basement
the focus of the new room is creative play and art. The kids love to play games, paint and play with Play-Doh and stickers at their craft table, and everything they need is close at hand in baskets and in the buckets hung from a rod on the wall. The space is an electronics-free zone — no Wii, no Wi-Fi, no TV. The flooring is a vinyl plank tile that keeps the space dry. Sterling had the original concrete floor evened out before the tile was laid; the pieces simply interlocked without any glue required, and standard baseboard covers the edges.
Though there isn't anything that would prevent the kind of flooding caused by Irene, there are some simple things that can be done to keep a basement dry 99.9% of the time. It involves taking a "belt and suspenders" approach — not just one drain tile system, but two. There's a little underground "roof" to shed ground water away from the foundation (see diagram). And there's making sure the sump pumps are on a backup power system such as batteries or a generator.
Dry out the basement using portable fans and dehumidifiers. Make sure everything is dry before attempting any restoration. Use cleaning agents such as bleach to get rid of any water stains and mold spores. Once the basement is dry, test for air quality and any evidence of damp areas and possible mold spores. Use bleach or something similar to clean up any remaining areas of concern.
Toss everything, including carpeting, wall finishes and furniture that's too far gone. Then strip out all of the water-damaged basement construction, including drywall and wood framing. Anything left that's been waterlogged can be the source of future mold growth and all of the problems that can cause.
colors and large tile format
Q