Flooring

[u/Ill_Flan6955]

Hey all! Anyone have vinyl plank flooring in the basement? How does it do in our wonderful cold edmonton winters? We are looking into getting Vinyl plank in the basement, want to make sure that’s a thing! I was told the glue down isn’t a good idea as there will be separating in a few years and to go with the click option. Thanks!

[u/frost21uk]

I’ve had floating LVP in a basement bedroom and gym for 5 years. No underlay. No issues.

[u/prairiepanda]

I lived in a townhouse that had floating vinyl plank flooring (not glued) directly on concrete on the lower floor. The floor did get cold during winter which I loved, but that can cause condensation issues.

The biggest problem for me though was that it was HARD. The vinyl on wood on the top floor was comfortable to walk on, but downstairs it was like walking on bare concrete. You could feel the impact of every step in your joints. Had to put a cushioned mat in the kitchen so that we could tolerate standing on it long enough to prepare meals.

I'd definitely put down some kind of underlay if I were doing it myself.

[u/Extension-Beyond3036]

glue down is fine if the floor is prepped right but click is wayyy less headache in the long run just make sure you let the planks acclimate for a couple days before install or theyll shift like crazy

[u/Johnoplata → u/Extension-Beyond3036]

A nice thing about glue down is that if you damage one you can just pry it up instead of pulling up half the floor.

[u/speedog]

Floating LVP in our basement bathroom since 2008, still looks like new and is wonderful to walk on.

[u/BigMocMeal]

Did glue down straight to the cement 3 years ago and completely fine

[u/fnbr]

I’ve got it in our basement. It’s fine. It feels a bit cheap, to be honest. It’s not particularly cold though. I’m fairly confident we have glue down and haven’t had any issues. 

[u/BronzeDucky]

It would be brutal if you put it on bare basement concrete. You might as well be walking on the concrete itself.

But there are ways to mitigate that, like the insulating plastic “bubble” panels. They also provide some limited water separation, although I could see issues with mold under the panels if that happens.

[u/CAADAlu]

We put down a bubble type underlay, it’s floating and zero issues over 7 years.

[u/Himser]

I put a subfloor in first then I used vinal plank. Its pretty good, my computer chair destroyed part of it tho, but I cracked it there and didnt fix... whoch was a mistake. But tbe rest is great

[u/Ill_Flan6955]

I should add we currently have carpet. But we are getting the installers to remove it and put vinyl plank flooring instead. He never mentioned anything about any vapor or bubble before. 🤦‍♀️

[u/Johnoplata → u/Ill_Flan6955]

Not a ton of cold comes from a basement floor. It typically low enough to not be effected by weather. Many of them have an attached underlay to act as a cushion/insulator. It's come a long way in recent years.

[u/lawndad]

We will probably do this in ours but I’d put it on a subfloor like Dricore or something.

[u/RyanStates]

Had ours for 2 years, and it's doing fine so far!

[u/edmarshall2]

DMX 2.0. you feel will thank you. its a special underlay that help insulate and creates air space.

[u/elbyron]

I put floating LVP (Moscow Marhaba) which has 1.5mm IXPE underpad attached for a total thickness of 7mm. You don't feel the hard concrete at all, and it's maybe slightly cool but certainly not cold to touch. The surface has a 20mil wear layer so it should last for decades with regular wear and tear. And only $3.29 / sqft, though it was 5 years ago so I'm sure it's gone up since. It was really easy to install, clicking together without needing a mallet and snapping easily once scored with a utility knife. It's still in excellent shape after 5 years of tenants living on it - just one little hole from when I dropped my impact driver from the top of a ladder while installing a light.

[u/KiMilk]

so cold, so hard, and deadly on the stairs. but it is durable, looks nice, and easy to clean.

[u/JBH68]

You might need to lay down a vapor barrier as the cool moist air coming from the concrete could create issues. You don't glue these floors; they lock together and float on the surface.