opinions on industrial carpet tile

[Mike]

Anybody care to guess if industrial grade carpet tile, the 12x12" tiles with a vinyl back, would be good over concrete in a basement?

I'm trying to decide between these (which are reasonably priced from icarpetiles.com), or standard berber-on-pad carpet. Obviously the latter would be easier on the feet as the industrial-grade tiles don't have a pad. But I have a hunch the the vinyl/rubber backing would stop moisture emissions from the concrete.

I am removing old stuff that smells a bit like must

[m Ransley]

Paint the floor with oil or epoxy not latex, it wll help with moisture. But you grow mold if you trap moisture.

[Kyle Boatright]

I work in the carpet industry and can tell you that you don't want to install either product over a slab with moisture problems. Deal with the moisture problem, then pick the product you like.

KB

[Mike]

Well I don't think I have much of a problem I can address. If I tape plastic down over the concrete for a couple days, no moisture accumulates. This is supposedly the test to determine if you have a serious moisture problem.

However I noticed that flat items (like the bottom book of a stack), left on the existing carpet for several weeks, has a moist feel to side facing the carpet/concrete. Hence either there is condensation or minimal moisture emissions. I've already corrected the exterior grade and gutters. I have no existing seepage and do not have the resources to do any major excavation or anything like that.

I don't have a sump pump but I'm skeptical that I need one. I've thought about putting some oil paint or DryLok on the concrete slab, but am not convinced that is the right approach either.

I'd certainly listen to advice...I've done the best research I can but am still unclear as to what course of action I should take.

[PJx]

I think you are right to go with the vinyl backed carpet. If possible, I'd lay it with minimal adhesive and see how it hold up for a few months. That's so it could be removed easily in case it trys to rot or mildew on you. In that case, vapor barrier and subfloor.