sidmona

We just laid indoor/outdoor carpeting on the floor. It's not that expensive and you don't have to do any prep work on the concrete.

sandiphi

Thank you everybody that responded to my dilemma. I am going to go to home depot tonight and see what they suggest. I would like to carpet it, but I am not sure how well my cutting table (5 feet long) will move around on the carpet. But then I want tile, because the cutting table would easily move around, and it is pretty easy to lay down. I know I am going to have to do some prep work to the floor because the paint is chipped in some areas. Errr, I wish the guy that we bought the house from prepared this floor the proper way. I wouldn't have this problem right now. But, he wanted a quick way to fix a problem so he could sell the house.

Anyways, thanks for all the suggestions.

Mamagus

The click type laminate can be installed on concrete. We can get it here for 99cents a square foot which is cheaper than vinyl or carpet.

Carpet is cosy but it smells after awhile when it is in a basement and it can't be swept.... a MUST for my messy sewing room!

mommaB

I would think you could just put carpet tiles down. If the paint is stuck to the concrete, I don't see any reason to scrape anything. My sister got tiles from carpetbargains.com they have close out specials and such and she did her whole rec room (about 12x30) for about $700 if I remember correctly. She has very nice carpet and you really really have to look for seams. A couple area rugs (cover up the peeling areas!!) would work great also, and they're easy to take up if you have water problems.

Marcia

Have you considered cork flooring? It comes in individual squares and is easy to install. All you need to put down over concrete is moisture barrier paper. We have cork flooring in our home gym in our basement. It is very easy to keep up, was not expensive and best of all, it is a renewable resource, so good for the environment too.

kwhite

I am putting laminent in my new sewing room. It is in the basement and on cement. It softens up the floor a bit and it looks so nice. No glue down.

thimblebug6000

I have carpeting in my sewing room, I don't think it's a great choice, pins get "lost" in the carpeting..... threads are hard to vacuum.... my chair has to be on a plastic mat otherwise the wheels don't move freely.

If I had a cement floor, I would consider getting some of the wonderful cushioned rubber mats that are made for cashiers and others who stand alot in their jobs. (they're not cheap but you can get them in all different sizes) It really does help to "cushion" the strain on your back if you plan on doing much machine quilting.

Shelley

Once you figure out the floor, don't forget to put down something to save your back when you are running the LA.

We have carpet under ours. Luckily, it's like an indoor/outdoor very low maintenance type carpet (the building is a former church - it might be an industrial grade). We are lucky in that we are not directly on cement. When we bought the machine, we were advised to get the puzzle piece mats and use carpet tape to attach them to a plastic floor runner. We found it not necessary, since we are not on concrete. It might be necessary for what you are going to be working on.

HTH! Shel

Tiffany

My sewing room is in the basement of my home. It has concrete floors with a THIN carpet (no padding) over it. It works, but in all honesty, if I were to do it over (I didn't do this one!) I would make sure to add padding. I tend to lay my quilts on the floor to sandwich them and with such a thin carpet over the concrete, I cannot pin my quilts to the floor and must instead use painters tape to hold the back and batting still while I baste the top to them. I've also noticed that while it does help some with keeping the room warmer, it doesn't do much. I think padding would help keep it warmer in the winter and reduce the need for me to run the gas fireplace; which really means saving money in the long run. More money to spend on fabric! :D

butterflywing

i sew in the basement on a concrete floor. yay! when we moved into this house there were carpet tiles, the ones that self-stick. i kept losing pins, i couldn't roll my la chair, and i was leaving a track between the door and the quilter. i couldn't rationalize taking it up, because it was so warm and sturdy. there was also a mildew-y smell that we couldn't find.

the washer overflowed and left a puddle that you cold row a boat in. after we shop-vacced the water out and took out all the wet carpet tiles to dry (they never did), the mildew smell was gone forever. i forgot how damp basements are and how carpets retain odors. as for the tiles, before they could dry on the deck, it would rain again. because they have heavy rubber backs drying takes forever. if they didn't stink we would have used them in the garage (the cars never get in there - no room LOL). i think the concrete floor in my basement would always have been too damp for carpet. my dh used a sanding machine, did the best he could and we painted the floor. no smells, easy to sweep, easy to roll the chair, and no lost pins. i wear warm socks and rubber-soled shoes. in the summer it's nice and cool.