My basement was covered by carpet. It is old and kind of dirty. I didn’t like it. So when I think about the renovation of the the basement, I change it to SPC flooring. It is the main part of the project.
The first step, get the measurement of the basement and calculate how much SPC plank I need.
The software I used for CAD drawing is LibreCAD. It is open source and free. It is just a 2D CAD software.
I am using the stupid way. I drew the floor plan, I drew an SPC plank. I copied and pasted them to cover the whole basement. Manually counted the total number of the planks. Then bought 28 boxes of Versaclic Vinyl flooring Sedona Grey OAK SPC.
I am not discussing why I chose SPC plank, not the laminate or vinyl. I just chose it and after one year. I still like it.
I bought it at the COSTCO warehouse.
I need to go two rounds to get them home.
The Second step is to remove the old carpet.
I am using the following tools.
- Utility Knife
- Pliers
- Gloves.
- Black garbage bags.
This job is simple, just need your muscles. With gloves, I can grab the carpet tightly. Use a utility knife to cut the carpet into small pieces. Put them into the garbage bag. There is underlayment under the carpet. It also needs to be removed. I did not take pictures for this job. So I get some from the Internet for sharing.
The Third step is to remove the tack strip and clean the concrete floor.
The basement is concrete. Along the walls, Tack Strips need to be removed. Most of them are wood. Some are metal.
Tools I need：
- Crowbar, or Prybar
- Hamer
- Safety glasses
- Gloves
After removal. There are small holes in the ground and some places are not clean. Bought a bottle of Ready Mix Concrete Patch.
Patch the ground and clean the stains. To prepare the floor.
The Fourth step is to add a vapor barrier.
It is a vapor barrier, or you can call it a moisture barrier. I bought a bag of 6mil Everbilt CGSB-approved Vapour Barrier and a roll of Tuck Tape.
The concrete floor has hairline cracking normally. The moisture may have a chance to come out. So adding a Vapor barrier is a MUST.
The basement are full of the stuffs. I have to start from a corner. Do the flooring part to part. The above steps are also done one corner to another corner. Here is a picture when I just finished the first corner.
The Fifth step is to install the SPC flooring
Installing the SPC flooring is the easiest part.
- To cut it, use a utility knife.
- Give a space for expansion to the wall.
- Try to mix the planks without making a pattern.
- Start from the Upper Left corner
- Got a rubber floor mallet.
- A square, or ruler
VersaClick has a video guide to show you how to install their products.
After finishing all the above steps, install the baseboard. The bookshelf division and the box cover the pipes are done before the flooring.
