Tackling The Basement: Chapter Two
Ok, we’re back on speaking terms with the basement. After it gave us quite a hard time when we began our Dryloking-interrupted-by-oh-no-is-that-mildew adventure (read all about that right here), we’re feeling victorious after conquering the first step towards turning our cinder block insect shelter into clean and functional storage space.
If you recall, we had already faced the grueling disappointment of mildew spots making their way through our first coat of white latex-based Drylok (which is like painting with Elmer’s glue, btw)…
So with our second round of bleach-treatment having tamed the mildew a bit more, we crossed our fingers as we broke out the powerhouse oil-based Drylok (as recommended by the experts at True Value for being even more protective and durable).Talk about stinky. Sheesh. Thank goodness for our professional grade gas masks (we’ve read about people passing out without them when it comes to the oil-based formula). When it came to the consistency, it was like we had traded Elmer’s glue for natural peanut butter (you know, the kind that you have to stir to mix the oil in?). But we furiously trudged ahead as quickly as possible while October graced us with a convenient little “heat wave” last week (Drylok has to be applied at 50+ degrees so last week’s highs in the 70’s were a blessing to our otherwise unheated basement).
After two 5-hour days and eight additional gallons of Drylok (yes, eight!) we finally finished slathering a second coat on the walls and floor plus two complete coats on the ceiling. And with that we officially sealed our beige box of a basement (yup, that’s 13 gallons all together, totaling 325 beans- thank goodness for our True Value gift card!). And a few hundred bucks is still a small price to pay for a weatherproofed basement that can now serve as usable storage forevermore (in fact after the first coat we had about a week of rain and nary a drop of moisture seeped through, so the second coat convinced us even further that our basement was completely waterproofed for the long haul). And despite the premixed tan Drylok color being a little fleshy for our tastes (they offer it in white, tan, gray and blue- we went with tan to make it feel a bit less stark down there), it actually looks pretty good- especially compared to the raw cinder block “before.”
But the best part by far is no mildew (!!!) – even now, a week and at least two rainstorms later. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I guess the guys at True Value were right… that oil-based stuff is way better than the latex version.*
So with our Drylok finally packed away, this weekend we took care of the last bit of painting prep: the floor. See, we opted to use tan Drylok everywhere instead of painting with tan latex paint over white Drylok because painted Drylok can’t be re-Dryloked, which is recommended every 15+ years or so. But we wanted to bring some color to the floors to break up the big beige box of a basement (all of our moisture problems stemmed from the porous cinder block walls, not the concrete floor, so we’re confident in painting over it without worry that we’ll need to re-Drylok the floor in a decade or two).
And in the spirit of being cheap using what we have, we broke out some leftover chocolate brown porch and floor paint from our sunroom floor-painting project (Valspar’s Oil-Based Porch & Floor Paint in “Brownstone” in case you’re wondering), slapped on one thick coat, and called it a day. We love that the dark color will hide dirt and outdoor footprints (since it’s a separate entry basement that’s always a plus because we’ll always be trudging in from outside) and we also appreciate that the rich tone works with the rest of our home’s mocha flooring to make it feel like a part of our casa, even if it is a bit disconnected.
But of course this is all still just the beginning of the big basement overhaul. Once that floor paint has a few days to dry, we’ll be back in there planning how to minimize eyesores like the big water heater in the middle of the room, brainstorming some storage solutions, tidying up a few more areas – including the access to our crawl space – and hopefully finishing this basement makeover before the whole lack-of-heating-down-there thing really makes this project uncomfortable.
Oh and while we’re on the subject, tell us what you guys use your basements for. Are they storage only? Completely abandoned? Livable square footage with extra bedrooms and bathrooms? Man caves? Rooms where monsters live like in Home Alone? Spill it.
*I also mentioned our basement project to my very-expert-in-construction friend last weekend (at his wedding – I know, great “you just got married, but let’s talk about Drylok” conversation skills on my part). First question he asked was “you used oil-based, right?” I quickly responded “of course,” too embarrassed to admit our first coat mistake. Lesson learned.
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Comments
It looks so much better! Part of me is happy that basements are almost non-existant in California…
I so wish I could hire you guys to do my basement. I am too chicken to tackle my own. Its creepy! Any tips for getting past my fears?
Thanks for sharing your basement project, especially the specific products used and their cost. I really like the chocolate floor.
The basement here is where the clothes washer and dryer are–so glad not to have them on the main floor. I also store onions, potatoes, and winter squash in a dark area–not quite a pantry sized room. Wish I had a freezer to keep down there. Then there are the litter boxen for teh multiple kittehs who like hanging out down there in their towel-lined liquor box kitty mansions.
