We pulled the carpet off the basement floor and the paint and cement is chipped and blistered in places. We have had the dehumidifiers going and we want to repaint it. Should we wash it with a mild acid bath or something before we repaint. And should we put a sub floor down if we want carpet laid again?
Answer:
I'm not really a believer in basement sub-floors particularly if there happens to be a moisture problem to begin with but in your case what I'd do is give it a good cleaning with course steel wool to see if some of that chipping can be treated. Where paint has blistered there is almost a definite moisture problem so you might not be able to paint. A carpet with no under-pad always works. Mind you, once you forego the under-pad, you also lose the warranty on the carpet but of what I've seen, its worth it.
