Carpet Feels Damp In Basement
The temporary fix was to rip up the carpet knock a hole in the concrete slab repair the leaking pipe fill in the hole with quickcrete cement and restretch the carpet once it and the pad had dried.
Carpet feels damp in basement. Keep the basement temperature at or below 75 degrees f. Alternatives to basement carpet. Use option a to keep your floor dry if you have damp floors. Basement cracks should be closed off with a concrete sealer.
There s no apparent smell but i swear the carpet feels damp not wet just cold and damp. Molds and mildew can grow in damp carpets and beneath wall coverings. Carpeting a basement isn t impossible and if you like the soft feel of carpet fibers it may very well be the answer for you. Rising damp moisture can rise through the floor and foundation by capillary action.
Directing them away from the foundation of a home can help to prevent a basement from becoming damp. The pro carpet side says that carpeting can be installed in the basement and will fare no worse than other types of flooring materials such an engineered wood or laminate. Within a week or so the damp spot progressed to a puddle 4 by 6 feet that a wet vac couldn t really keep up with. Lay the carpet back on the floor and fire up the air movers and rental dehumidifier.
This argument runs that carpet has a breathability factor greater than other types and that even light moisture can be mitigated with dehumidifiers. Basement water problems are solvable but there is a cost to doing it right. That said even if your basement is unusually dry some of the alternatives to basement carpet are likely to be cheaper flooring installations. Install dimpled polyethylene to create an air space between the concrete and the finished floor sealing off dampness and giving moisture a chance to dissipate.
In addition carpet is one of the most flexible floor covering materials so even if your cement floor is not perfectly level carpet can be installed right over it. If that works you can reinstall it by taping it back together. But i honestly cant tell it s it s just cold from being on the slab or legitimately wet underneath. It comes from damp concrete and poorly drained ground and besides making the basement and lower stories uncomfortable it can damage the floors foundation and other woodwork.
Just be aware that new carpet pad is cheap so don t waste a lot of time trying to dry the old stuff. If you suspect groundwater swelling may be an issue or that the implementation of a sump pump would correct your wet basement issues then call in a professional for wet basement repair. I bought a general tools pin type moisture meter model mm1e and it is reading around 14 throughout the two rooms. Carpet is warm soft and cushioned making it ideal for covering the cold cement floor.