Wood Floor
I am renovating on a budget and I need to cover the 700sqf. of existing sub floor on the open space in the basement floor, I think it’s to damaged by water leaks to be safe. It will be an artist studio, so doesn’t have to be fancy, but I don’t want to put plywood….
I am renovating on a budget and I need to cover the 700sqf. of existing sub floor on the open space in the basement floor, I think it’s to damaged by water leaks to be safe. It will be an artist studio, so doesn’t have to be fancy, but I don’t want to put plywood. I was thinking wide pine planks or salvage wood. Any other suggestion? where to order new planks? tongue & groove or not? where to get salvage floor?
Thanks for any idea.
Sorry I should have said garden floor (I learn the hard way that that’s the basement and the floor below it’s the cellar!!)Bond guessed right, it’s over beams, the water leak was back when many pipes where broken and stolen.
I’ll check Lumber Liquidators..
do not under any conditions put a wood floor in a basement, especially one with a history of water. It will just warp, cup, and end up being destroyed.
Once again the basement/cellar question rears it’s ugly head. When you say that the current floor is damaged, is it wood over concrete or wood on beams? I’m thinking from your post that it’s beams. If that is in fact the case, polished concrete may not be an option due to weight concerns. If it’s concrete, and you’ve had flooding to the point that the floor is unsafe, I would recomend taking care of that before I put anything over it.
Salvaged wood has gotten really expensive, in large part to the down turn in construction. Fewer structures are getting torn down, so there’s less salvaged wood available, so the price goes up. ]
If water leaks are a possibility, you probably want to go with tongue and groove, the flooring is less likely to warp or cup, although obviously that can still happen. The wider a plank is, the more likely it is to cup.
Build it Green in Astoria sometimes gets in flooring that they sell fairly cheaply, but it’s always hit or miss if they have anything and I haven’t found their staff to be that helpful over the phone. Lumber Liquidators right by Lowe’s in Brooklyn often has closeouts, 700 square feet isn’t that much, so you might be able to score a deal. The problem with closeouts though is you have to get all the material you need in one shot and not screw up too many cuts, often when you go back, there is no more to be had.
If it were me, and it was an artist’s space, I’d go with painted plywood or varnished chipboard. I know you said you didn’t want to go that route, but it’s cheap and easy, since it’s an art space, you won’t freak out if you drop anything on it, and with the flooring paints that they have now, you can go a long time in between paint jobs.
Sorry I am talking of the garden floor. I learn the hard way that the basement it’s the garden floor, the one below it’s the cellar, so no flooding (hopefully!) . I like the idea of concrete, I’m sure it would look nice in an artistic/industrial way. But what about weight?
I agree with Maly. I’m currently exploring this option. You have to be careful with the basement, as it will eventually experience flooding or water damage.
How about polished concrete? It’s durable, can take lots of abuse, and ages well.