Hey there!

Have learned a ton from this site that has gone into a full basement remodel.

I’m on the final stages of a basement finish. The home is from the late 70s and the original basement finish was a 70s finish. Since breaking it down and building back up, we’ve determined there was no foam or poly below the slab.

The flooring is now slab, 6 mil poly, 1.5″ Fomular XPS, Advantech Subfloor (23/32″). I’m deciding on the finished flooring, as the rooms will be used as offices/guest bedrooms. I want to do click/snap install, and am looking for something that will be fairly resilient with two larger dogs.

My Questions: Is there any concern with using a waterproof laminate or vinyl flooring? The main issue I’m trying to wrap my head around is the possibility of moisture/condensation accumulating in the Advantech OSB subfloor layer, given the relatively solid vapor barrier below it (poly + XPS). I understand the idea is to not let moisture up through the floor in the first place, but should some get there do I want a breathable top layer from my finished flooring? Or am I okay to use a water resistant or waterproof flooring without trapping moisture?

We are in climate zone 5b, if that’s helpful. The only sign of water in the basement from the previous owner(s) is due to user error with a hose/pipe. Our property slopes away from the house, and I’ve installed gutters (there were none) and drainage systems to keep water from dripping off the roof and accumulating along the foundation walls. We’re pretty high and dry here in Colorado…