In a couple months we will be moving into our new house which comes with a 1,400 square foot unfinished walkout basement which DW says is all mine for a shop. I have 16 dual bulb, four foot florescent fixtures which I will mount in the ceiling to supplement the existing incandescent lights. I’ll probably add more florescents later.
I am considering drywalling some, most, or all of the basement eventually in order to really brighten the place up.
Where do you guys think I will get the most bang for my buck from a lighting standpoint?
a) Drywall the ceiling
b) Stud out and drywall the concrete walls opposite the windows
c) Drywall the walls containing the windows
Thanks,
Chris
Replies
If it is just lighting you are looking for why not just spray paint all the wall white. Do you need to heat or cool the basement if so this would make things different. Do you get moisture on the blocks? You may want to look into this a little better before you spend bucks.
Good Luck
Dick
Thanks for the reply.
Moisture is not an issue here in Western Colorado. Heating will be by space heater when I am working in the basement. Otherwise it will be unheated. I expect that to be around 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit in the dead of winter.
I wanted a little neater look than just white concrete walls.
Chris
I would say (if you can live with the conc. walls) cover the ceiling first (this is the normal way of doing drywall anyhow as the wall go up after the ceiling, so if you drywall them latter you will not have a problem)
One thing I find interesting in the post is that the wall with the windows will not be drywalled when you move in. In michigan all stud walls have to be drywalled. I ran into this with building my house. (of course this assume this is a stud wall with insulation in it as I assume it is an outside wall.)
Also by closing in the stud walls and floor joists you make it less likely for saw dust to collect on/in them and rain down on you when you least want it to.
Doug
How high is the ceiling? Consider hanging ceiling tiles that way you can access plumbing and electrical in the future. Is also better soundproofing than drywall directly connected to the joists. you may also want to fill joists with insulation to deaden sound.
"In michigan all stud walls have to be drywalled."
This is a fire safety thing and the rules vary from one jurisdiction to the next.
-Steve
Yes it is a fire safty standard but Michigan uses a slightly modified version of the IBC (international building code) and this is from that. A lot of other states use this also so that was why I would have epected that the walls would be covered. I know that if they are not covered I would make that my number 1 priority.
I also agree with the idea of the drop ceiling in case you want to get to anything like the plumbing or wireing above.
Doug
I must admit I'm a bit surprised that the basement exterior stud walls are not sheetrocked for fire safety. They are simply insulated and covered with visqueen. The garage, however IS rocked and taped.
I'm rather glad the walls are exposed. I had a 100 amp subpanel installed in one of those walls and I intend to run two or three 240 Volt outlets in those walls. But now that you got me thinking, as soon as the circuits are run I'll rock those walls first, then the ceiling.
Chris
Yeah around here that is a big no no. Personally it is one of the few areas of the code that I have to agree with them. The idea of those walls being open does not make me a happy camper. But I guess you could argue it either way.
Doug
Where do you guys think I will get the most bang for my buck from a lighting standpoint?
A reflective paint on that drywall. Do you like mirrors on the ceiling? JUST PULLIN' YOUR CHAIN.
Spots or Track lighting you can position and change at will would be my guess!
If it were me and if time and money were no object, I'd drywall the walls and install a suspended acoustic ceiling using 2' x 4' tiles and in-ceiling fluorescent fixtures. While an acoustic ceiling is harder to keep clean than painted drywall, the reduction in noise level is worth it.
-Steve
Edited 10/24/2007 11:10 am ET by saschafer
have you considered some of this drywall with the polystyrene attached, which would give you good insulation at the same time?.....can't give you a trade name for it, but it works very well.
Thanks for the idea, but the basement is VERY well insulated from four feet below grade up.
Chris
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