Basement Finished
Basement Remodeling
Basement Finished
Is your basement warm enough?
It's not a bad idea to have a secondary heat source in your basement, such
as a wood burning stove, a fireplace, or a floor warming system.
Walls
When you finish your concrete basement, use the right kind of lumber for the
walls. The sole plate (the bottom 2X4 that sits on the floor) should be CCA
treated lumber. That way, it won´t be affected by any moisture that could
leech up through the concrete floor.
The rest of the wall (the upright 2X4´s and the top plate) are standard kiln
dried dimension lumber.
The top plate is nailed to the joists above. This is no problem where the
new wall is perpendicular to the joists, but what about where the wall is
parallel to the joists? Cut a 2X4 block to fit between the joists above the
wall. The blocks are nailed between the joists every 24 inches. The top
plate is nailed to the blocks. Be sure to plumb the walls before nailing.
To fasten the sole plate to the concrete floor, run a bead of construction
adhesive on the bottom before you stand the wall. Once the wall is plumb,
you can drive nails into the concrete with a powder actuated nail set -
sometimes called a Ramset. You can rent one from your local rental yard for
a few dollars a day. Drive a nail at every other stud space and as close as
possible to every door stud.
Furnishings
Use plush carpets and drapes sparingly, if at all. Surfaces that don't
absorb moisture are best. Also, be careful about storing clothes, linens and
books in a basement. For floors, area rugs are ideal because they can be
removed, cleaned and dried. If you must have wall-to-wall carpeting,
consider a low pile commercial or indoor/outdoor type.
Floor Covering
– Carpet Pad
If you decide to install carpet on your basement floor, consider spending a
little extra on the thickest carpet pad you can get. It helps smooth out the
small irregularities in the concrete, especially around the walls and
jackposts.
- Padding for laminate floors
When you remove carpet in order to replace it with laminate flooring, it is
tempting to use the carpet pad instead of the correct pad for the new floor.
Resist the temptation. Carpet pad is too thick and too soft to work
correctly. If you do leave the carpet pad, the new floor will be mushy.
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Updated 5/26/2010 8:44:10 PM
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