How do I lay carpet on a cement basement floor?

When we removed our carpet, it only had a pad beneath the carpet. If your basement stays dry, you should be fine without sealing it.

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Carpet-on-Concrete-(Basement)

Theresa....We did not put carpet in our basement but used vinyl plank flooring and we did not need to seal either. The beauty of this stuff is if it happens to get wet it can be removed and dried and replaced but I pray it never happens!

I would not put down plastic before you install carpet over your basement concrete. If there is any moisture the plastic would not allow the floor to dry. It might also create an unseen mold problem. My basement is carpeted and the cement was never sealed. It's been carpeted for 30+ years--NOT the same carpeting for 30 years! I had issues with water coming in--if you want to carpet your basement make sure you have NO water issues. I installed cheaper rain gutter that leaked all the time in heavy rain and water would trickle in through a basement window. I eventually had seamless rain gutter installed, did a bit of work on the window wells and I have had no water problems since. It was a bit pricey to install the seamless rain gutter but it is sure better than trying to dry out soggy carpet and cleaning up water or having to tear up the carpet!

Hello, you don't really have to do too much to prep for rug/carpet over a cement floor, you can do underlay for extra cush and warmth.