Struggling with basement flooring decisions

Bumthumb

I have 1200 sq. ft. of concrete basement floor to cover. I have been struggling with what to do with it for 3 yrs. It is dry, cured and no water problems and we will use it for rec room/bar/entry. I have installed laminate, ceramic tile and am familiar. I have been comtemplating stain but it seems prep work is major. I want to spend $1.50 per sq. ft.

Any suggestions to get me going? Your help is appreciated.

DrHicks

I installed hardwood laminate in our basement, and am very happy with it. It was a good-quality DuPont floor, that I got on clearance sale for 41 cents sq ft. Needless to say, I was happy about that.

Truth is, if you're shooting for no more than $1.50 sq ft, you're going to be kind of limited in your options.

spring3100

I am looking to use a vinyl interlock tile,as I don't want to throw off the rise of my botton stair tread too much.They will only add 1/2 to 5/8 inch to the concrete floor.They are,however,about 4.00 sf. I saw on the Amy Mathews DIY show that she was applying liquid nails or mastic and tile directly to the concrete basement floor in her own house renovation,maybe catch that episode for tips.Good Luck