And I have similar projects, so this will help....

[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

if there's any way you can.

You say it's a daylight basement?

If a tile floor is prohibitively expensive, what about a vinyl rug? It's a little softer underfoot than bare concrete, and will promote a little less 'walk-in-cooler' atmosphere.

But the big thing is to be sure you're *dry* in there -- a coat of exterior sealant on the basement is well worth the money. If you can then do even a thin insulation on the inside walls, that will help too.

We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0

Naural Linoleum. Comes in lots of wild colors.
Come together at The Confluence

is it very expensive? i've used some concrete sealer on an exterior project and so far it's holding up very well, but it was only ~35$/gal and was a 'combo' product- sealer & color together. are you speaking of a sealer for wall surfaces as well? the walls in this room are finished and painted, so i'm not sure how i'd seal or reseal them.

new insulation has been blown into the walls already, as well as new higher R-value windows put in last year. it was still pretty cold last winter. i'd love to do a heated floor, but i doubt i have the money for that.

down yourself. have you done it? i looked at some last year, and i recall being a bit put off by the amount of work, altho i could be misremembering.

I see that in the makeover shows, it's environmentally responsible, and it actually looks great. Not sure about cost, I think its at the lower end. (of course, it's probably like $5,000,000 a square foot, now that I think about it.)

Ah, a basement... I love those and miss them.

for those of you considering downsizing or buying a house, please consider ones like this, which is in an "older" subdivision and was constructed in the late 60s. it's very modest looking by today's McMansion standards, but in fact has plenty of space, including this walkout basement, which allows me to employ the lower level as a living space, and not just for storage or inward-looking 'rec room' styles. but overall, my design and improvements are meant to show that it really can be true: less is more.

there are so many benefits to recycling, renewing, reusing, and this house is teaching me that. the "bad" part about it has been that environmentally, we've had to put in a lot of $ improving it, as things like the insulation and windows were from the time when no one cared about high heating/cooling bills. but every year i try to improve at least two rooms, and i've learned so much doing it mmostly myself.

Or you can get some penetrating sealant that works like fiberglass/epoxy works on wood. If you stain the concrete then seal it (think painted floorcloth) you can get marvelous tile-like appearance for much less money.
Then I'd think about a heavy woven-reed or sisal mat to go under your desk, and while it's "industrial" in appearance about to the max, I'd give thought to putting Reflectix under that mat.

I agree that sealing out the wet is best, if possible. There are worse things than having a concrete floor.

Don't know what it would cost now, but about ten years ago a friend and I (neither of whom are exactly fixer types) but down a linoleum floor in my kitchen. We used the squares instead of rolls, which made it a lot easier. Did a checkerboard pattern. All you had to do was measure and cut the squares next to the walls with scissors. Took us a day and I think it cost less than $200 for the linoleum, it certainly didn't cost anywhere near $500.

And I love older homes. Always look for them. If you get the ones built before the 1970s, they tend to be built better (my current house was built in the 40s, my previous one in the 50s) and have a lot of built in storage areas that disappeared from newer places. Plus, they almost always have a yard.

1. One friend made a wooden platform over the floor--she laid a pattern of boards on their sides and then laid the regular flooring on top; she had a dehumidifier too.

2. Then there's this: http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx

3. This was interesting too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underfloor_...

Good luck!!

principle whenever possible -- breaking slab or running wire / piping is not merely a lot of work, but costs a lot of $$$.

That said, I'm fixing to have to do some. That water heater hiccup last year has buckled some floors -- I didn't catch it before it infiltrated -- and one of these days very soon the bathroom needs overhaulage not just for its looks but its functional survival. Sigh.

At least I won't be apt to have to re-mortgage.

Grin about what you can!

Do you want to install an in-floor heating system at some point? I don't know how big a space you want to do, but a straight up radiant hydronic system (water in tubes) can be put in after you've poured your concrete, and no, you don't have to chip the slab out to do it. Essentially, you frame in using treated lumber a grid on the floor, run the PEX tubes, then pour a 2" layer of self-levelling concrete between the framed in bays. I did something similar so I can lay a hardwood floor in our new house.

You can also use an electric mat-type system. http://www.warmzone.com/hydronic-electri... for more info. I believe there are electric floor mats as well---you can always just warm up the area where you're sitting, then roll up the mat at the end of the cold season. I've never used any of these products, but I did read about them awhile ago.

But you'll spend a shitload more than $500 to do this. Since you have a limited budget, the trick is to do something you can take out if you need to should you want to add heat later.

Which leads to some bigger questions...

You have several issues to consider. First, is moisture is on the outside trying to work its way in or on the inside and trying to work it's way out? Condensation from the inside ending up on the floors or walls means you have a ventilation issue, while moisture seeping in from outside means you have a wicking issue.

Either way, you have to have a thermal (concrete is colder than the air so condensation may form) and moisture (concrete is porous and water will seep in) break between the concrete and whatever you want to put down. A sealer will stop moisture, but only if you spend some real money for a good product and can get it inside and out. Since your slab is aready poured and it soudns like you've put stuff on it, I think you are SOL on any additional sealer.

A physical break is your best bet. This is where shit like a false floor comes into play. A false floor is framing in a subfloor on the concrete with treated wood, laying down a moisture barrier (6mil plastic will work), then plywood, then your floor.

You might want to consider a click-together product like Dricore (http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx). It has a poly bottom, so you can lay it down, click it together, then lay down whatever floor you want. (I don't know if you can uninstall it easily---call 'em and ask.)

Search Craigslist for leftover hardwood flooring. You won't need very much and people often have boxes leftover, so you can get bamboo or cork any other number of things cheap. You can just float it (meaning no nails) right over the false floor or Dricore, so if you want to add a heating system later, you can just pick it up.

If you go hardwood, just remember to leave yourself some room---about 3/8" on the ends for seasonal expansion and contraction. Cover the open space with trim at the bottom of the wall---no one will ever see it.

Damn, if you lived closer we could mill up some of the maple I have and you'd have a beeeyootiful floor.

If you're feeling really adventurous and you have the tools, you can salvage some flooring from a demolition site, or even from pallets, clean it, plane it, and mill the tongue and groove. Check Carigslist---you'd be stunned at how many people just want to throw away their solid hardwood floors.

And finally, if you can't afford to add heating to the floor now, get a nice little heater and keep it at your feet. I know it sounds nuts, but you will feel warmer if your feet are warm. That's the whole idea behiond this in-floor heating crap. And it really works.

Apologies if this sounds all confused. I'm a little tired right now. Hope it helps.

And I bet that demolition site concept would work.

[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.