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Hi. I'm looking for advice on my basement floor. We've had B'dry come in so now the basement is dry and I need to deal with the floor. We're filling in the cracks as a first step. Half of the basement had vinyl tiles on it, probably laid in the 50's. They all came off, leaving old adhesive. Before that the floor had been painted red. The other side of the basement has only the red paint, chipping off. I don't want to use muriatic acid. I've considered grinding and just covering with a floating sub floor of some kind. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
As a former contractor let me assure you in the long run you will be happier if you go with the floating sub-floor rather than re-painting the basement floor. Returning the floor to a pristine, paintable, condition constitutes a bunch of hard, dirty and messy work (especially if you are dealing with the black adhesive popular in the 50's & 60's) if you are thinking of re-painting.
If you are thinking of re-tiling (vinyl or stone) it is possible to purchase a sealer to roll on the old floor prior to laying tile. You will need to neutralize the "black mammy" adhesive before applying the sealer and most sealers will tell you to remove the old adhesive first. I caution the sealer may not work everytime everywhere. If moisture is wicking up through the floor there is a greater chance of failure.
If you go with the floating floor simply roll out the styrofoam sheeting and begin laying the floor. Just to be on the safe side I always sealed the original floor if only to make me feel better. Of course, this is after filling the cracks and making sure the base is level within a quarter inch in a four foot area. It doesn't matter that one corner is a half-inch higher than another as long as there are no dips/high places of more than a quarter-inch variation in other areas of the floor.
By floating floor I wonder what you mean. There is a product that I saw on line years ago and recently in Home Depot that looks like an egg crate on the bottom and plywood on the top (or sometimes a more finished top.) And then there are those floating floors like the Pergo I put in the kitchen. Which type makes most sense.
Yes I would prefer to seal the floor first but I don't want to use solvents or acid to clean it first. Some of that old adhesive is very well adhered to the floor.
A friend suggested a grinder that takes off the paint and leaves a clean surface to stain or paint.
So far we have not had moisture that I can discover except what comes from the living environment in the summer when it's humid upstairs and cool down stairs. We run a dehumidifier. Since B'dry the floor is quite dry. But it's only one year and weather plays a part in our water issues.
By floating floor I mean it merely rests on the floor opposed to adhered or nailed down; laminate pieces that snap together. Pergo is probably best well-known but there are others that work as well and are cheaper. I've seen some that look like tiles that also snap together.
Maybe it's just me but I don't like the plywood with rubber pads on the bottom. I suppose it would be alright if carpeting was put over it. I'd be afraid it would allow too much movement beneath tiles to be effective.
A grinder will create a dusty mess. You'll have to clean the whole basement a few times (wipe down and wash off) before it gets clean enough to hold paint or tile.
The humidifier is a good idea since most basements have a humidity problem.
