What is the best type of flooring to use on a slab basement floor?

What is the best type of flooring to use on a slab basement floor?
Because its a slab it can be prone to the classic basement floor mustiness, but we've installed a full time de-humidifier so that should help. I don't want to lay a pad and rug over the moisture barrier, just in case we do have issues with humidity or mustiness later that would cause me to have to rip out the relatively new rugs. I assume that you can't put hardwood down over the concrete and that if you could it would also be suseptable to any moisture. What about ceramic tile? The area is going to be used for a master bedroom/bath area with a set of french doors. Would any moisture issues later on down the line cause the tiles and or grout to crack? There is no chance of standing water on the slab, just a high moisture and humidity possibility. Thanks - Matt


Answers:

Chosen Answer
Mark B:  You cannot put solid hardwood over a slab floor. You can use a floating hardwood or laminate. You can also use ceramic tile. Tile will be pretty cold for a bedroom floor though. I'd go with a laminate in the bedroom and perhaps tile or vinyl in the bath.
2007-10-11 06:55:31
Chuck T:  I'm thinking of doing the same Matt only in is an attached garage floor , I'm looking into laminate flooring , open for suggestions as well...
2007-10-11 06:56:21
michael g:  I swear by those self stick laminate tile things. Cheap, easy to install, lots of choices, wont rot and easy to take up if you grow tired of em. You will have to have someone even out the concrete slab for the hardwood to look and install correctly. Any unevenness will cause the wood to creak and fail. Self stick no problem !!!! They also have a expoxy floor paint that is hard as nails- a little pricey though......
2007-10-11 06:57:40
loquaciousparaiyan:  I live in a very humid environment...
...If you treat the wood correctly by painting it either natural or other preferrence, hard wood will work (my house has this-never any buckling problems). Another idea is indeed tile but not the smooth surface. The moisture could build up enough to cause slippage. A great tile is the industrial tera cota color (brick color) tile. It help seal the moisture in grooves usually found in kitchens or bathrooms in many resturants. Good luck there are other rough surface tiles too. Depending on the dollar you are willing to spend, but it all makes for a very nice surface. Have fun.
2007-10-11 06:58:48
dali333:  i had laminate installed in my brand new house in the basement, and it started to buckle with a years time.yes, it was installed professionally and no, there were no seepage issues.
2007-10-11 07:11:40
Nattitude:  Tile would be best with a heating element under it. There is a special type of board that needs to be laid first and this will prevent the cracking in the grout that you are worried about. SO many people just lay the tiles and later have problems. Also be sure to seal the grout lines. Installing the heating element under the tiles, you will never have a cold floor and you can select the temp that you want for your comfort level. Good luck!
2007-10-11 10:50:07
nanad:  What we did was to frame the concrete basement floor with 2x4's, attach sub-flooring and then installed carpet tiles. This allowed for air to circulate.
2007-10-11 17:15:22