I’ve been thinking about replacing the wall-to-wall carpet in the basement with something that would better suit my needs… primarily, the ability to get dirty. And let’s face it… peed on. Now, before you think I’ve created some den of kink in my basement, let me clarify: it’s a workout space for me, and a play space for the dogs. Sometimes the little fur babies get so excited they just can’t control themselves. And sometimes the older fur babies decide they love it here, and claim it as their own. Either way, pee happens. Carpet is a bad idea.
So I browsed. I ordered samples. I measured and calculated and drew diagrams and 3-D mockups. But mostly, I procrastinated.
The ‘Romper Room’ area is getting carpet removed, and rubber flooring installed.
Rubber is exactly what I need. Shock absorbing and easy to clean, this will create a perfect exercise floor for humans and canines alike. It’s easy enough to install myself… just a straight edge and razor to shape the pieces around corners. No glue required.
So while I was in the midst of all that procrastination, the basement flooded because the refrigerator water-dispenser line disconnected itself and streamed down the wall all night long. It’s just water… not sewage or oil or anything gross. But still, it’s annoying. The rug pad was glued down to the concrete, and (to its credit) had a moisture barrier on the top side. While this is a great feature for preventing spills and accidents from seeping down into the pad, it is the opposite of helpful when the basement flood soaks up from below. The pad was the consistency of wet cake. Out it went.
Also, I ordered a freeze/flood sensor. It might not stop water from ever touching my basement again, but at least I’ll be able to react faster next time.
Yeah, okay… so, I could have bought new rug pad for the soaked corner, and set up the basement with dehumidifiers and fans and smoothed the carpet back out. But where’s the fun in that? Out came the utility knife. Out went the soggy carpet.
The new flooring is 70% black recycled rubber and 30% colored virgin rubber. My 154 rubber floor tiles saved 62 tires from ending up in landfills. YAY! 🌎 ♻️
This is what 1100 pounds of rubber looks like. These tiles are HEAVY!
The first corner.
Laying down the edge to the workshop, with a step-down transition strip to keep it from lifting, and prevent people from tripping.
First day’s effort: 16 tiles. Only 138 more to go!
40 down, 114 to go. I fought with buckling and gaps for quite a while today trying to insist that my basement is square and my measurements are perfect. In the end, it’s easier just to trim another 1/4” off the tile and call it good.
Making progress! Time to move all the junk over to the completed side.
So close… at this point the OCD is kicking in, and I’ll be done in no time.
DONE! I have 14 tiles left over, which will be plenty to fill in the side closet when the oil tank gets pulled out.
