Help with basic design decisions in basement we are finishing

[Anonymous]

I just don't have a natural knack for it, just have to copy pictures I like. Keep in mind we are doing this on a modest budget ($40-50k)

What do you think of:

white wood vanity/cararra marble counter top/cararra large tile floor/white subway tiles around tub (when I started looking into it cararra was much cheaper than I thought!)


Also, what type of carpet? Short pile, closed loop, longer pile, shag? I'm leaning toward longer pile but not quite shag, and something with "flecks" to hide dirt? Like this?http://www.karastan.com/carpet-search/South%20Tide/?return=carpet-result.aspx||xx=1|IsKarastan=1|casual=1|piles=1|pp=24|page=2

WDYT?

[Anonymous]

That's what you do. Look for pics of things you like and don't like. I did a lot of google image searches too.

[Anonymous]

gardenweb.org is a great resource for this kind of stuff. But...carpet in a basement? Are you 1000% sure your basement will stay dry?

[Anonymous]

The web site houzz is really useful, we are in the middle of the same process, budget about 50k to make our unfinished basement into a legal rental.

I have looked at a lot of basements in our DC neighbor hood to get idea. Making the basement open as possible is key, so knock down a dividing wall and put in sliding doors. Shinny anything is also too much in small basement spaces, it just jumps out at you.

Carpet, not so sure about this. I know it is warmer if there is a decent underlay, but I am leaning towards an end grain or leaving the floor with concrete and putting some different sized rugs, with underlay, all over the place.

And bathroom tile, for the floor big white tiles don't work in the small room, and I don't think they look much good anywhere, try some mosaic or small tile, go up market here, you can probably afford some thing beautiful and interesting with such a small space.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I live in a newish area and most of my friends have carpeted basements without issues. They all have sump pumps. Several contractors told us carpet would feel warmer than engineered wood (our other choice) concrete floors are not really my style.

[Anonymous]

if you don't have water problems, put carpet in a basement. i'm so glad we did. Yes ou may have to replace it after 10-15 years or if there ever is any major water issue, but it is so much warmer than hardwood, and you really need that for a basement.

[Anonymous]

If you put marble on the floor, someone will slip and fall down.

[Anonymous]

martha stewart has a line of berber carpet at home depot. It is really great, and they were the cheapest we found.

[Anonymous]

Cork? Modern Linoleum?

Carpet collects dirt and dust and can get mold when liquids are spilled.

[Anonymous]

I would do the engineered wood or nice looking laminate and then put throw rugs....

[Anonymous]

We did engineered would with Pottery Barn rug. Looks amazing.

[Anonymous]

Haha wood not would.

[Anonymous]

PPs, engineered hardwood is cold? I'm not sure I understand this (first time homeowner with carpet -- thinking of putting down engineered wood). Does the wood feel cold under your feeet? Does it also decrease the temp of the room?

[Anonymous]

I think if you want a carpet that is longer than plush but not quite shag, you want a "frisee." It's more expensive than plush but looks good and feels awesome underfoot - we just carpeted our upstairs in it. (downstairs is hardwood.) apparently it's popular these days. we did 2 bedrooms, large hallway and stairs for about $2600 including a good pad and install.

you can also look at porcelain tiles that look like marble for the floors if you like that look.

[Anonymous]

We did a patterned carpet in our basement - it's a combination of pile and berber. Looks nicer than berber but wears better over time than pile. Feels really nice.
http://shawfloors.com/TuftexProducts/TuftexProductDetails.aspx?Dim1=/TuftexCollection/Pattern/Beiges&Dim2=Believe_Z6915-Straw

The carpet you linked - my parents had something like that in their house and the traffic pattern really showed. The longer pile would get trampled down in the traffic pattern and be more fluffy in the other areas. Plus, that light color really showed dirt. Go for something a little darker, closer to the color of dirt, and it'll look better over time.

Don't do anything white, or close to white, for a floor tile. It shows every speck of dirt and every hair.

If you don't have kids or pets, your choices might be just fine.