Laminate Floor In The Basement Need Underlayment?

LESLIE: Utah’s on the line. Marjorie, what can we do for you?

MARJORIE: Hi. What I’d like to know is I have a basement floor and it’s built on a foundation of clay; the house. And it’s heaving. It’s cracking and I believe it’s moving because of the seasons of the year. But it’s not noticeably real deep; the cracks are but they’re many. And I wanted to know what kind of a floor I could put in. And then, could I put in tile and …?

TOM: No, I definitely wouldn’t put tile floor. If you suspect that this concrete is moving and cracking, if you put tile in it’s going to move with it.

LESLIE: (overlapping voices) Then the tile is going to crack.

TOM: Yeah, Leslie, I think this is a perfect opportunity for a laminate floor; something that’s going to float on top.

LESLIE: Yeah, laminate floor in the basement is fantastic because it withstands moisture situations; which is exactly what you’re going to find in the basement. And because it’s made from plastic, it’s really going to stand up to all of those conditions and be flexible and stand up to high traffic, any sort of water situation. It can look like tile. It can look like slate. It can look like brick. It can look like a variety of species of wood. It’s very affordable and it looks fantastic. So it’s a great choice for the basement.

TOM: Yeah, and Marjorie, when you put this is, you’re going to put down an underlayment and then – it’s just like sort of a foam or a felt – and then the laminate pieces lock together and sit on top of that and they don’t actually physically connect to the floor; which means if the floor expanded and contracted, it would have no effect on the laminate. On the other hand, if you put ceramic tile in and the floor expanded and contracted, it’s going to move with it. You follow us?

MARJORIE: Uh-huh. What exactly is a laminate floor made out of, though? I mean what …?

TOM: It’s made out of medium-density fiberboard and then it has a color coat – which is the one that looks like stone or looks like wood – and then it has a laminate finish. It’s like Formica countertops – Formica is a laminate – except that when it comes to a floor, the density of the laminate is much, much thicker. It’s actually 20 times tougher than a countertop.

Alright Marjorie, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.