ksdaddy Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I'm asking here because we have a wide and varied bank of opinions, experiences, and knowledge. As you know, I moved into my Atomic Ranch in April, with its knotty pine and 50s charm. The cellar is very much habitable. It's wide open, I watch the humidity, and it's plenty warm. The entire cellar floor was once covered in linoleum but was peeled up a couple decades ago. Over the years the previous owners have saw fit to lay down big chunks of carpeting down there. A vast olio of 1968 avocado green, 1970 harvest gold, 1972 burnt orange, and some other scraps. They overlap, they're ragged, etc. Looks awful. I'm not so concerned about the look as I am them trapping moisture. I am in the process of building a new guitar repair shop down there, using the workbench from the original ksdaddy shop plus another one identical in an L fashion. That whole corner of the cellar is taking place and when the electrician comes to supply me with more outlets and a big honkin' fluorescent 4-light 4-footer over the workbench, well, Mister Man, that'll be just cock fer dolly! (whatever that means). I'm also going to be making a man cave of sorts, with couch, coffee table and tv, nothing major. No bar because I don't drink, so it'll be a tame place, just some place to sit on the couch with a guitar and be by myself. So back to the point... should I take up all that crappy rug and just go with cement and maybe an area rug or runner as the need/desire arises? I can see the advantage of the carpeting if I dropped a guitar or went down cellar in my bare feet, but weighing that against potential mold, smells, maintenance, etc.... I just want others to say "Omigod, rip that Brady Bunch crap up off the floor" in a validation type sense. I suck at 'nesting' and tend to use things as I find them until inspired to do otherwise. What say ye? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 .... take up all that crappy rug and just go with cement and maybe an area rug or runner as the need/desire arises .... Seems like you're moving things right along. I'm for pulling the carpet and go with the cement. You can always strategically place area rugs wherever you want them - by the benches, by the couch etc. Of course we want to see pics when you getter done. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Yup. Pull up the carpet. Clean up the slab and you can use some rugs of some sort. You can always finish the floor with something later. There's all kinds of wood flooring that lays down easily. Or you can use one of those epoxy finishes. Or mix it up and have part of it wood and part of it just a slab or coated slab. Getting the carpet glue up is a drag, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 don't worry about damp, if it's there, it's there and carpet wont make any difference to how much is floating about in the air. Also, if the floor was damp the carpet would have rotted years ago. That said, I'd leave it for its sound dumping properties, it'll be very echo-ey without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 If you don't like the way the carpet looks, yank it! Besides, you can't sweep the floor when there's carpet. (And you won't be dropping guitars all willy nilly will you?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShredAstaire Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 You could rip up the old ugly carpet and put some new carpet down....will reduce echo, be cleaner (than old dingy carpet). Although, natural reverb is pretty awesome sometimes. I say rip it up...see how it goes... and make a decision then on what to do with the empty floor. Good luck...and lets see some pics of the old carpet. BTW, how do you know what year these carpets are from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Out with the old carpet. If budget is low - scour and paint the concrete, cover with area rugs - biggest you can. What area of the country? If budget is Ok, talk to the electrician about putting in a heated floor / tile over the concrete. I went the low budget route, great space. Do you have a way to control the heat / humidity? Electric baseboards? Big room, small room? Any operable windows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyMoon Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Rip up that carpet...but carpet that old?...where a mask when doing it...it's old and broken down and deteriorated so lots of fibers and dust and dirt and who knows what else floating about....clean er up and paint it, and decorate with area rugs ...that's my suggestion for what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Easy removal. No glue anywhere, just laid down. The years? Educated guess. I'll do some pics later today. You will be amused and disgusted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShredAstaire Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Yessssssss!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 When you say a "cellar", do you literally mean a root cellar as in a dirt basement? I have owned 2 homes with dirt basements. One with a cement floor and one without. The one without did have a wood floor and was literally a root cellar used mainly for storing preserves. The one with cement floor actually housed the furnace and water heater. My wife hated both..lol. As for the moisture level I don't think either floor offered any difference in humidity levels when the walls are dirt(or even retained by preserved wood). It's all about proper ventilation. That said,, a cement floor with a sub floor and carpet would me much more comfortable than carpet over dirt. Not to mention the potential health concerns with mold. Is there any musty smell now? Even if the dirt stays dry, any biodegradable material will degrade over time and be consumed buy the earth. You sound motivated if you are considering cement. So don't think twice and just do it. And then for extra comfort build a subfloor or you can spend more money on products like dricore that are simple to install. Not cheap but easy. Yes. do post pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 My vote is to get rid of the old carpet and get an area rug for the man-cave. As for the shop, leave that concrete. Easier to keep clean with wood shavings, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 At least in the workstation area I'd rip up that carpet so you can sweep shavings etc. pretty easily. I'd also lay down a thick rubber mat in that area to make it more comfortable to stand and work, cut down on the stress on your joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Yep I put a big piece of nice vinyl flooring in front of the bench and one of those thick rubber workstation mats too. The existing floor is nice paintable concrete. I think I'd like to paint it gray and then use an area rug and maybe a couple runners. Penny concurs about getting rid of the Brady Bunch carpeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 How high is the ceiling? This will make more of a difference with sound then the floor, although I'd go for new or old recycled wood for the best sound in flooring & wall's as well but it all comes down to budget and need. Like some one said already you can throw some large thin rugs down and/or hang some frame-less thick painting's if it's to reverberant. I have most of my delicate sound gear stored in the basement but the de-humidifier stay's on 24/7/365, there's a drain right beside it, I ran a hose to it from the unit so it will not shut off if I forget to empty the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 I feel you. We call them basements on the West, and I like them so much that when house shopping, I would tell my agent it is the first priority. Lived in a few, fixed up a few more, and seen a lot more than that. I am also a construction man, so I know a thing or two about flooring and cleaning and worksites. First thing first, you have to both make a good assesment of the basement, and I also might suggest living in it at least through one winter. Baesment more often than not will leak at some point. I lived in one for 2 years before it did. It still could be fine to habitate, but this will affect where you store things or what you keep down there. I have seen a lot of basements that have been fixed up, that appear to be dry and even smell dry, but then see signs of water. Anyway, if a basement leaks, it isn't the end of the world, just maybe have to arrange a little different. You mentioned glue on the floor. I can imagine that is kinda unsightly. I would not be anxious to piant over that. The paint might not last and leave you with more of a mess and uglier that before you started. Depending on the glue, it could scrape up easy, or be a lot of work you don't want. You might hire it out. But one thing about floor paints: they aren't always the cheaper option, even though they SEEM to be. Carpet might SEEM like the worst to take of, but in reality, IF it gets wet and has to dry, a single layer of carpet not glued can easily be shop-vac'ed and dried naturally. There is no real harm or disadvantage to carpet regarding moisture, only if it gets wet you have to wait for it to dry, which might be a week or so after the water is gone. You can lay a slab of carpet for about 2 bucks a foot. If you want a hard flooring of some of the "imitation" or "engineered" stuff, it is around the same price for the cheesier stuff, but you have to also price out the sub-floor, and if THAT gets wet, how will you deal with it? But still, it can be fun to have, and give the place some color and soul. I don't really know how much of a mess you make with your shop. A floor is easier to sweep, but for a lot of things it is sometimes just as easy to shop-vac a little off the carpet and bench as it is to shop-vac a hard floor. Sweeping only gets the big stuff and still leaves dust that can be tracked further away, which actually makes more cleaning. Just random thoughts for you. I am excited for you and your new space. And cheap flooring is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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