No basement here, but if we did have one I’d put a pool table in it. Hah or maybe our computers since they’re always heating up the house.
I don’t have a basement my condo’s built on a slab. I did have a basement in our old rental. We used it for storage and a former roommate’s pottery studio complete with kiln (long story why it was there years and years after she moved out.)
Hey Connie,
We had a little bit of the “it’s icky and dirty” fears for our basement as well. So our best tip for getting past that is to wear some old clothes, buy some gloves and any other protective gear that can keep you from coming in direct contact with anything gross and then just go for it. We have to admit that it almost felt good showing those spiderwebs who was boss. Good luck and go get ‘em!
-John
Even if that’s all you do, this is an amazing makeover! In the pictures you can’t even tell it’s cinderblock. Thanks for all the details, too. I love when you share the mishaps along with the successes!
I would also recommend a paint product called “gripper” for stains etc. It worked better than killz and was actually cheaper at Home Depot. You can then drylock over it really well.
Our basement used to be half man-cave, half storage/laundry space. However, with a baby on the way, I had to move my desk area out of the second bedroom, and have thus taken over the basement. One half of our basement is finished, and divided into two rooms. The smaller of the two rooms is still my husband’s (perpetually messy) study. The other room used to have a huge, 1970s-era L-shaped couch plus a TV, small bar, movie posters, etc. The walls were cheap paneling and also 1970s-era wallpaper. It has all been painted over (turns out you can in fact paint right over wallpaper). Now it contains a little desk area for me, plus shelving, a work table, a futon, and still the TV. It’s a cozy little area now – even my husband is forced to admit it is much more pleasant!
Thanks so much for posting this – we’ve just begun work on our new (old) house and, after removing TWO layers of terrifyingly moldy wood paneling and some shag carpet, we’ve got the mold under control, but we’re planning to Drylok the whole space to make future finishing possible. My wonderful hardware store folks didn’t know of any difference between the latex and oil based drylok products, so I’m so glad that I found your post before we bought tons of latex-based. We would’ve gone for the less-fumes option too, but now we’ll know to stick with oil. Thanks!
Thanks for posting. Our basement is already finished but we are looking for ways to brighten it up!
What a difference paint makes! I like the beige walls and the dark brown floor.
Our basement has a lot of different rooms to it. It is almost 100 years old but it is in not so bad shape, meaning no crumbling walls and floors. No water seepage or leaks, etc.
One room was originally for canning, but I use it for ebay and items going to donation. Another room has the water softener and an extra shower. Another room is a work room with shelves for storage. Those rooms all have cement walls and floors that have been painted. Then there’s a larger finished den with painted paneling and berber carpet that never gets used.
Wow, amazing! I have been looking forward to seeing your basement renovations, and I’m amazed at the difference just from painting – looks great so far!
Our basement is technically livable with hvac and a full bath, but it’s ugly! It’s our personal storage facility!
Even at $325 look at all the extra valuable real estate you uncovered. It looks amazing … clean and water tight.
I live in Canada … we have full basements. Mine is finished with a bedroom, a media room and a storage/laundry room. It is all really storage to me … I’m not a basement person. Not really a good thing … I means I can just store more ’stuff’.
Amazing what (a ton) of paint can do. It looks phenomenal! Way to go guys – I am always impressed by how hard you work.
We store our two kiddos in the basement! Well, kinda.
Our basement is about 80% finished, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, family room and playroom. There’s also a shop (the 20% unfinished part) where I hope to frame in a room someday where I can send all the Legos in our house to die.
It’s a walkout basement, so there’s also access to our backyard.
Our basement is liveable.It has our laundryroom, half bathroom, and playroom/family room. It was finished when we moved in, so it was a godsend.
I wish we’d known about Drylok years ago. The house I grew up in had a perpetually leaky basement. I don’t have a basement now but here in Oklahoma a basement is particularly useful as a tornado shelter.
Keep up the good work Sherry and John!
As you prob know by now, we rent, but we DO have a basement where the laundry is (only accessible from the outside, but it’s a covered stairway luckily). We’ve only been there a month but I’m already wondering how we can make it a little more welcoming. The floor is clean (we have some rubber bins with seasonal stuff down there now), but the ceiling beams are exposed and full of icky cobwebs. It’s like a freaking scene out of Arachniphobia (at least the few scenes I got through before nightmares set in). Totally creeped out by that, but I guess there’s nothing to do but tackle it with a vacuum (and full body armor?) I’m a huge wimp with spiders. Yuck.
Our basement is actually zoned as a separate apartment, which we plan on fixing up & renting out. The renovations are only about halfway done though. Part of me wishes we had it just for storage because it would free up valuable real estate in our home. But then I think about the potential rental income and think about de-cluttering our living space.
