Unfinished Basement Remodeling Options On Any Budget
Nothing stirs the imagination like the untapped potential of an unfinished basement. For some, the large, concrete area beneath their home represents a future home entertainment or media room. For others, it represents a future home gym. However, in spite of dreams like these, the reality is that most unfinished basements resemble dungeons more than anything else. So, what if you want to turn that dark, dank smelly room where you do your laundry into a study, a family room, or just your personal “man cave?” Before you hire someone to turn this proverbial caterpillar into a butterfly, you should know that there are different ways to go about basement remodeling. Each varies both in cost and in quality, but knowing what your options are can help you make a wise choice that can turn your dream into reality.
Remodeling an unfinished basement is no easy task. Whether you are on a budget or have money to spend, it takes time to create a quality finished product. And, when you hire someone to do the job, you need to know what you want. Luckily there are choices available to both high-rollers and pinchers of pennies alike.
Let’s start with the ceilings and walls. There are mainly two routes you can go here. One of the most common is to hire a contractor to hang sheet rock. The idea here is to make the basement look like any other room in the house. This is typically the most expensive way to go in that it will require the most labor and raw materials. A contractor will need to first hang sheet rock, then tape and bed the seems. Next you’ll have to have a painting contractor texture the walls and then apply two coats of paint. This type of basement remodeling can cost a pretty penny, but it does create a great look. If you’re really looking to make your basement the place to be, you can even have a bathroom installed. If you do choose this avenue of basement remodeling, make sure you don’t get overcharged. One way contractors try to do this is by hanging unneeded insulation in the ceiling. Since the basement ceiling is really the actual floor of the home, there is no need for this.
A cheaper way to remodel your basement ceilings and walls is to forego the sheet rock and just go straight to the painting contractor. Yes, concrete walls can be painted provided a layer of primer is applied first. Ma
1000
ke sure the contractor you hire does this; because if he doesn’t, the paint will peel in just a short time. A lot of people really enjoy the look of a painted basement. The texture of the concrete can give the room a great urban look. One negative is that many concrete basement walls have a lot of holes in them. So, make sure your contractor plans to spray the surface with two coats of paint. A brush and roller probably won’t be able to fill all the holes. So, if your contractor uses this technique, you’re liable to end up with Swiss-cheese type walls.
Another negative to this type of basement remodeling has to do with the ceiling. Yes, you can spray the ceiling with primer and paint, however, if you choose to have this done, try to use a dark color. This will keep the joyces from standing out so much. Otherwise you can choose to have only the ceiling sheet rocked, but the painter will then probably have to apply either texture or acoustic prior to painting and this can add cost to the remodeling project.
The last thing to consider when remodeling a basement is the floor. Once again there are different ways to approach this. If you have the money, you can have either wood, tile or carpet laid down. The positives to this are obvious. It provides a warm “homey” look and even a bit of class. The negative is that it can be expensive. If you don’t think you can afford this type of flooring but you still want to remodel your basement, there is an alternative. A good contractor can apply a floor paint or stain that will do the job. It may sound tacky, but floor paint and stain applied properly can provide a great look to a dark dingy basement. However, before you hire a contractor for this, you need to know a few things. First, concrete basement floors have to be treated with an acid etch prior to painting. Most horizontal concrete surfaces need to be neutralized with this procedure or else the paint with peel rather quickly. So, before you hire a contractor for this job make sure to ask them if they plan to treat the floor with an acid wash beforehand.
With the variety or basement remodeling techniques available, there’s no reason why anyone’s basement should like a medieval dungeon. Even if you can’t afford to make your basement look like the rest of the rooms in your home, you can still have a quality upgrade for a reasonable price if you know your options.
By: Priyank Saxena
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Ryan Lawrence is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Find a contractor or more home care articles at Yodle Consumer Guide. Unfinished Basement Remodeling Options On Any Budget
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Home Improvement Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From – Home | Home & Family | Home Improvement
What One Should Know About Plumbing?
Make Your Carpets Look New – Call Bakersfield Carpet Cleaners
Information about Merbau Wood Flooring
Brighten Your Building with Led Building retrofit
Heavy Duty Soaps and Soap Dispensers
Wine Bottle Kitchen Decor Is Enchanting And Inexpensive
Atlanta roofing – When is the right time to call them?
Creating A French Country Kitchen Decor Design
You don’t like your couch anymore
Information about Teak Wood Flooring
Steel is one of the most commonly used construction materials for buildings and major infrastructures in the world. And yet, because it is rich in carbon, it is also vulnerable to damages brought by environmental conditions – particularly when exposed to oxygen and moisture. And through time, structures based on steel can also degrade because of the continuous assault of the elements.
To combat this degradation, steel structural painting is conducted to clean up and provide a protective barrier against damages. Doing so assures an extended life-span for the structure, avoiding the costly solution of replacing the damaged structure altogether.
Steel Structural Painting Project Requirements
The leg work and the nitty-gritty details of the steel structural painting project falls on the shoulders of the chosen contractor, which must see to it that the following requirements are in place before the project starts:
1. A quality control program that includes the equipment and instruments to be used, the inspection details, requirements sourcing, error-detection and correction procedures, among others.
2. An inspection plan to ensure the validity of the quality control program.
3. An application process plan that outlines in detail the processes to be conducted during steel structural painting, from surface preparation, actual painting, waste disposal, and any products or equipment that will be used.
4. An activity plan that will identify major work activities that will be conducted, and the schedule for each activity, based on the agreed time plan.
Steel Structural Painting Preparations
Damage remediation always begins with the correct preparation. The surface must be properly cleaned, and any equipment that will be used for the project, such as brushes, rollers, sprays, and the like, must be checked thoroughly to ensure that they are in good working condition and will be able to deliver the work ahead.
Furthermore, any supplies such as diesel or gasoline, paints, thinners, and compressed air, must be prepared early on, and a steady source should be in hand to support the continuous need for these materials in the course of the project.
Preparing the surface for steel structural painting also necessitates setting up test sections, wherein surface cleaning and preparation will be done first to simulate the use of tools and materials prior to actual application.
Painting Considerations
For the storage, handling, mixing, preparation and actual painting application, these shall be performed with strict adherence to specifications and the manufacturers’ data sheets and instructions. There are cases when the steel structural painting requirements may conflict with the manufacturers’ specifications. In such cases, the differences should be discussed with the facility manager or engineer in charge, with contractors abiding by the facility’s resolution of the conflict.
All painting procedures should comply with industry restrictions on VOC emissions. Because of its criticality, any pre-approved paints that fell to errors during mixing or thinning will be rejected, with a fresh batch brought in, to ensure coating integrity.
Environmental conditions must be met during application, with the painting contractor observing proper procedures, use of the correct equipment, and the right thickness of coatings.
The aim of all this thorough preparation and implementation standards is to ensure that the steel structural painting process is effective and efficient, and eliminates the possibility of coating defects and application failure.
Steve Parker, Sr. Estimator. RaiderPainting.com is the leading painting company providing commercial and industrial painting services to over 1,000 Fortune 500 customers and small businesses nationwide. Call 877-724-3371 for a no obligation Estimate. Read our daily Raider Painting Blog.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_A._Parker
If you are interested in buying real estate in Brighton, contact The Home Buyer’s Agent
Mail this post