Your converted basement needs a comfortable and attractive floor, and many homeowners find themselves drawn to timber. However, traditional timber boards aren't very practical for the basement. Instead, you should use a floating floor—these boards use genuine wood, but they click together in a tongue-and-groove system.

Here are just four reasons why a floating floor is the right choice for your basement.

1. Cost-Effective

Whether you're looking into converting your basement into a proper living space or have just had it done, you probably don't need to be told it's an expensive undertaking. With that in mind, you'll want to keep costs low when it comes to flooring, especially since basements offer such considerable square footage. Floating floors are perfect. The materials cost very little, so this is one way to get a wood floor without worrying about the bill. In contrast, genuine timber boards are typically some of the most expensive flooring materials available.

2. Can Be Installed Over Subfloor

Most rooms in your home will have a subfloor over which timber planks can be fitted and either nailed or glued down. Unfortunately, this probably isn't the case in your basement. Basements will have concrete subfloors which can be difficult to lay genuine timber planks over. Instead, opt for a floating floor—you can install it directly over your concrete subfloor.

3. Perfect for Humidity Changes

One of the main problems with timber flooring is that wood will move and expand in response to changes in temperature or humidity, placing undue stress on the wood and opening gaps between planks—this is why you'll rarely see timber flooring used in the bathroom. However, it's not a problem when you opt for a floating floor. Because floating boards are connected to each other using the tongue-and-groove method, they will move and expand as one. As such, floating floors can cope with changes in humidity very well.

4. Easy to Install Yourself

Unless you're extremely experienced, a genuine timber floor isn't something you can install yourself. Even getting down the stairs with such heavy pieces of wood can be difficult! To save on labour costs and get the job done faster, floating floors are relatively easy to handle as DIY projects. Everything clicks together easily with floors using the tongue-and-groove system, so it's very hard to go wrong with a floating floor. It's always nice to have the satisfaction of finishing off the basement yourself.