finished basement?

[albireo13]

Don't want finished rooms like upstairs living spaces. Looking to make the basement functional and comfortable for working out and other recreational stuff.

Painting concrete walls is a good idea. The ceiling is open with exposed plumbing and pink fiberglass insulation. I would like to avoid having fiberglass insulation dust drift down on us. Thus, I will start by stapling up clear plastic sheet to the joists.
Laying down a floor with LVP would make the space nicer and perhaps add some insulation.

 

[ERhoosier]

I would NOT drywall the ceiling or any other points of utility access. I bought an older home with a very nicely finished (walk-out) basement, inc. textured drywall ceiling. Over the years I have had to rip out and redo big sections of that drywall ceiling for repairs & upgrades to plumbing, electric, etc. I am now sick & tired of that PITA drywall ceiling and moving on. Lots of other very nice options these days, although some can be $$$.

 

[Bamaman]

You've got to understand that any square footage "below grade" is going to cost half that of the upstairs main floor, and it's great, cheap square footage.

But if you're going to have sheetrock ceilings in the basement, you better be a good sheetrock finisher and painter. Because there are going to be leaks from above bathrooms when the toilets, tubs or showers overflow. It's a matter when, rather than if.

My last house had 2600 square feet of sheetrock ceilings in the basement. And over the years, I developed my sheetrock skills to where they're quite good.

 

[Badger]

Don't want finished rooms like upstairs living spaces. Looking to make the basement functional and comfortable for working out and other recreational stuff.

Painting concrete walls is a good idea. The ceiling is open with exposed plumbing and pink fiberglass insulation. I would like to avoid having fiberglass insulation dust drift down on us. Thus, I will start by stapling up clear plastic sheet to the joists.
Laying down a floor with LVP would make the space nicer and perhaps add some insulation.

Wouldn't the fiberglass ceiling insulation become redundant in a heated basement? I might consider removing it and painting the ceiling to avoid insulation dust. I would invest in some good N95 masks, maybe a throw away painter's jump suit, and a box of large garbage bags before you vacuum and run an air cleaner to paint.


Cheers!

 

[ERD50]

... but in retrospect I probably should have just spray painted the underneath of the floor above (subfloor and floor joists) white or black and declared victory.... easier and cheaper.

When DD was looking for a townhouse, several of them had the basement ceilings painted black (left open/unfinished, just all the wood, ductwork, etc is black).

I thought that would look weird, but (at least in the pictures), it looked really good. All that stuff just disappears into blackness, and it seems to give it a sense of depth (height?). Compared to a typical dropped ceiling, it looked much nicer. The dropped ceiling seems to give a definite visual cut-off, and well, looks "basement-y". Lights aimed down are lighting the floor/walls anyhow, so I don't think the black ceiling makes much difference in lighting.


And if you want to go to extremes, get the blackest black you can buy (coincidentally, I just watched this yesterday!).

< a half-painted apple, the time marker seems to keep the forum software from providing the preview

-ERD50

 

[JP.mpls]

ERD50,
I spent 9 years remodeling my basement. Yes, I'm crazy, stubborn and too cheap to pay someone to do it. I did most of the work myself during the winter months.
My original goal was to update the kitchen drain pipes (1925 era home with original plumbing), add a second bath, and finish the laundry room off nice.
That was most of the hard stuff, so I just did the whole basement.
It turned out very nice, and the bath/laundry are used daily.
I added a gas fireplace in the TV room, and that worked out great for the winter months. I recommend this if you live in a cold climate.
I had foam insulation sprayed into the exterior framed walls and rafters. I recommend this also.
Good luck. I hope your project turns out good.
JP

 

[sengsational]

I did a "dumb thing" when I did my basement...I just left the insulation between the joists and drywalled the ceiling. Now air can move along the drywall and carry heat off. If I could do it over, I'd still do drywall, but I'd insulate to the bottom of the joists.

The comments about having access (a plus for drop and black paint) have arisen many times over the many years. My work-arounds have ranged from inelegant hacks to shameful, hehehe! But I really like the fact that you don't know you are in a basement (walk-out with tons of windows). It's got our TV viewing, my office, a full bath, a couple of closets and a sauna. It's gratifying knowing it was once a crawlspace, and except for pouring the concrete and laying the carpet, all my handiwork.

 

[pb4uski]

.... But if you're going to have sheetrock ceilings in the basement, you better be a good sheetrock finisher and painter. Because there are going to be leaks from above bathrooms when the toilets, tubs or showers overflow. It's a matter when, rather than if. ....

I've had two different homes with sheetrocked ceilings in the finished basement... 35 years in total... and I have never had a problem with leaks from toilets, tubs or showers overflowing to the extent that the drywall ceiling below was impacted and needed repair.

 

[Starsky]

There's something about a gas fireplace in a finished basement that makes it super cozy.

 

[Music Lover]

But if you're going to have sheetrock ceilings in the basement, you better be a good sheetrock finisher and painter. Because there are going to be leaks from above bathrooms when the toilets, tubs or showers overflow. It's a matter when, rather than if.

My last house had 2600 square feet of sheetrock ceilings in the basement. And over the years, I developed my sheetrock skills to where they're quite good.

Also to consider is that if ceiling tiles are damaged by water 10 or 15 years after installation it may be impossible to find replacements that look the same. At least with drywall a repair can be invisible as long as the repair was done well. But obviously it's far more work than simply replacing a tile.

 

[jollystomper]

Also to consider is that if ceiling tiles are damaged by water 10 or 15 years after installation it may be impossible to find replacements that look the same. At least with drywall a repair can be invisible as long as the repair was done well. But obviously it's far more work than simply replacing a tile.

If one has that concern with tiles, one strategy is to just buy extra tiles when it is installed for potential future replacements.

Also, it depends on how "fancy" the tile is. When I decided to restock my "extras" 116 years later I had no issues finding matching tiles. But, my tiles are white basic ones, as ceilings and ceiling styles are not tings that register with me.

 

[JP.mpls]

Starsky, I have a boiler, so it would be expensive to install radiators down there, and silly to continuously heat the basement at normal temperatures.
The spray insulation seems to keep it fairly warm, and the gas fireplace makes the TV room extremely cozy fairly quickly.
I like the gas fireplace so much, I considered converting the standard fireplace in my living room too.
Take care, JP

There's something about a gas fireplace in a finished basement that makes it super cozy.

 

[albireo13]

There's something about a gas fireplace in a finished basement that makes it super cozy.

Now that’s an idea. We have natural gas and a gas fireplace upstairs in the
living room.

 

[Koolau]

There's something about a gas fireplace in a finished basement that makes it super cozy.

Yeah, we had a ventless wall gas heater. Worked well (quickly and without much fan fare.) Not a fireplace as such, but the cats and the kids loved to sit by it when we turned the whole-house thermostat down. YMMV