Ugly basement....What do I do??

Question

I live in an old house built in 1884...have remodeled everything but the basement. Not much ceiling height, but you can see the floor beams and pretty much have to duck if you are over 6'2". Floors are concrete and walls are concrete blocks? (I think) No moisture or foundation problems. (I have had contractors verify) Just ugly. I need to sheet rock and insulate for the ceiling I think, as a drop ceiling is too much space. But what to do with the walls and floors. Can this be sheet rocked? Paneled? What about the floors? Should I just paint the whole thing and call it a day? Help.

Answer 1

because of your low headroom, your options are quite limted as you cant afford to lose even an inch or two in height. unless your fconcrete floor is perfectly level, ceramic tile would be a big mistake and will soon crack. And you cant lay a sub floor, because you'll lose a good 4 inches by doing so. I would recommend painting the floor. there are interlocking 2'x2' foam rubber mats you could lay in areas where you spend a lot of time standing: such as in front of washer and dryer. you can cut them to custom fit and they dont need adhesive of any kind. they simply lay on the concrete and can be lifted any time and are waterproof.
Have you considered simply painting the ceiling just as it is? if you got a sprayer and did the ceilings, beams and all, in a bright white, it would cheer the place up and reflect all the light back down. if you do decide to close in the ceiling, I think you should use white foamboard as opposed to sheetrock. its much lighter and easier to install and doesnt need finishing of any kind; very easy to cut too.
I live in a 100 year old house too, and i realized after a few attempts at finishing it that it just wasnt going to be a practical thing to do as my ceiling is only 6'4" high. I ended up just getting a sprayer and painting the walls and ceiling white. I decided not to frame and sheetrock the walls just in case I developed a moisture problem in the future. I painted the floor with a light gray concrete paint. I did frame in a couple of walls to act as dividers between areas, but instead of sheetrock, i used thin panelling and then painted it white also. I put down some of that rubber matting in the area where the kids play and in the laundry room. I also built a ton of cupboards and shelving (all painted white). the basement now serves as the main storage area of our house. this frees up a lot of room in our upstairs closets and cupboards. And with all the white paint, the basement is very bright, clean looking and cheerful, as well as very functional.

Answer 2

I would sheet rock the walls and ceilings. This way if you sheet rock the ceiling you will not loose any height as you would if you put in a drop ceiling. Use the existing floor beams and screw the sheet rock to it. On the floors I would go with tile (I love slate) or laminate floor, which makes it very cozy and a clean look. I would prefer the laminate over the tile floor. You could have a very nice, cozy rec room. Have fun.

Answer 3

I would definitely consider ceramic tile on the floors. It's beautiful and durable and super easy to lay on concrete. As far as the wall, I have seen painted concreted block (done professionally of course) that looks nice and much less expensive than sheetrock. Good luck.

Answer 4

paint sounds good.....easier, & not quit sure if cheaper.........& u can make it a great family room!

Answer 5

yea i dont think you should care its just a basement