Canada, and perhaps the U.S., has a somewhat unique dedication to having finished basement spaces. This is a reality that contractors need to be alive to, and homeowners need to make themselves aware of the options available.

There are many contractors, particularly those who are non-licensed and unregistered, who will offer to finish your basement quickly and cheaply. These contractors will tell you that fiberglass insulation is great, that resilient framing in the ceiling doesn't do anything, and that lying carpet over a "good underpad" is all you need to have a nice, warm basement.

None of the above is true. But I'm going to concentrate on flooring in this article and introduce you to a new product I've found that broadens your basement flooring options.

The most important thing to keep in mind when finishing a basement floor is to remember that the substrate is concrete. Concrete is cold, gives off moisture, and is an excellent heat conductor (pulls heat from your body or the room). So, you need to deal with each one of these properties or you will regret the lack of consideration. Warm it up, reduce, contain or find a way to let the moisture escape, and prevent heat conduction.

Even if you have an older home, do not be fooled into thinking that your concrete floor will not be producing moisture. If a concrete floor picks up any moisture from the soil beneath or around it, or holds moisture fromt he original concrete pour, any such moisture is going to find its way out of the concrete and into your air, or construction material products.

The first thing that we explain to customers is that we need to get any flooring material away from the concrete. This can be accomplished by simply screwing wood down to the floor. This "decouples" any finished floor surface from the concrete. The draw back to this system is that any moisture that is given off of the concrete will necessarily be absorbed by the plywood, and this can creat mold.

The better solution is to place a membrane between the plywood and the concrete. Some contractors will suggest that polyurethane plastic will do the job. I disagree. This will prevent moisture from coming into contact with the wood, but it won't allow the moisture to escape.

The solution that we rely upon most is the Delta flooring system. This product is much like a Lego sheet layed in place with the nubs facing the concrete. This allows for an air gap that will allow the moisture to escape from beneath the flooring. The contractor can then screw plywood down on top of the Delta flooring material.

In recent  years consumers have elected to install laminate flooring on top of the Delta system (laminate can be installed directly on the Delta, though we usually suggests the installation of plywood in the event you'd like to make changes later).

Laminate provides a fast and cosmetically effective solution to flooring needs. Most people would prefer the appearance and solid feel of hardwood, but hardwood is a difficult material to install properly within a basement. 3/4" hardwood requires fastening with a 2" staple or cleat, and these cleats cannot penetrate concrete. A more elaborate, and often thicker, subfloor needs to be created, and this reduces the distance from floor to ceiling within a basement. The other problem with installing hardwood in a basement is the expansion that occurs between the installed boards. The boards will naturally swell and shrink over the course of the year, and this is never something that people are pleased with.

NEW PRODUCT DISCOVERY

A new product claims to allow for a quick and easy installation of hardwood, without having to build up the subfloor.

Elastilon (http://www.elastilon.ca) is a double adhesive membrane that is placed on the plywood (over top of a membrance as described above) and allows for hardwood to be adhered to the floor. Think double sided tape. The installation is about twice as fast as compared to nailed in place flooring, and the boards will expand and contract as a single unit. In other words, the boards will expand at the edges of the room instead of between the joints themselves. In this sense, there is no reason that the product would not be a good choice in many areas of a home.

Elastilon is quite "sticky" and removing the boards from the adhesive is quite difficult (though possible). The company provides a 70 year warranty, leading us to believe that it will remain "stuck" for some time.

Homeowners should still discuss the drawbacks of installing hardwood in a basement with their contractor. There are drawbacks.

This product answers one of the long standing problems with hardwood installation in a basement.