If you live in a cold climate, insulating your basement walls is one way to make your home warmer and will also assist in keeping the basement dry. Basement walls are normally constructed from concrete or masonry blocks. Below grade basement walls are likely to be cold and also damp.
Using a regular type of wall insulation product will quite possibly cause a mold problem to develop. Your local home improvement store should stock wall insulation that is specifically made for damp basement walls. Using the purpose made product and if necessary installing a vapor barrier should reduce the moisture entering your basement and help to keep your entire home warmer and drier. Concrete basement walls are almost certain to be damp so it is vital to keep a gap between the concrete and any wood or fiberglass used for insulation. Taking time to insulate the basement properly will mean years of low-maintenance enjoyment of the space.
If your basement is not particularly cold or damp you could get away with just painting your basement walls. A simple coat of paint could be all that is needed to turn a dull and uninviting atmosphere into a useful extra room. Plus it is a very inexpensive method of revamping the space. It is amazing the difference that can be achieved merely by painting.
Think about how you plan to use the basement once it is finished and allow the use to dictate the color scheme or theme for the room. For example, if you would like it to become a kid’s playroom use bright cheerful colors. You could encourage your children to “help” you with the decoration and once you have painted a wall in a pale color mix up some kids’ paints and allow them to make hand prints all over the wall. You could also tape off an area of the wall and paint it with blackboard paint. The children can then draw or write on this area with colorful chalks. If the space is intended for use mainly by adults, for example as a bar or sports room, just change the decor to fit in with this.
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