Finishing Basement Walls

Posted by Admin | May 7, 2009 .

Many homeowners have an unfinished basement that is just sitting around and not providing anything to them or their family. With the current housing market, if you need more space, it makes more sense to finish that basement to add some room to your home. The basement walls are the first place to start.

Be sure that the room is clean and free of as much dust and grime as you can. This will ensure that there will be no problems later, and some remodeling materials can’t adhere to dirty surfaces as well. This is also a good time to take room measurement. Then look at the amount of water or moisture in the basement, this is very important to know. If there is any standing water or mold growth you should call a professional. This will prevent problems later on since they can fix the current problems and figure out how to decrease the likelihood that the water returns.

Next, estimate how much drywall and furring strips you will need for your basement walls. For those who are new at this, furring strips are thin wooden strips that allow you to attach drywall to a concrete surface. For a good estimation assume that you will need one sheet of drywall for every four or five feet of wall, and four furring strips for that same length. Once you have the materials its time to get some work. Screw the furring strips to the concrete space leaving about a half-inch of space between the strip and the floor. This is just in case water seeps in; there won’t be mold growth. Make sure all your furring strips are plumb with a level. Drill holes in the concrete every 16 inches and screw in concrete screws.

Finishing Basement Walls

Now you need to shim the furring strips. This is taking a small wedge of wood and making all of the strips stand an even and uniform distance from the wall. Make sure all your strips are even and plumb with the rest so that your basement walls are even. If you don’t already have insulation and a vapor barrier, now is a good time to run to the home improvement store and get some. Insulating basement walls increases it’s ability to resist heat loss. This is an easy step, just cut the insulation to fit in between the furring strips. The vapor barrier will reduce moisture. Staple the barrier to the furring strips, but don’t go overboard since you still don’t want too many holes.

Cutting and screwing in the drywall is next. Measure the drywall based on how far apart you put the furring strips and cut to that size. Use specially made drywall screws and carefully screw them into place. Be careful, you can break the surface of the drywall. Now just put some drywall compound into the breaks and screw holes to create even surface, sandpaper it and your basement walls are ready for paint.

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