A friend of ours who installs carpet said to put a moisture barrier down in a basement. It can be installed on the walls and on the floor. It is the red roofing material on a roll. It is like the black roofing roll but it is red. In Home Depot, it is right beside it. I don't know if it is the same as they use under the new floating floors. I guess I will have to find out the correct name for it the next time I go there. Anyway, I have it installed in my family room under the carpet because we are on concrete only in this room. In my basement laundry room, I bought those big rubberish tiles that connect together. They can get wet without damage. I also have a new dehumidifier that pulls 50 gallons of moisture in 24 hours. I am very pleased with it so far. I would not live without that because we installed the old kitchen cupboards down there. They are solid wood. Hope you understand what I mean.