement before coating it. Otherwise, the coating may not stick properly.
Once the floor is dry enough, you will have to roughen up or smooth out the substrate of your floor with sandpaper. Proceed to thoroughly clean the floor and let it dry completely. Finally, you can tape the bottom of support beams, baseboards, and other items that connect to the floor.
Apply the Coating
When it is time to apply the coating, you should always follow the instructions that come with the finish. Start with the interior of the basement and work your way out, so you don’t accidentally trap yourself in the space and step on the wet coating. Make sure to wait between applying coatings. Finally, wait 12 to 48 hours for the coating to cure. The coating instructions will give you details on how long you have to wait.
Leave It to the Professionals
Of course, the best way to finish your basement floors is to hire professionals to do what they do best. Doing so will spare you from having to gather supplies or worry about applying even coats. Professionals can determine whether your basement has too much condensation and how to mitigate the moisture. They will also know how long to wait between applying layers of the finish and how long it takes to cure at the end.
Hire Anderson Painting to Finish Your Concrete Basement Floors with Penntek Coatings
Work with Anderson Painting for your concrete basement flooring finishes. Our qualified and efficient team can do it all for you, even beyond your flooring project. Whether you need painting or carpentry services, we help make your desired upgrades on your property a reality.
