New carpet...Do I need pad to??
Yes, you need new pad. Think of carpet pad as the foundation for your carpet....the stronger the foundation, the more durable what's above it. The better the pad, the longer your carpet will last. You can put an inexpensive carpet on a good pad, and ...
What do you recommend would be the best to put down for a floor in an unfinished basement?
Go for carpet. Get a carpet rem, it will be cheap. You can get something you like later if you finish the area. Do not paint, It will be hard to put down tile or lino if the concrete is painted. You will need to remove 99% of it before you do.
gum in carpet?
A second vote on the goo gone. I used the orange spray kind of goo when my kids got gum on my carpet. It worked great....you would never know there was gum stuck in my carpet. Also, I used a warm/damp wash cloth with a bit of carpet cleaner when I wa...