Love it!! You guys are amazing because you can make a basement turn into something stylish and warm. Go you!
I have a piece of basement related advice that I learned the hard way :(
I recently had to help replace a water heather that leaked a surprising amount of liquid in a very short amount of time (bummer).
One thing we learned is to slip a pan (looks like a big circular cake pan) under the water heater with one of those moisture sensors that sounds an alarm if moisture is detected. You can use just the sensor if you can’t put the pan underneath the tank because it is too heavy.
So far we have had one pinhole leak from not sealing a joint properly, and we learned it FAST with the new sensor, so it has paid off already!
Best of luck with your basement!!!
Don’t mean to rain on your parade, but… the area where wall meets floor will most likely shift…and you might get a crack in the drylock in a few years…then water will once again come through. :( Did you look into a french drain? I am keeping my fingers crossed that the wall/floor doesn’t shift.
Hey Rich,
We actually have exterior drainage precautions already in place (thankfully they were there when we moved in) so we knew that we were only dealing with only small absorption of water since our cinder blocks weren’t sealed (and not major water issues- all of the areas around the basement are graded away from the foundation and all the water coming down the gutters is diverted at least 20 feet away from the base of the house). This is why after weeks of rain we only had small spots of moisture that we clearly saw “sweating” in from the walls and not a monsoon of rain in our basement. Whew! As for the floor shifting, the basement has been poured and in place for around 30 years and it hasn’t shifted yet so we’re hoping that it’s firmly in place for the long haul. Of course if it ever did shift we’d cross that bridge when we get there. Fingers crossed we’re good for a while though!
xo,
Sherry
Thanks for the info Sherry! Thx too for posting the BM nos along with the paint chip names. You rawk girl.
we live in colorado where basements are built in almost all modern homes and are often used as part of the living space. we had ours finished earlier this year and we’re in love with it…best investment ever. it’s 800 square feet, with a family/play room (where we watch tv and play with our daughter), guest room, and 3/4 bath.
Your blog is so fun to follow. I think you hooked me with that incredible daybed in the sunroom, plus the brilliant enlargement of typography for wall art! It’s also nice when you cite low-cost sources for stuff.
The problems you face mirror our own little brick house, i.e., drain clogs and basement issues.
I call our small basement The Dungeon, although it’s fairly well lit. It’s not pretty, but it’s a safe place to hang out when tornadoes are near.
The Dungeon has been known to host sock hockey, Ping Pong, and a young rock band. It’s major function, however, is storage and laundry.
The Dungeon has a wall of original built-in cabinets, which we use to store luggage, Christmas decor, and more. Our washer & dryer sit near a 6-foot, bright yellow, wooden counter. We’ve deduced that the counter sat upstairs (in the kitchen) before previous owners modernized the kitchen. In like 1950…
What a timely post. I live in Richmond too, and with the recent rain I’ve had a soggy basement (about a quarter inch of rain that seeps through the walls). Since my washer/dryer, water heater, and lots of storage boxes are in the basement, I’m in desperate need of a waterproofing solution… but don’t want to pay B-Dry thousands of dollars just to treat an unfinished concrete/cinderblock basement!
I think Drylok is the way to go. I guess it’s available at Pleasants or Lowe’s? I’ll look forward to re-reading your articles on how to apply it, and would appreciate any other tips you have in the meantime.
Thanks for the blog post.
Austin
Hey Austin,
Yup, Drylok is pretty much available at any hardware store just remember to get the oil-based kind and to apply at least two thick and even coats to properly seal your space. It also helps if you don’t paint over it so you can reseal things in a decade or two if they need additional protection. Hope it helps! Happy Dryloking!
xo,
s
We’re in the process of finishing out our storage area in our garage. Was your concrete floor already pretty smooth before you Dryloked and painted? Ours has some rough patches and I’m not sure how to handle them! Any advice?
Hey Katie,
Hmm, our floor was pretty smooth but our cinder block walls definitely were textured and rough pretty much all over. The Drylok really seeps into every crack after two thick coats, but it doesn’t fill things in or smooth anything that’s rough so you might want to check with your local home improvement store to see if they have any “self leveling concrete” or something else that you can pour over the rough spots of your floor to smooth them out before Dryloking. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey Sandra,
We’ve actually been dropping in on all of our fellow bloggers to see what they’re up to! It’s fun to watch them go. From construction projects to outdoor landscaping and fun makeovers with unique items (like a door redo for example) they all have really piqued our interest! Feel free to refer back to this post for all the links to stop by and see what everyone’s up to!
xo,
s