Basement Flooring: Carpet, Wood, Linoleum in Southeastern MA, RI
If you live in New England , you are very aware of the wet soils we have in Providence and Greater Boston. You are probably also aware that if you do not like the weather, all you have to do is wait a few minutes, and the conditions will change- for better or for worse. This means that the soil around your foundation is often soaked- and almost always damp.
What does this mean for a finished basement? Well, besides the possibility of a flooded basement, moisture is constantly passing through the concrete foundation in the form of water vapor. This process is the reason that so many basements and the surrounding areas are notoriously damp and musty. Think of it this way: if concrete didn't let water pass through, it would never dry when it was poured. It is continuously moving in.
If you install carpet, wood, wood sub floors, or linoleum on this floor, moisture is going to collect underneath. In the cases of wood, wood sub floors, and carpeting, this moisture will build up, eventually causing the materials to rot, grow mold, and develop mildew and odors. And when moisture builds up under linoleum, the adhesive can also grow mold and mildew, and the moisture break down the adhesion, causing the floor to become loose.
Installing these materials on a basement floor is going to lead to the need to eventually replace the basement floors in Greater Boston, MA and Providence, RI . The alternative? Find a basement flooring that will not allow moisture to become trapped underneath and will not be damaged by humidity rising from the basement floor.
