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basement remodel


The Krypt Keeper

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Ok I need some help. I got a wide open basement that I am going to start working on and turn it into a Man room.

This will probably be kinda longish so bear with me :grin:

roughly 30ft wide by 70 ft long. My house sits in a hill and so its one story in front, and 2 in the rear.

All the walls down there are block. I have electric fixtures throughout the basement and plumbing set up already where you can add in a bathroom. I want to add carpet on 2/3's of it, and checker tile the other remaining 1/3. I also want to cover all the walls with sheetrock or some form of actual wall that will also help insulate the basement. Might top it off with a form of ceiling also to cover up the duct work and 8" steel beams that across the basement.

I have the hotwater heater down there, the central air main duct thing, and a woodstove whick all sit against the samewall. I have 5 flouresent lights hanging which only lights about half of the basement pretty well.

I plan on drawing some rough floor plans up, and scanning them. Hope maybe someone here will let me email them and post them up for me :)

This will be my first time doing something like this myself on a scale this size. I have done some contruction work with my brother-in-law when younger, so I am not completely dumb. Never had to attach walls to block walls so that will be new. Laying carpet and tile I have done, along with some wiring of lights.

I need to know what kinda walls to put up, either build them out of 2x4's and sheetrock or also seen something on tv about some kind of paneling walls.. building a bathroom will also be fun,

any and all help will be very welcomed :grin:

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I'll help... or guide you the best I can from the other side of this contraption.

My first suggestion is to keep it as open as possible.... you can always add more walls later.

Gotta go for now but, I'll check back later.

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some kind of paneling walls

Please tell me you aren't going to panel your walls!!!!

:shock:

Drywall!!!

(or what looks really cool is tounge and groove cedar walls) but that's very expensive.)

Before you do anything how's the water-situation in your basement?

Even things that appear dry now, can become problems if you cover them.

I haven't done a lot with basements. I use to hang drywall in college and have drywalled a bunch, but you might want to consider painting the walls first with some waterproof paint (hydralic paint) or something like that to prevent water infiltration (even in the form of water vapor passing thru the block walls) Once covered, that water vapor might not just evaporate like it does now, it might condense.

Again, I'm not a basement expert, but I'd do some research on the moisture issues FIRST.

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the panels I talk about aren't the wood panels fron the 70's. These panels are like a hard vinyl with a insulation on the back side that pop together. Saw them on TV in some commercial from a local company that sells them. Havn't seen the comercial in a couple months though.

Walls are already painted. :cool:

Don't have any water problems down there. concrete floor don't even sweat when its more humid than the sweat dripping off my balls on a hot humid day riding in my black leather pants. :twisted:

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2x4 walls, insulation behind that, and some like Tyvek barrier between them..

How would you secure the Tyvek to the walls?

I will probably rent one of them bolt guns to pop the 2x4's to the basement concrete floor.

Use pressure treated 2x4's for the bottom against the concrete floor.

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I know I was at my wifes family at Xmas, and they have their house similar to mine.. Except the basement is done down there. :grin:

I was sitting on one end, and looked to the other.. Damn thats alot of work :lol:

Wife still wants me to build the bathroom, and whatnot.. I am going to Home Depot or Lowes this friday.. Might as well start buying supplies. Wifes cousin said he will help me.

He also gave me alot of good ideas..

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I want to do the ceiling the panels are pretty cheap.. something like $2.60 per 2'x4' panel no problem there. But the railing system costs $35 a pop and only covers 64 sq. ft. I would need roughly 33 of them. :shock: over $1100 for the rails and then almost $600 for the tiles..

Anyone got any tips on ceilings.. other than glueing panels to steel beams :lol:

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Anyone got any tips on ceilings.. other than glueing panels to steel beams

Well, if you wanted, you could always dry-wall the ceiling. BAD part is then you can't get access if you want to run wires etc. Good part is that looks the best.

A CHEAP-O shortcut if you are going to go drop-ceiling is instead of using the 2x4 panels (at $2.60 each) is also cutting drywall in 2x4 sections and using them as panels. (would require painting to look nice) I haven't priced drywall lately, but I know that a couple years ago, that was a cheaper alternative. (since the war and hurricanes, I know plywood has skyrocketed, not sure about drywall)

DOWN side is if you plan to be removing panels to gain access frequently, you will get dust from the edges of the panels onto your carpet, etc.

But it is a cheaper alternative.

There are some other alternatives also, but let me ask this... do you want to keep it so you can access the floor joists or do you not care?

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http://www.ceilingmax.com/

That link is an alternative kind of ceiling.

Also... another thing to mention. I've seen a couple applications where they just spray-painted the ceiling flat-black. (I've also seen it done in a lighter charcoal grey)

It looked REALLY nice. Kinda urban/contemporary look.

Get EVERYTHING up first, electric, etc.. Then spray the whole thing.. Pipes, ducts, everything.

Then with the right kind of lighting, it looks really cool. Like this:

25040_PE041607_S3.jpg

My old company was in a restored early 1900's brick building... High-end offices, they sand-blasted the walls, then painted the ceilings (which were exposed floor joists)

I'll have to see if I can find a picture...

