Flooring choice for basement/tank area

[Sebae again]

I would go with stained concrete around the tank and preferably there would be a crack or 2 in it for drainage. That way your better half would only notice a portion of the leaks and spills. ''What ? This stain has always been here. Obviously I did a pretty good job of the floor because it looks so real."

[lastlight]

Haha. Well the cracks I'm sure I could install pretty easily.

I think my next step is to at least go view some of these bamboo floors in person before I make the call.

But generally speaking bamboo will hold up better in the basement?

[fishytime]

any wood product will not hold up to moister very well.....most commercial finishes will not stand up to salt water exposure.....have a look at the two zoa frag stands at the shop the next time your in.....the light colored one was "cleared" with a marine grade varathane.....that one still looks like new(its a little dirty but still looks new).....the dark colored one beside it was done with a commercial grade finish and the clear is literally peeling off of it and the stain is leaching out in spots, in about two years.....granted the stand at the shop gets wet way more often than your floor hopefully ever will be but.....

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Haha. Well the cracks I'm sure I could install pretty easily.

I think my next step is to at least go view some of these bamboo floors in person before I make the call.

But generally speaking bamboo will hold up better in the basement?

Bamboo will do well in a basement, just as good as engineered wood if not better. If you're installing directly on the concrete you'll want to lay some tar paper or some kind of membrane first then an underlay and then float the bamboo on top of it all. The bamboo locks together so install is super fast.
Alternatively if you lay tar paper then install a raised sub-floor you could install any hardwood and it would do fine.