David:
D > I have a 1920s home in the rainy northwest I've recently purchased, D > and from the water staining on the drywall in the basement, we D > obviously have a history of flooding. We had about 1/2 inch last D > winter after about a week of good rain and one day of really heavy D > rain. I put in a sump pump which I think will handle any future D > flooding, but of course, you never know until it happens.
Does the sump pump have some sort of backup power? (What happens if the power goes out?) There are models which run from built-in batteries, and of course generators.
D > Anyway, I'm wanting to finish out the rest of the basement with new D > drywall and put in some flooring instead of the old mostly unlevel and D > cracked but still solid concrete floor.
Cut the drywall 'short' to keep it above "flood level" and use those vinyl mopboard strips to finish to the floor. (If the sheetrock contacts the water on the floor there will be wicking action, drawing up the water ont he floor, causing waterstains.)
D > I of course don't want to use carpet, but what would be the most D > "flooding friendly" flooring product I could use? I just don't want to D > have to tear whatever I put in back out if its damaged from some D > future flood. How about ceramic tile or linoleum? Would these stand up D > to up to 1 inch of water.
It should but may become unglued after a while (years). One problem with tile or linoleum is it will be slippery when wet. Perhaps throw rugs? (Roll up when the basement starts to leak.)
We also have a flooding problem here. A previous owner finished part of the basement with -- carpet! Not sure what it is but it has held up (and AFAICT) no mold problems. It is short-napped, sort of like what is usually put in kitchens. I don't think it has a pad underneath but someone told me it has a woven jute pad.
D > I'm also going to leave a 1 inch gap between the floor and my new D > drywall, maybe with a rubber baseboard to keep water from wicking up D > into the new drywall if it does in fact flood again.
I should have read the whole message!
D > Any suggestions on the wall or flooring?
You might want to have a wainscot or chair rail to separate the top half of the wall from the bottom so in case you do need to repaint you only have to do the lower portion. Vinyl wallpaper should also be somewhat water-resistant.
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