Anonymous wrote:OP here ... its a concrete floor. House is a little over three years old, so no water issues and no pets. But I wouldn't want to deal with any trapped moisture issues in the long term.

I know there's a lot of comments about hardwood flooring in the basement, but I didn't think it was recommended. Wouldn't the boards warp being on concrete (even if you do put down a layer of plywood and polyuretain film). And being below ground, most basements have a moisture element too (humidifier or dehumidifier).

Having said that, we have berber in the basement. For us, it serves as a rec room. We paid extra to have thick padding under the carpet for comfort and warmth. Steps to the basement have reg carpet though.

It's been 4 years since we've had it installed and 3 kids playing on it almost daily, no problems with threads or vacumming as other PPs describe. Dirt and occasional dead spider crickets blend in well into the pattern we chose so I would say it hides dirt well (although were also a new shoes inside household). We don't have pets to claw it up so maybe that is the difference.

I hate the tile in my kitchen. I wear slippers there. Otherwise I don't wear shoes inside. We did a mix of hardwood from Home depot that is not cold on the feet and Berber. Not that I thoroughly researched it, I just went with my spouse's preferences.

I think Berber looks nice when it is new but I don't think it wears well. I have it in my rental house and a house I lived in. If there is a snag in it and your vacuum gets it at the right angle, it will pull the carpet apart very quickly. If you must have carpet, I recommend regular pile carpet or whatever it is called.

For my own basement, I tore the hallway and bedroom carpet out and put in a nice laminate from Costco. When I get to the family room, I will replace that carpet with a nice 2x1 foot porcelain tile, supplemened with area rugs.

Berber is harder to keep clean than a flat pile. It has loops. Crumbs, pet hair, dirt in the loops.

I like berber bound with a border like in the photo "“Benjamin Moore 521 Nantucket Breeze”

Design New England." on this page http://www.homebunch.com/category/bathrooms-2/

It gives a sculptural element and feels much better to walk on than some similar area rug materials. We had some runners that the dog used for nothing but rolling and belly scratching.

A friend has cork in her basement and loves it.

I would not be caught dead in a house with Berber. It's a monstrosity. Seriously, I hope I never come to your home.

Cork is going to be more expensive than carpeting (unless you get the cheapest type---which you may not like).

We went with carpeting (not berber) and are very happy with the warmth and sound deadening properties. We do not have pets however.

We had berber in our basement. Never again. It looked raggedy after only a couple of years.

It snags and unravels. Total nightmare if you have pets. It isn't as durable as you'd think. There were some stubborn stains that would not come out, even with professional cleanings.

I also agree with the PP who said it looks dated and downscale.