# Basement Remodel



## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

We're doing a basement remodel, about 400 sf. It's been almost 25 years since the last one. I have a number of questions and I'm hoping some of the regulars here will do these jobs professionally and be able to offer some tips.

*Ceiling:* Like many home our ceiling is suspended and we have 2 x 4 panels of some lightweight material. We're hoping to find some way to capture the 2-3 inches of suspension with some system. My wife wants something with 'character'. And we'll need access to some portions of the ceiling, water shut-offs etc. ????


*Floor:* We've had carpeting down but I'm wondering about using Dri core or a similar product to isolate the concrete from the floor we'll walk on. I've seen folks put down boards and then spray that expanding foam between each board. ???? 

*Fireplace* We are have a gas fireplace installed and I thought I'd make the surround, I have a ton of cherry in the garage. Cautions, design ideas, 

Thanks for reading.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

what are the questions...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Berry the Dri-core is great stuff. It would work good in you situation. Easy to install too.
As far as the ceiling goes, is the ceiling lowered to conceal the pipes or duct work? If you didn't want a ceiling that is the same elevation throughout, you can keep it lowered where required and eliminate it elsewhere. Remember tho that wiring and such will then have to be run thru the joist. You could then either nail the ceiling to the joist bottoms or install furring strips crosswise of the joist direction. You could put some false cherry beams across the ceiling too.

A cherry surround would look great around the fireplace. You might want a ceramic or masoary hearth to compliment the fireplace too.
You got some work ahead of you. good luck, be sure to show progress photos.

Herb


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

CEILING:
As Herb already pointed out, the dropped ceiling is likely to have been installed to hide all the wires and plumbing and to provide access to same. Replacing with sheetrock or the like will cause you to provide the same function. You may even find that the joists are not exactly even and so the sheetrock will appear "wavy". You will also need to deal with providing access to necessary controls...may be a problem depending on how many access points you need. You might need to rewire, drill into joists, re-do the piping, etc... And then framing around ducting...? Consider also the maintainability of your future lighting... Dropped ceiling will provide you with better "future-proofing", for example, cable TV wires, new electric, different lighting, additional ducting, etc... Is it worth the 2-3 inches...? dunno...you'll need to plan and design carefully to give yourself the same flexibility of a dropped ceiling. 

FLOOR:
Good stuff, I understand... Is the concrete level...? Low/high spots...? Consider also tiles, carpet...? As for the expansion foam between boards, dunno 'bout that... I would also consider some kind of water/moisture proofing if you do tiles or carpet...DRY-LOCK comes to mind. You would likely need a bonding agent if doing tiles...WELDCRETE, for example...

FIREPLACE:
Great idea...should look nice. I would suggest Google'ing some images for ideas. Do you have the tools to do the job...? Router, bits, table saw, planer, dust collection, place to do the work, etc... Consider if you want it to be functional...code, distances to walls, clear chimney, dampers...then, insert or as is...? Do you need it to provide heat...insert with fan...?

Sounds like a fun project but definitely lots of work.

Is this a semblance of what you were looking for...? I'm sure you'll get lots more ideas from others...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Berry; is Radon gas an issue in your region? Certainly a consideration when doing a bsmt. reno.


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## OttoW (Feb 13, 2016)

How about some pictures of the space so we can get an idea of what your thinking of.


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## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

Stick486 said:


> what are the questions...


Does anyone have a flooring or ceiling system they'd recommend? Does anyone have fireplace experience they'd be willing to share as I move into design and construction.


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## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

DaninVan said:


> Hey, Berry; is Radon gas an issue in your region? Certainly a consideration when doing a bsmt. reno.


It is and we have a outfit coming in to run the tests soon.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

insulate and rock the ceiling...
access door where the shutoffs, clean-outs and traps are..

dricore on the floors...

rocked over Z metal and polystyrene on the walls...
go with “Z” channel and capture the foam board and make life easier on yourself...
Foam board and "Z" channel is installed horizontally...

http://www.clarkdietrich.com/product...urring-channel

W/ the "Z" metal being horizontal you can hang the rock vertically which eliminates butt joints and reduces waste... Saves on mudding also..


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## skiroy56 (Aug 7, 2011)

For the floor in my wife's basement studio I installed treated 2x4 sleepers screwed to the concrete. Then installed styrofoam insulation between, covered with a layer of thick poly and screwed plywood subfloor on that. Finally we installed laminate flooring on top and she is very happy and pleased with that. The ceiling is a suspended ceiling as there is ductwork, plumbing and wiring overhead. The walls are sheetrock painted.
This has made her a very bright and comfortable studio to work and quilt in.
Happy wife Happy life!


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## thomas1389 (Jan 4, 2012)

Stay with the suspended ceiling. Consider using 2 x 2 panels with the rabbeted edge. They come down about 1/4" lower than the plastic grid and take away that "office" look. If you raise the grid an inch or so you can put the tile in at one end and slide it over the grid to it's position. That way you don't need all the space between grid and joists, plumbing, etc. that you would if you try to maneuver each panel through it's own hole. With a suspended ceiling you will always have the opportunity to fix, change, add or whatever, above it. You may not see a need now but you will.


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## russ franken (Nov 29, 2009)

Berry, I have seen ceiling systems at home depot that attach directly to the floor joists, so you only drop down the thickness of the tile.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

" hang the rock vertically which eliminates butt joints and reduces waste... Saves on mudding also.."
-Stick

Sorry, but I disagree. That might be true if you limit yourself to 8' sheets, but if you include 9', 10', 12', and 14' sheets you reduce both the vertical butt joints dramatically as well as the total of all joint length dramatically. In addition, the long horizontal bevel joint is at waist ht. instead of trying to do a lot 8'+/- vertical bevel joints. It also assumes that all the 4' joints are going to land on perfectly spaced studs (16" o/c). All it takes is for one to be out for some reason and you're back to a butt to bevel joint...which I personally hate!
Having the proper tools to do taping and filling is crucial. In fact, hiring a competent Taper to do the filling makes the most sense, unless you're good at it; it's a skill.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> " hang the rock vertically which eliminates butt joints and reduces waste... Saves on mudding also.."
> -Stick
> 
> Sorry, but I disagree. That might be true if you limit yourself to 8' sheets, but if you include 9', 10', 12', and 14' sheets you reduce both the vertical butt joints dramatically as well as the total of all joint length dramatically.
> .


so how are you going make the turns and get the longer sheets down the stairs and does the OP have access to a commercial vendor for the 9. 10 and 14' sheets...
BB... 8 or 12' take your pick...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> " It also assumes that all the 4' joints are going to land on perfectly spaced studs (16" o/c). All it takes is for one to be out for some reason and you're back to a butt to bevel joint...which I personally hate!


Dan... *HORIZONTAL* Z metal...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

It's a basement. I'd assume that at least a portion of the wall is below grade concrete foundation. If so then the two options are to either frame a new wall floor to ceiling in front of the concrete, or do as you suggest and treat the upper framed portion, setback as it is, differently then the lower concrete portion. Either way, I'd be inclined to frame out the lower section so as to be able to run electrical with normal outlets up 12" - 16", your choice.
My preference has always been to use steel studs and track in basement framing...just me I guess. Once you get used to it, and pick up the necessary extra tools, it's a delight to work with.

vis-a-vis the z bar, if the concrete portion is less than 4' high, running it horizontally or vertically doesn't really make much difference to the drywall.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

berry said:


> Does anyone have a flooring or ceiling system they'd recommend? Does anyone have fireplace experience they'd be willing to share as I move into design and construction.


A picture of my mantle is in my uploads.


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