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Replacing Flooded Basement Flooring

Submitted By
Tom Kraeutler
Filed Under
Basements, Living Spaces, Avoiding Mold, Basement, Basement Flooding, Carpet, Floors, Laminate Floor, Mold, Cleaning, Sick Homes
Answers
1 expert, 1 community
Q:

We recently replaced carpeting with laminate flooring in one room of the basement. Yesterday the pipe broke on the sump pump and flooded the basement floor.  As a result, we're pulling out the rest of the carpeting in the basement floor and replacing it.

We are wondering if we have to pull out the new laminate flooring? This is the room all the water went through to get to the carpet. I'm worried about mold.

Money Pit Answer
A:

Replacing the carpet in your basement with laminate flooring was a great move.  Even if you hadn't had a flood, carpet is a really bad idea for a basement. Basically carpet in a basement is mold food! 

Mold needs three things to grow:  water, air and organic matter. Carpet holds dust and dirt, which can be very organic.  Plus, the backing material on carpet is also very organic. This plus the allergens carpet holds, like dust mites, make it a very bad idea for basement flooring.

Replacing Flooded FlooringLaminate, on the other hand, has no such limitations.  In fact, it can be submerged for days on end and suffer no deterioration whatsoever.  Since laminate is totally inorganic, you should have no worries about mold on your laminate floor.  Just dry the laminate floor, damp mop it with a 10-20% bleach to water solution, and the laminate floor will be good to go.

Also, you might want to talk to an insurance adjuster about your flood.  With any luck, you could claim enough damage to pay for the rest of that new laminate floor!

Answer by: Tom Kraeutler

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Answers

Wed, 03/30/2011 - 22:08 - MattKent

Although laminate floors are more resistant to water than carpet, it is not water proof and will buckle if there is constant moisture on it. Check under the floors to see if the flood waters have seeped through as well, and when you are sure all the flood water is gone, put a dehumidifier in for a few weeks and check the floors again for any signs of warping, damage, etc. – particularly between the planks.

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