Flooring for a Studio Space

[dmbpettit]

I am about to begin the planning stages for finishing my basement. Part of the basement will be used for portraits. I am wondering what kind of flooring should I use for that area?

Currently I have a paper background that comes down and is also what the people stand on. It works great because it is just concrete under the paper. This same setup would not work because I don't believe the paper will hold up if there is carpet under it instead.

Any ideas or links to some resources?

[harroz]

you're right, carpet and paper backdrops don't mix too well. Have you looked into timber strip flooring? Or painting your floor?

[mgrover]

I recently finished my studio and I did acid stained concrete for my floor. It has worked out great, and I have gotten many comments from clients about the floor. I can post photos if you're interested.

[dmbpettit]

Yes, I would love to see some pictures!

[Alleh]

I would suggest painting the walls and floor white. My studio floor is painted with a hard epoxy type paint so you can scrub it etc if it get dirty..

[mgrover]

Here's a photo of my space. Not the best photo, but it shows the acid stained floor. This space was used as a garage for 20 years until I converted it this past summer.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3439/3286186293_da78e0dd62_b.jpg

[RDKirk]

The first consideration for a basement floor covering is technical: Is the concrete moisture-sealed well enough to eliminate that worry as a consideration. Tape 1-foot square pieces of aluminum foil down on the floor in several places and let it the sit for several days, then check for condensation on the underside of the foil. If you have condensation, you will have to settle for a floor that is not harmed by moisture and can breathe (and a floor with condensation is also highly likely to leak radon as well).

If that's clear, then you can choose whatever flooring you want. I would personally choose either a seamlessly smooth tile (easy to clean and maintain) or wood floor (wood being obviously nicer) or an epoxied concrete.