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All the wires, waterlines, and duct work is already done. I might add a few more flourecent lights down there. (Currently got 5, would like to have 12) I was looking at going with the 2x4 tiles since they are cheap and easy to replace. Only problem with the sheetrock is like you mentioned access. All the duct work, and plumbing for the house is running under there. Would look the best but still be the biggest headache if I ever had to get in there.

I will probably wait and do the ceiling last as it apprears to be the biggest expence.

Going to get some good measurements tonight and draw up some plans for the bathroom and whatnot..

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If it was me, I'd spray the whole thing a charcoal grey color. I've seen that in several buildings, and it looks REALLY cool. Plus, if you don't like it, you are only out $50 bucks for the paint and you can still put in the drop ceiling like you were going to.

And honestly... I think you'll find that you'd like it. Especially with some nice mini-halogen lighting.

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how mini are the mini's?

Brother in law has some in his shop, and they will bar-b-q your ass in the summertime..

I am going to get a 5 gallon bucket of kilz and redo the walls this weekend. To make sure they are sealed. Will take a note pad to write down some prices on materials.

Won't be able to do anything else till next week when I get paid. Paid bills last night and I am almost depressed after $2500 :roll:

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how mini are the mini's?

About the size of a shot glass... I posted a picture of one in the other thread. Perhaps you can't see it to scale.

Like I said, its a more urban contemporary look. Depends on what you are going for. I think suspended ceilings don't look the greatest. Reminds me of a classroom.

And when I say I'd spray the whole thing flat charcoal grey, you know I mean just the ceiling/floor joists, etc right?

The walls, I would still fur out (or frame out) and drywall. Just the ceiling I'd spray coat the whole thing and put up some mini-halogens to give it a real classy look.

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Plan on doing some wrenching for myself and others. So was looking for alot more light. I can easily get them 4' long flourecent fixtures that hang for about $20 a peice. I currently only have 5 and only half the basement is lit up.

Might see about getting some of the mini halogens for my pool table though. :wink: Bet they would do a great job with 3 or so of them hanging over it.

Thanks for the ideas.. :grin:

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Plan on doing some wrenching for myself and others

AH... I thought you were trying to make a home-theater/rec room area, not a nice workspace.

The mini halogens don't give off a huge ammount of light. You have to string a lot of them up and then its more 'theater' lighting then work lighting.

Looks great, but not practical for a workspace.

Which begs the question even more... Why put a drop ceiling? Keep your floor joists exposed in case you want to hang something from the ceiling to work on etc.

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my father in law designed the basement setup when he built the house. He didn't want any support poles in the middle of the basement, so he ran 8 or 10 inch (forget which) "I" beams across. I was hopeing to split the basement 2/3 play area, for my bathroom, pool table, tv and crap. and leave 1/3 for my work area, this would leave me a "I" beam to use on the shop side to help string up projects.

checkerboard tile the bike work area, bathroom and also around the woodstove, and have the rest of the area carpeted. I just figured doing the ceiling in a white drop in tile would look super sweet :grin: Would help hide all the duct work, and plumbing lines.

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One thing to remember abotu drop ceilings is that the perforated panels are Fire retardent and Sound deadening.

If you aren't worried about either one of those.... you can use just about any hard flat material for your drop ceiling...

1/4" vanierd plywood,

Hardboard ( masonite ),

Pre laminates,

...etc.

The possiblilities are almost endless.....

Heck you could even use some polished 16 g. Aluminium sheeting, or diamond plate, in the shop area for the extra light effects.... that would be cool.

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diamond plate, in the shop area for the extra light effects.... that would be cool.

:shock: You my friend are fucking genious :shock:

Don't care what all the others say about you on the board :cool:

I don't know about the diamond plate ceiling, but I see some in my future for the walls where workbenches will go :wink:

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I was thinking about not doing the bathroom, but now I might go ahead and do it, and use diamon plate in there as well, for like the floor trim, and backsplash around the sink, or hell make the counter tops out of diamond plate :shock:

Diamond plate shitter seat might be alittle to cold and rough on my tender tushy though :wink:

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I was thinking about not doing the bathroom, but now I might go ahead and do it, and use diamon plate in there as well, for like the floor trim, and backsplash around the sink, or hell make the counter tops out of diamond plate :shock:

Diamond plate shitter seat might be alittle to cold and rough on my tender tushy though :wink:

For the counter top use/buy brushed stainless steel.

And as for the shitter seat...... Great Idea :twisted: , Sorry Hun... this is a Mens Room. :twisted:

:lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Don't forget the diamond-plate refrigerator for the keg.

Drywall? I hate that crap, I deal with drywallers every day and I'd rather have my daughter date an ex-con first.

Any way I used Dens-Armor Plus (GP product) on steel framing furred from the walls when I finished my basement man-cave.

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I was cleaning up some and throwing away a bunch of shit, found a box that had been there for 10 yrs, inside it was a framed picture like in a museum with two Widow Mite coins :???: got the authenticity thing and all with it.. was my wifes grandmothers.. These coins are about 2000 yrs old hand stamped bronze.

also found a mummiefied cat :shock: under a old deep chest freezer.. think it was my wife cousins cat

so the only excitement has been one dead pussy, and coins from the time of Jesus :grin:

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