First, make sure your basement stays dry. Then open a few planks in Laminate and read four lines in the specifications: Thickness (mm), AC Durability Rating, Underpad Attached and Water Resistant. Each line answers one simple question. How solid does the plank feel? How much walking is the surface rated for? Is a pad already glued under it? How long can the top handle a spill? Below, each line is explained in plain words, using five real FloorBox planks.
Yes, if the basement stays dry. The inside of a laminate plank is made of pressed wood chips. The Laminate page says this base layer can be damaged by water and must be kept dry. The FloorBox guide What Are The Best Flooring Options For Your Basement? says to avoid laminate unless the basement is completely dry, because moisture that comes up through the floor will damage it. Planchers 1867, the brand behind four of the planks below, says laminate can work in a basement that is dry and ventilated, where the humidity stays stable all year. The installation guide on the Planchers 1867 Laminate Flooring Concerto XL Baryton Oak 7" x 48" and Planchers 1867 Laminate Flooring Authentic Advanced Trend Oak Summer Beige 8" x 54" pages also says laminate is not for wet rooms such as bathrooms or laundry rooms. If the laundry corner of your basement gets wet, keep laminate out of that spot.
Thickness is how thick one plank is, in millimetres. The Laminate page says laminate is usually between 7 and 12 mm, most often 7, 8, 10 or 12 mm. It says a thicker plank is more durable and feels more like real wood under your feet. The Authentic Advanced plank is 8 mm. The Concerto XL and the Planchers 1867 Laminate Flooring Authentic Titan Seefeld Sand 9-3/4" x 80-3/4" are 12 mm. Watch for one thing: the number can include a pad. The Centura Laminate Flooring Studio Suede Click Lock 6-1/2" x 48" page lists 10.3 mm, and the Centura data sheet on that page shows an 8.3 mm board plus a 2.0 mm attached pad. Thickness and AC rating are also two separate lines. The Concerto XL is 12 mm and AC3, while the Authentic Advanced is 8 mm and AC4. Read both before you choose.
The AC rating tells you how well the top surface holds up to wear from walking. The brand data sheets on these FloorBox pages call it abrasion or wear resistance. Abrasion means wear from rubbing, like shoes crossing the floor day after day. On FloorBox, look for the AC Durability Rating line. Its label tells you the traffic the surface is rated for:
The higher the number, the busier the traffic on the label. For scratches, the Laminate page says the clear top layer (the wear layer) is scratch-resistant, which is why it suits homes with children and pets.
Pick it by how much walking the room gets. A spare bedroom gets fewer steps than a family room where kids play every day. Then read the label and the description:
It saves you a step. Underpad Attached means a thin pad is already glued under each plank. The Studio and the Authentic Ocean list Yes. The Studio data sheet calls its pad a Silent Pad, for sound. The Concerto XL, Authentic Advanced and Authentic Titan list No, so plan a separate underlayment from Laminate & Hardwood Underlayments. The FloorBox guide How to Install Laminate Flooring says underlayment insulates the floor, softens the noise of footsteps and protects against moisture. In a basement, moisture matters most. The Laminate page says a concrete floor needs a vapour underlayment to keep moisture out of the laminate, and the install guide says to lay a vapour barrier in a basement. For example, the Planchers 1867 Wood & Laminate Acoustic Membrane Roll SONO + EVA Foam Black with Vapor Barrier Film (200 sqft) lists Vapor Barrier Yes and a 3 mm thickness. If you choose a plank with an attached pad, check with the FloorBox team which vapour barrier goes with it on your concrete.
These words are mostly about the top of the plank and spills. Read the Water Resistant and Waterproof lines, then the description. The Authentic Ocean lists Water Resistant Yes and Waterproof No, and its description says the surface is protected from water for 72 hours (Aqua Pearl Technology). The Concerto XL, Authentic Advanced and Studio list Water Resistant No. In plain words, that time is how long a spill can sit on top before you wipe it up. It does not protect the floor from damp concrete or a flood. Planchers 1867 explains that water you can see after a leak is not the same as humidity that is always there, and that thinking "water-resistant" means "no limits" is a mistake.
Measure each room's length and width in feet and multiply them, as shown in How to Calculate Square Footage for Flooring. Add the rooms together. Then read Coverage (sqft) on the product page: 15.39 for the Concerto XL, 22.94 for the Authentic Advanced, 21.58 for the Studio, 17.02 for the Authentic Ocean and 21.71 for the Authentic Titan, whose page says that is per box. When the boxes arrive, How to Install Laminate Flooring says to leave them unopened in the room for at least 48 hours, so the planks adjust to the room's temperature and humidity.
