Thoughts on the Basement

After almost a week of working on the basement, we finally have all the carpet and carpet pad up (almost all of which was soaked). What we found was

- a cement floor that had, at some point, been painted with regular, red paint, which was then covered with what is probably that cement-dampness-sealer paint that had either cracked or been improperly installed. Underneath the red was soaked, which is what made the red paint come up. The red was SO red that the concrete is stained red! Which, really, is kind of nice, compared to what it could be.

- a partially covered-up sump pump. Hmmm. Who would cover up a pump that was obviously installed for a REASON? There have only been three owners of this house - the farmer's daughter it was built for, the people before us, who were here for 11 years, and us. Uh-huh. So, perhaps the water came from a small crack in that seal, which would explain why it was under the sealant.

I bought a dehumidifier (it is a lot more expensive to remove water than to add it, OMG!), and the place is pretty much dry now. We think the plan will be to level the floor, which is really craggy and bumpy, using colored cement and then throw down area rugs, which could be brought outside to dry if there's another problem. Our other thought is sheet linoleum, but I'm not sure that would keep water above it rather than trapping it below, although it would be a lot cheaper - does anyone know anything about that?

The unused office, however, stayed dry. My idea for that is, wait for it, WAIT FOR IT......

A GIANT WALK-IN STORAGE CLOSET!!!!

I *know*, right?!?!?!

It makes a shitty, dungeon office because one wall has a very low ceiling that goes about two feet into the room due to pipes that have been walled in, and no windows, but would be perfect for one of those huge closet systems you see in mansions on TV!!!! Our ghetto-mansion closet would be used to store general stuff, and seasonal clothes, and the comforters and such that we don't use most of the year. I am so excited I could just pee, but that would just make more water to clean up. We could have an area for folding and sorting clothes, too, rather than trying to do it on top of the washing machine and ironing board in the adjacent crappy laundry area, and knock a door through for access since the laundry area is unfinished and we can see where the door could go. It's dark, and spiders love it. It would be a LOT better if we made it an adjunct to a massive, bright CLOSET!

So, you know, when life hands you big, stinky, waterlogged lemons, make a lemonade closet!

When we start, I'll put up photos. Any thoughts on the linoleum thing? Do you think it would keep water on top of it, or would it just get wet and moldy underneath?