Basement Finishing for a Healthy Home
What happens in a basement has a lasting impact on the entire home. The reason for this is a phenomenon called the "stack effect," which is the science behind how air moves in a home. When air is heated, it naturally rises, and in a home, that air moves from the lower levels of the home upwards to the top levels, where it then finds its way out of the house. As air leaves the house, move air is pulled from the lower levels- including the basement. This means that ultimately, if it's in your basement air, it's in your entire home. And that goes for mold, dust mite waste, and indoor pollutants.
Mold-Resistant Basement Remodeling
Mold is an extremely significant problem in a home. The American Lung Association cites 88 million people in the United States have some form of respiratory distress, and 50% of households have at least one person inside who suffer from some sort of respiratory distress, and 50% of homes have at least one person living inside with allergies, asthma, or another respiratory ailment.
When people think about home mold, they usually think of the basement. Because moisture is constantly moving through your porous basement walls, it's constantly flowing into your basement, making it the damp, humid space that basements are notorious for being. Basement wall products containing any organic material placed against these walls will trap moisture behind them and create the perfect environment for mold.
The Total Basement Finishing international network of basement finishers offers their customers only the best in mold-resistant products. Their basement walls, ceiling tiles, and basement flooring are resistant to mold and moisture, with the basement walls including a 50 year warranty against damage from mold and moisture- one that can hold up even in a basement flood! Total Basement Finishing's products are made with inorganic products that are designed to hold up against the specific, unique environment in a basement and are warranted to keep your basement beautiful!
A Dry Basement Floor
When wood, plywood, carpet, and wood and polyethylene floor tiles are used on a basement floor, the results are always the same: a moldy, rotten mess. The combination of moisture moving upwards through a concrete floor and the potential for a leak coming from a water heater, washing machine, tub, toilet, sink, or other plumbing source gets them every time. Once these materials are wet, rotten, or moldy, they're never the same.
However, there is a solution. Whether your preference is tiled, carpeted, or wood finish flooring, Total Basement Finishing's ThermalDry® Basement Floor Tiles and ThermalDry® Elite Plank Flooring is perfect for you. These basement floorings are able to survive the humid and flooded conditions of a basement without being damaged by moisture. And because they serve as a vapor retardant in your home, they help keep humidity out of your basement, making it drier than ever!
If you have your heart set on a specific carpet design that Total Basement Finishing does not offer, Total Basement Finishing can help. Our award-winning ThermalDry® floor matting will serve as a basement subfloor in your home, taking up much less vertical space than a wood floor without ever rotting or supporting mold growth. It forms a complete vapor barrier underneath the carpet, protecting it from humidity and moisture from below.
Basement Dehumidification
Mold and dust mites need three vital things to survive: warmth, moisture, and food. In a finished basement, however, there will always be enough warmth and organic material to serve as food. However, while mold needs a relative humidity of 60% to thrive in a home, humans and pets can feel comfortable with relative humidity levels that are much lower. So the key to removing mold in your finished space is a reliable basement dehumidifier.
To this end, Total Basement Finishing provides the SaniDry™ basement dehumidification system. This powerful Energy Star rated basement dehumidifier is three times more efficient than the standard home dehumidifiers found at hardware stores, and its self-draining design will keep the dehumidifier ready at all times to create a healthy, mold-free basement.
One of the best features about the SaniDry™ is its ability to clean the air as well as dehumidify it. The SaniDry™ filtration system is able to remove particles from the air as small as 2 microns! That's smaller than dust mites, dust mite waste, pollen, pet dander, most dust, and most mold spores as well as many other airborne allergens and pollutants.
A Healthy, Finished Basement
Total Basement Finishing has everything you need for a dry, healthy basement. Our basement renovation products are made to last, with mold-resistant products that are designed for the unique, humid basement environment. Once installed in your home, you and your family can begin a lifetime of enjoyment in your new space with resting assured that you've made a solid home improvement investment that will increase in value with your home. Our international network of basement remodelers are fully trained, certified, and established with may years of business in your community. Total Basement Finishing would like to work with you to help you upgrade your basement to be the best it can be. If you'd free estimate on a healthy, energy-efficient basement, call us or contact us online today!
