Out With the Old, and Out With the Mold

It’s National “Old Stuff” Day - yes, that’s a thing, and yes, I look at calendars to find all of these weird National Days - so we’re going to talk about the old stuff in your basement, and how you can make it look new.

Shop Vacs

If you’ve had consistent, small amounts of water in your basement, I can guarantee you’ve had a shop vac down there at some point in order to clean it up. I can guarantee this because I see it all the time looking through photos of our projects - there, in the middle of the floor, a sad, dusty, red and black shop vac. It gets the job done short term, but how much time have you wasted lugging that thing up and down the stairs to get rid of standing water? Or is the water so constant that the shop vac just lives down there now?

Box Fans

A frequent companion to the Shop Vac is the white box fan. I understand the idea that fans help dry water, but using a fan in an attempt to dry up standing water is kind of like blowing on a wet St. Bernard. Eventually? Yes, it will probably dry. But how long will it take, and do you really want something plugged in sitting in water?

 

Wood Paneling

 

Ah, wood paneling. I’m not going to make fun of wood paneling because it definitely adds charm in the right situation, but how many of you have wood paneling in your finished basements simply because it’s what was already there when you bought the house? Or because it was “the thing” when you finished the basement and you just...don’t want to deal with changing it out, or you’re a little afraid of what could be lurking behind it since your basement started having water issues?

Well, I promise, if you have water in your basement, there is something lurking behind that wood paneling, or maybe the accompanying baseboard. Probably both. Wood paneling, aesthetic aside, is actually a dangerous choice for basement finishing, because wood is an organic material, aka a breeding ground for mold. And by the time you can actually see mold, it’s already in the process of overtaking your basement.

 

Linoleum and Carpet

The most common - and, let’s be honest, a little ugly - basement flooring choices are also some of the most dangerous. Not dangerous in that they’re going to open up and swallow you whole or anything, but similar to the aforementioned wood paneling, they harbor mold and, especially in carpet’s case, moisture. That box fan doesn’t do a lot to dry out carpet, and it can harbor mold and mildew that are a sensory nightmare for your entire house - squishy carpet, awful smells even upstairs, the works. Anything living in the carpet will happily soak into anything on the carpet, which means your furniture could be on the way to ruin as well.

So what can you do about your old and busted basement

First, you need to ditch the shop vac and box fans; they’re a band aid on a bullet hole and they’re letting you fool yourself into thinking you’re taking care of the problem. Sure, you can cope with a cold by blowing your nose every 15 seconds, but wouldn’t a nap and some DayQuil get to the source a little faster? Think of our WaterGuard below-floor drain system as your basement’s nap and DayQuil. By installing WaterGuard, the water will be actively collected and diverted to a sump pump, then discharged outside. If it doesn’t have a chance to collect on the floor, you don’t have to deal with it, and it can’t ruin your basement.

As for your finishes...it’s time to ditch the wood paneling. I’m sorry, I know it gives your Man Cave that rustic look, but wouldn’t you rather it be mold-free? Our Brightwall panels not only give the basement a bright, clean look, but they’re also waterproof and inorganic (aka no mold snacks) and can be tied right into the WaterGuard system to give an extra layer of protection.

When it comes to flooring, we offer everything from carpet to hardwood looks in our ThermalDry line. Not only are they waterproof and inorganic - again, no mold here - but they’re constructed with what’s called a thermal deck. The thermal deck creates a barrier between the floor and the walking surface that can raise temperatures by as much as 8-10 degrees, which means it’s more comfortable for your feet. ThermalDry flooring is available in both tile form and a new hardwood-look plank construction. We went onsite this week to see the installation of the plank flooring and not only is it quick and easy, but I’m obsessed with the look and feel of it. The rest of your house would be jealous of your basement with this flooring.

You might have made a New Year’s resolution to get your basement in order that you promptly forgot about by January 5th, but use this weird potentially internet-created National Day to get back on track and get rid of all of that old stuff - and your old habits - in the basement.