Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - laminate flooring, in a basement, with..

my basement has raised flooring, about 6" off a concrete base. im currently debating between tiling (trying to avoid, time and cost of concrete is unreasonable), repairing wood floor and carpeting, or repairing and laying laminate flooring.

since its in a basement, im trying to keep height to a minimum, as not to lose too much headroom (approx 8' ceilings). the floors currently have a wood tongue and groove finish, with built up supports, 6" off concrete base. the current wood is in poor shape; uneven, gaps, etc.

is wood flooring an option? if so, would a plywood base be necessary to aid in making the floor stable? would the plywood provide enough stability?

thanks!

Hi,
Well since no one has replied, I will put my two cents in.
I would say that if the current floor is stable and just has gaps, you can add a plywood base. Then put whatever floor covering you want. The plywood base will be very sturdy for carpet or laminates. We have the same problem in our basement. In our situation we removed the rasied floor and repaired the cement floor. We plan on sealing the concrete and laying laminate.
Hope this helps!

thanks for the tips..

im seeing if i can find someone willing to donate some concrete :), otherwise, ill try reinforcing with the plywood..
thx for the reassurance!

Best to check for moisture first. Floors on sleepers may hold moisture below that could impact your new flooring.

I too am questioning whether Formica laminate is going to be appropriate to replace the carpet that was on my first story. You are advised to tape a plastic bag on the slab and check it 72 hours later to see if the slab is dark and the plastic is moist. If so, they suggest some much more involved test to determine if the floor is too damp and therefore inappropriate.

One thought I'd had was to seal the floor with something like DryLock waterproofer. It would be great if I could get a confirmation that that is sufficient. The flooring installation includes a styrafoam type material that serves as a moisture lock, so between the sealent and the liner, I would hope that would be enough.