Hardwood vs. laminate in a basement, I went against everyone's advice

Everyone said put down luxury vinyl plank down there because of moisture, but I spent $900 on laminate and sealed the concrete with two coats of DryLok first. Three years later and zero issues, so who's laughing now?

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terryrobinson2d ago

Three years is NOTHING in basement time. Wait until you get a heavy rain season that saturates the ground around your foundation for two weeks straight and that DryLok starts to fail from hydrostatic pressure pushing UP through the slab. I've seen it happen to a buddy who bragged about his sealed basement floor for five years until a freak storm turned his laminate into a wavy mess that had to be ripped out completely. Those $900 planks will cost you triple that in labor and demo when the edges start curling and you get mold growing underneath. Laminate is basically compressed cardboard with a picture on top, and basements are essentially concrete boxes underground that WILL get damp eventually.