We installed hardwood in our basement and the other posters are correct- you need to seal it. We also put a layer in for cushioning (I am not technical - so forgive the non-technical terms) but it was essentially a raised subfloor. It worked well.

This. If you want to do it right, put in a subfloor (no matter what you are putting on top). It makes all the difference.

Vinyl plank and laminate are different. When I looked, no one suggested sealing the concrete. It is a good idea to use a vapor barrier or a good padding but it depends on the product and each is specific to theirs. I would use a cheap laminate (so if you have to pull it out, not a big deal) and a really good pad vs. vinyl which goes directly on the floor and will be cold.

Anonymous wrote:We installed hardwood in our basement and the other posters are correct- you need to seal it. We also put a layer in for cushioning (I am not technical - so forgive the non-technical terms) but it was essentially a raised subfloor. It worked well.

All the instructions for vinyl plank that we have seen says no subfloor and no plastic moisture barrier.

We installed hardwood in our basement and the other posters are correct- you need to seal it. We also put a layer in for cushioning (I am not technical - so forgive the non-technical terms) but it was essentially a raised subfloor. It worked well.

We installed the Traffic Master brand from Home Depot in our basement three years ago. Love it. Not cold, but it's a hard floor. We put an area rug in the kids area.

We used a floating click-lock vinyl plank flooring in an upper bathroom over existing vinyl. It was easy peasy to install but it's pretty thin. If I were installing over cement in a basement I would look into a barrier to go under for moisture and possibly for some insulation.

We put it over concrete in our basement a year ago. I believe the brand was Kandean. I might be spelling that wrong. It does not feel cold underfoot.

Concrete needs to be treated with a floor sealer that seals the concrete under the 8 lbs. or a moisture/vapor barrier of 6 mil poly. Allure is water resistant, not waterproof, and will withstand holding water for short periods of time if the product is installed properly. Mold has been known to develop under the flooring, basement moisture levels over 5% should not use Allure flooring. Just my opinion though.

just posted on another thread, but I've installed TrafficMaster Allure from Home Depot and am happy with it. I can't speak to the cold floor issue since I installed on an upper floor over existing vinyl, but it was really easy to do. I think the only tool I needed was a utility knife.

We plan to install this in our basement, directly over concrete.

Does anyone have a brand they recommend or experience they can share?

We are particularly interested in the coldness of the concrete coming through and the hardness of the subfloor.

Basement is walk out and dry.