Carpet cleaning to remove pet stains

grumble wrote: ↑ Concrete floors common in basements can still retain odours and would need to be sealed with an oil-based primer (Kilz, Zinsser Cover Stain, BIN, etc). Many laminates strongly recommend the use of a subfloor over basement concrete to reduce risk of warping the fiberboard from moisture. It's common for people to install carpet on concrete with an underpad (though it's not the best way to do it). It's common for people to install laminate the same way (though also not the best way to do it). All about your personal risk tolerance - no subfloor is easier but can cause issues. Personally recommend vinyl planks over laminate in a basement as the vinyl is much better with water.

As for the smell, rip up the carpet. You don't generally want to keep the carpeting in a home you purchase anyways - they always get gross over the years in high traffic areas regardless of whether they've been cleaned or not, and particularly if the owners had animals in the home. Enzymatic cleaners can work for mild, recent staining but honestly won't work for heavy staining.

headleygrange wrote: ↑ Thanks for the detailed response. The basement is actually the ground level (it’s a 3 storey townhouse).

I’m thinking of hiring a contractor to do the flooring work. It’s an investment property and don’t want to spend too much in upgrades as the tenants won’t take good care anyways. Do most contractors generally follow the steps you mentioned? I can probably do removing carpet, underpad and do the sealing myself. But installation, I would require a contractor to do it.