According to the US Department of Energy best practices, managing vapor and moisture in a basement is critical. Excluding an obvious water leak into the basement, water usually enters basements through the concrete slab via a phenomenon called capillary action. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow against gravity where liquid spontaneously rises in a narrow space. Because of this phenomenon, building assemblies should be allowed to dry to the inside of the room. Any material installation over the building walls or floors that prevents this is not recommended. Materials such as vinyl sheets, linoleum, rubber floors, Epoxy and other sealants do nothing to prevent the ground water from infiltrating the slab through capillary action.
What type of flooring works best as a Basement Flooring Option?
ModuTile offers various types of interlocking basement floor tiles that are ideal for basements. The tiles were designed from the ground up to interlock together to create a floating floor that allows air to flow under the basement floor tile. Contrary to popular belief, a basement floor should allow moisture to evaporate into the room rather than trapping it below the surface. The improper use of vapor barriers can create mold problems. The best type of materials for basement floor would be 100% waterproof, non-absorbent and inorganic. The properties of these materials will minimize the possibility for mold to grow. Basement flooring such as ModuTile is designed to allow airflow between the seams of the interlocking tiles. Feel free to visit ModuTile’s basement floor tile page to see the various interlocking basement floor options.
What type of basement floor can solve the moisture problem in my basement?
None, moisture issues on a basement floor cannot be solved by covering it up. Any company that claims that is just covering up the issue temporarily (6 mo. to 2 years). What they are doing is postponing the issue that may be worse at a later time. Many claim that placing moisture barriers between the concrete and the floor that is being installed will solve the problem. In reality, what they are doing is trapping the moisture or vapor between the concrete and the moisture barrier. Over time, mold will eventually grow between the concrete and barrier. According to the US Department of Energy best practices, moisture should be allowed to dry into the room. Trapping the moisture on the surface of a retaining wall or floor is not recommended.
