Guest Post by Laura D., Plainfield, IL
When I moved into my new home in Plainfield, IL, I was delighted to have a full finished basement, but was a little nervous about the wall-to-wall carpeting. It was beautiful, but I remembered the mess my parents had when the power failed, the sump pump stopped working, and their finished basement flooded. The tile they had recently installed popped up, and the area rugs were a soggy mess.
One of my first priorities was to have a new sump pump installed. However, after the first hard rain, I was taken by surprise when I found several inches of water in the basement. The technician had not installed the pump correctly and water flooded in.
After hours spent throwing out toys and furniture, and pulling up wet carpet, I was left with a pitted concrete floor and trails of glue with leftover carpeting stuck to them. The basement also had a foul odor. I was worried about mold and mildew. The basement that was one of my son’s favorite hang outs was now unusable.
I had to decide what to do with the floor. Carpeting was out of the question. Remembering my parents’ popped tiles, I also eliminated tile as an option. My mother suggested that I call Garage Store in East Dundee for an estimate.
I talked to the owner, who told me that their epoxy decorative concrete coating systems are a great option for basement floors. The coating permanently bonds to the concrete floor. It is not only waterproof, but reduces moisture, mold and mildew that can be a problem for untreated concrete floors.
The cost was quite reasonable – less than carpeting – and with a 30+ year life expectancy, less than almost any other option.
When I called Garage Store, they were able to schedule a convenient time. On the promised day, the technicians came. They were professional and friendly. They put paper runners down from the front door to the basement, and used their own generator. They began by removing the carpet tack strip and glue residue. They then sanded the floor to get it smooth and remove all foreign material. They used a dust collector so my house stayed dust-free. The next day, they worked their magic, and the floor was finished.
My basement is now a beautiful and functional space. Even before the flood, I thought my basement had a funky odor. It now has no odor at all. The floor is clean and shiny and unbelievably easy to maintain – I even got rid of my clunky old vacuum cleaner.
Thanks, Garage Store!