Finished basement room
Finishing an unfinished basement room is a relatively simple endeavor with a lot of positive benefits. Finished basement rooms add additional living space to a home, and can be used as music rooms, work spaces or entertainment rooms--rooms for activities that homeowners may not want on the above ground floors but are still pretty useful to have around. Basements, however, require some alterations specific to spaces that are below ground, such as preventing water leaks and dampness, and increasing light penetration.
Instructions
1. Make a floor plan of your basement room. Measure the length, width and height of walls, remembering to include partitions, odd corners and windows.
2. Take your floor plans to your building supply dealer, who can help you with ideas and the best construction materials for your purposes.
3. Provide a nailing surface for wall panels by framing the original basement wall with 2-by-4s. Nail 2-by-4s along the edges of the floor and ceiling to make plates. Also nail plates around the windows and over doorways.
4. Nail 2-by-4s vertically in between the floor and ceiling plates--these are the wall studs. Place a stud every 2 feet, and use a level to double-check that the studs and the plates are perpendicular to each other. The spacing of the studs is really up to you, but since most wall panels come in 4-by-8-foot sheets, the 2-feet spacing of the studs means you won't have to spend extra time cutting down the wall panels.
5. Repair all leaks and cracks, and treat the walls against dampness before you apply wall surfacing. Most home supply stores offer paints and mixtures designed to combat dampness. Use a waterproofing concrete paint to seal the walls and floor (waterproofing concrete paint becomes part of the wall's original masonry.) You can treat any leaking joints with a sand-and-concrete paint mixture. Prevent leakage from underneath the basement by covering the floor with a thick layer of asphalt, then add a 2-inch layer of waterproof mortar.
6. Look at how much light penetrates the basement. Most basements have small windows. You can enlarge the excavations around the basement windows to allow more light into the room, or add additional wiring for electric lights. If you decide to install more wiring, check your local building codes. The law may require you to hire a licensed electrician, which, depending on your experience with electrical systems, might be a good idea anyway.
7. Find a wallboard or other wall covering to surface the wall--preferably a covering available in 4-by-8 sheets--and look for coverings that are water-resistant.
8. Check the room's corners and angles to ensure you have a nailing surface, and add additional studs as needed. Attach the wall boards to the studs with drywall screws.
9. Look at the ceiling--if it's also unfinished you should probably install a ceiling as well. It vastly improves the appearance of a basement. Find fire-resistant materials to impede the quick spread of potential fires--particularly if you're dealing with a small basement. Look for any openings where fire might make its way to the house above--corners and edges as well as service pipes are common weak spots.
10. Fire-stop the ceiling with incombustible materials (such as plaster, concrete or mortar), which have fine enough particles to fill any voids. Use wood strips or wire mesh to support the fire-stopping materials.
11. Protect any material located within 1 foot of a smoke pipe or 2 inches of a furnace or boiler before affixing ceiling surfacing material. Set up a metal shield around a boiler or furnace, but make sure it fits loosely--provide 1 to 2 inches of air space. Fill the areas between the metal and wooden materials with small blocks of incombustible material.
12. Affix the ceiling surfacing material. There are a number of options, but don't forget the importance of fire-resistant materials for basement ceiling--consider gypsum-board or ceiling tiles.
13. Look at the floor. If the basement already has a concrete floor in decent condition, paint is an excellent option. Think about what you'll be using the basement for--if the basement will suffer from a lot of foot traffic, purchase a sturdy floor material, such as tile. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing tile, if you go with that option.
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