Flooring recommendation for home theater / game room (1 Viewer)

[vortex0007]

I bought a home with a finished basement, by that I mean the flooring is currently concrete slab covered with carpet and the walls and ceiling are finished drywall. The carpet is 10 years overdue for replacement. We've decided the large open room is going to become a split home-theater / table tennis gaming room / entertainment area. We will not be placing a wall to split the room so it's one big open space. I'm looking for any advice on flooring replacement options. My concern is that for general comfort carpet would be comfy on the home theater side but the gaming side it would be a bit more wear and tear. Should we split the flooring material, something like carpet on one side / tile / vinyl / something else on the gaming side?

 

[John Dirk]

Personally, I 'd be concerned about the aesthetics (and acoustics for that matter) of an open space with two distinct flooring choices. Done properly, I suspect a Berber carpet/ceramic tile combo could work but, as a DIY'er, it would be beyond what I'd want to tackle. Are you planning on having someone else do the work?

 

[LouA]

Vinyl flooring for the game room.
Some type of thick carpeting fir the theater side.

 

[JohnRice]

I'm working on a minor update to a finished basement, to install a front-projector system and space for board gaming. I planned to go with the existing carpet or upgrade to new carpeting, thinking of the acoustics for movies. But my wife is talking with an interior decorator friend, who suggested wood flooring for the aesthetics.

I'm curious what others have done for flooring in their media rooms, and if they would do it again?

Personally, I would never have hard flooring in a media room. Far too reflective and an audio nightmare.

 

[John Sparks]

I agree with LouA.

 

[vortex0007]

Personally, I 'd be concerned about the aesthetics (and acoustics for that matter) of an open space with two distinct flooring choices. Done properly, I suspect a Berber carpet/ceramic tile combo could work but, as a DIY'er, it would be beyond what I'd want to tackle. Are you planning on having someone else do the work?

It would not be a DIY job but I had similar thoughts about mixing two different types.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Personally, I would never have hard flooring in a media room. Far too reflective and an audio nightmare.

This is something I’m going to have to deal with at some point. When I moved my parents in, we turned my HT room into a bedroom for my mom and their dogs promptly ruined the carpet in there. My dad had the carpet removed and laminate flooring put down. When the day comes that I regain this room as a home theater, I’m going to have to have the laminate removed and new carpet put down.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

This is something I’m going to have to deal with at some point. When I moved my parents in, we turned my HT room into a bedroom for my mom and their dogs promptly ruined the carpet in there. My dad had the carpet removed and laminate flooring put down. When the day comes that I regain this room as a home theater, I’m going to have to have the laminate removed and new carpet put down.

Personally, if the hard flooring is actually quite nice, I'd just get a nice, big, thick, wool-pile area rug instead of replacing w/ carpeting.

I've mainly had hardwood floors (for where my HT has been) for the last 3 decades (in 3 different homes/spaces) and have been perfectly happy w/ that approach. Went w/ some (very) slightly cushioned, wood-grained/like, vinyl(?) flooring (that come as planks) that also handles water and mild flooding very well (probably as well as any such can) for the 1/2-basement, ground/garden floor where my HT was originally planned to be moved ~3 years ago... but that plan was aborted -- my HT will continue indefinitely to be in a space w/ hardwood flooring (w/ thick area rug) going forward...

_Man_

 

[Clinton McClure]

My dad bargain basement shops and has a tendency to choose the lowest bidder, especially when I’m out of state for work, so the floor and base shoe in his and my mom’s rooms look… shall we say…. ghetto.