A very common problem with a lot of basements is water seeping onto the basement floor. And of course this is not only gives problems with mold and mildew, but it makes it extremely difficult to store items such as cardboard boxes which are prone to disintegrate or turn moldy in such damp conditions. There is course a whole industry based on fixing problems with damp basements who can certainly fix most problems for a price, but what if you don't wish to spend a fortune on making the basement totally waterproof. Are there any other options which can improve the situation?
Generally speaking, it's not possible to prevent water from entering the basement unless you undertake specialised repairs, but if you are just seeking to keep the floor of the basement dry, then one alternative is to lay down a "floating" type floor over the top of the existing surface. This type of floor can help by improving the air circulation and avoid water from tracking upwards to the surface.
The simplest way that this can be achieved is probably to use modular interlocking flooring tiles - the type that is constructed with an inbuilt plastic mesh base. This type of tile is typically used in exterior projects for covering hard concrete surfaces on patios, decks and balconies and suchlike, but they are also excellent for interior applications such as basements and sunroom floors.
The main benefit of using interlocking flooring tiles in this situation is that they are specifically designed to allow water to drain away freely underneath the tile. And since the plastic base is impervious to moisture, it stops water from tracking upwards onto the surface of the tile. And with the wood tiles in particular, the gaps between the individual wood pieces on the tile increases the air circulation, to help dry out the floor below.
Installation of interlocking tiles is a task that can be carried out by practically anyone, since they don't need any nails, screws or adhesives. They just snap into place by pushing each tile down firmly to engage the interlocking tabs on all four sides of the tiles. Normally you start laying the tiles in one corner of the room and work steadily across the area in an expanding triangular fashion. When you come to the walls on the other side, you may need to cut a few tiles to fill in the remaining gaps. Fortunately wood tiles can be quite easily cut with just a handsaw or power saw.
If you would prefer not to use wood, then you'll find that this type of interlocking flooring tile is available in a number of different surface materials including slate, granite, porcelain and composite wood, such as the range of tiles from HandyDeck. And in many cases you can "mix and match" the different tile options to create your own individualised flooring design.
There's probably only one particular point you need to consider when laying down this type of tile. And that is where you have a have a door opening inwards into the basement. Because the tiles will raise the floor level between about 1"-1 " depending on the type of tile, you may need to consider either trimming the base of the door so it will clear the tiles, adjusting the door hinges so that the door swings outwards instead of inwards, or leaving out few tiles the door opens into the basement.
But for a simple and easy to install option for reducing darkness problems on your basement floor, interlocking floor tiles can be the ideal answer and of course they'll look a lot more attractive than any concrete floor which you might currently have.