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nfarrar/basement-ceiling.rst

Last active November 6, 2015 18:41
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Notes on 'semi-finishing' the basement ceiling.
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basement-ceiling.rst

Basement Ceiling

Pictures of the basement ceiling are here.

The basement ceiling is already low. Installing a drop ceiling is expensive, makes it more difficult to access all the wiring/etc and reduces overhead space (which is already at premium).

We had some water issues in the basement earlier this year - they should be resolved, but we probably won't actually finish the entire basement - so instead I'm trying to find a solution for 'partially' finishing it - making it usable and comfortable - but still having things easy to replace (and inexpensive) if there are additional water issues.

  • flooring is interlocking rubber 'gym' tiles
    • tiles are water resistant
    • its very inexpensive
    • can be individually removed and replaced
    • they are very comfortable (and perfect for basement gym/workshop/gameroom)
  • the damaged insultation is still hanging
    • needs to be removed
    • frame in with water resistant, PT lumber?
    • use water resistant foam insulation
    • water resistant drywall?

Painting the ceiling directly is a good/common solution for this situation:

  • doesn't further reduce overhead space
  • gives it a unique finished 'industrial' appearance
  • conceals all the craziness in the ceiling

Example Projects:

Questions

Stuff I'm still trying to figure out before starting:

  • is primer necessary?
    • some articles recommend using a primer on everything, some do not
    • some articles recommend just priming metal pipes & ductwork
  • finished ceilings between floors typically have 'accoustic' insulation
    • good idea to add some accoustic insulation?
    • panels between joists?
  • some articles recommend not painting metal pipes & plumbing
    • instead, insultate the pipes first
    • paint over the insultation
  • some articles recommend not painting electrical wires
    • home codes require electrical wires to be color coded, this could be a violation
    • put wires in some kind of channels or tubing, stapled to joists, then paint over that?

How To Paint

Use an airless sprayer - it'll be faster and easier.

  • an airless sprayer has higher pressure, produces a thicker coat
  • on large jobs this greatly reduces the amount of work
  • using an HVLP sprayer (like Graco 590) appears to be a bad idea
    • multiple coats needed to finish ceiling
    • some people restored to using a roller to finish the work
    • in general, tons more work than using an airless sprayer
  • an airless sprayer will get paint everywhere
  • wear proper protection
    • respirator
    • eye cover
    • paint suit

Paint

What kind of paint to use?

  • black and dark colors are more effective than light colors for masking components
  • use paint with a flat sheen - glossy not a good idea

Preparation

Prep work will be the most time consuming part of the job.

  • clean the ceiling thoroughly first (get all the dust/cobwebs/dirt out)
  • cover floors and non-paintable surfaces with masking paper (not plastic)
    • airless sprayer produces lots of 'back spray' (plastic on floor will get very slippery quickly)
    • use masking tape rather than painters tape
  • tape down masking paper path all the way to outside of the house
  • spray 1/2 the basement at a time
    • create a divider with plastic stapled to ceiling

Lighting

Currently there are contractor fixtures, stapled to joists. These hang down from ceiling and are extremely unpleasant - when you look around, you get blinded.

  • the only exception is the Feit shoplight I added over my workbench
    • it's not dimmable
    • it's not properly wired - it has a 2-prong connector and is connected to light circuit with a bulb adapter

A possible solution:

  • put recessed fixtures between joists
  • normally these would be concealed behind drywall
  • paint them black ot match ceiling
  • they would be level with the rest of the ceiling
  • they would not 'stick out' and get in the way
  • hopefully not blinding the way the current lights are

Hardware Options:

Examples:

Notes

Miscellaneous notes:

The amount of preparation for painting was a lot, but well worth it, once the paint spraying began. The main challenge during the painting process was keeping a small paint roller and paint brush handy for any paint drips that happened. This only seemed a problem near the duct work areas. When drips occurred, we would touch them up with the paint brush or roller, as needed.

If you have bare copper heating pipes, you might want to think about wrapping them in insulation and painting that.

The only downside I found in just paint is that there is no insulation of the theater to the upstairs. I originally tried it but found when I was watching a movie at decent volume it was just too loud upstairs. I ended up going with the gridmax system where instead of dropping the ceiling the frame screws directly to the joists and saves ceiling height. I wedged some 1" black acoustic tiles and it made a huge difference. I left the grid white and with the black tiles I thought it made a pretty cool theater look. I'll have to dig up pictures (old house) but below is what mine ended up looking like.

Bookmarks

Miscellaneous bookmarks and information:

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