ᐅ Flooring options for an old concrete basement floor?

Hello,

In our recently purchased, mostly renovated house from 1956, some of the original concrete floor remains in a few basement rooms. It is somewhat uneven and has many plaster and paint stains from the renovation work. As a result, a lot of dust and light dirt is tracked from the basement into the rest of the house. The frequently used area is already covered with new terracotta tiles. The other rooms will remain functional storage basement areas. In one room, I want to set up a small workshop.

We would like to prevent tracking even more dirt from the basement and are considering covering or coating the floor while the basement is still empty. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• For self-leveling compound, the differences of 1-3cm (0.4-1.2 inches) are too large, which would make it too expensive given the quantity needed.
• The basement is dry. The substrate is sandy, and there is no moisture problem, but also no vapor barrier. I therefore do not want to seal the floor completely waterproof in order to allow any potential moisture to escape.
• I have been advised several times to apply a primer. This would stabilize the surface somewhat. The diffusion should not be affected despite the presence of plastics.
• The ceiling height is only about 2m (6.6 feet). I want to avoid thick layers that would further reduce headroom.

Does anyone know of a suitable floor covering for this situation? Thin mats in the frequently used area would actually be enough for us. Shelves could also stand directly on the bare concrete. However, for aesthetic reasons, we would like to apply coatings over the entire surface.

Best regards and thanks
Michael

How about affordable carpeting?
It has the advantage that you don’t need to carry out additional work and can always access the floor. If the basement is dry, there should be no problems.

For a similar reason, we installed so-called flexi tiles in the basement. Maybe just try searching for them online. If anyone is interested, I can also take a photo in the basement this evening.

Sylvia

Computersylvia schrieb:
For a similar reason, we installed so-called flexi tiles in the basement. Maybe just try googling them. If you’re interested, I can take a photo in the basement this evening.

Sylvia

Thanks. That’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. I just needed a name or search term. I’ll take a closer look at it.

Michael

Here are a few quick photos taken with a phone under the fluorescent lighting in the workout room. I think this will give a first impression.

Sylvia

Hello Sylvia,
thank you for your pictures. It looks quite good. However, it’s not exactly cheap. Do you have any experience with the hooks on the edges on uneven floors? Are the panels flexible enough to adapt?
The manufacturer advertises the panels as waterproof. I assume they don’t let any water through, right?

Best regards,
Michael