How do I finish my basement wall?

I’m just back from a fruitless trip to my two diy box stores . . . I’m sure those of you in North America can guess which ones. It’s so depressing how few options there are if you want to avoid materials that aren’t toxic when you look at the whole cradle to grave. Anyway, I’m not here to rant!

I really need to finish my on going basement project, I’ve been distracted and winter is approaching fast.

The field stone wall leaks and is uninsulated. I’ve installed a thin water barrier with a very high R value. Then I’ve built a 2 x 4 stud wall to hold insulation and allow me to add power outlets.



The obvious solution to finishing the wall is dry wall / plaster board. I was resigned to going down this road as it is cheap, available, traditional and unlikely to offend any future buyer. Apart from my general loathing of the stuff, I can’t actually get sheets into the basement as I have narrow stairs with a 90 degree corner at the bottom. 8 ft studs are a very tight squeeze and I’ve resorted to feeding them through a broken window. Sheets of drywall would be a nightmare as they’re so easily damaged, and once you start chopping them up, they become even harder to move.

My fruitless trip involved wandering aisles looking for alternatives. Dry wall really dominates the market. It’s less than a dollar per square foot even after taping and wet work. Next closest is $2 a square foot and that would involve simply nailing 2 x 4’s to the wall, which would not only offend a future buyer but wouldn’t get past my wife.

So how does an urban permaculturist finish their walls? . . . I really need to get this project done as so much else in the house requires this room to be finished.

Hi Ed;
So a thin water barrier, it looks like a plastic-type material?
Won't water leaking from the old wall just puddle up on the floor behind?

As far as finishing your stud wall.
I would buy tongue and groove lumber in 8' lengths, Cedar comes to mind.

Look up "car siding", It has nothing to do with cars and I don't know why it is called that.. Pine is far more affordable than cedar. I did my vaulted ceilings with it and it turned out great. It is a bit pricier than sheet rock, but everything is.. Sheetrock is the cheapest option barring the old wood paneling stuff from the 70's.

Another thing I used in my house were those big ply wood panels that they use to side sheds with.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Ed;
So a thin water barrier, it looks like a plastic-type material?
Won't water leaking from the old wall just puddle up on the floor behind?

As far as finishing your stud wall.
I would buy tongue and groove lumber in 8' lengths, Cedar comes to mind.

Cheers Thomas. I would weep if I could get my hands on some Cedar. I’d love to tongue and groove all the basement walls. Wife isn’t so keen because we have fake wooden walls in the kitchen of the worst kind!

I’ve solved the water issue with a drain and sump pump. The pipe etc. is already in place. Here’s a sketch which is easier than words!



It’s hard to argue against an R15 vapour barrier even if it is mostly plastic.

Riley Hughes wrote:Look up "car siding", It has nothing to do with cars and I don't know why it is called that.. Pine is far more affordable than cedar. I did my vaulted ceilings with it and it turned out great. It is a bit pricier than sheet rock, but everything is.. Sheetrock is the cheapest option barring the old wood paneling stuff from the 70's.

Another thing I used in my house were those big ply wood panels that they use to side sheds with.

Cheers Riley, great suggestion. And good to know names for things as I’m a Brit in the US. I’ll also have to look up sheetrock and add it to my ever growing dictionary of new words.

We have the 70’s stuff in the kitchen.

Does anyone offer thin cedar planks?

When I looked at the wall I thought of board and Batten.  This Board and Batten is what a wall in our bedroom has, like this:


Source


source

Used with the width of boards you can get into the basement.

If you can't find the cedar panels then maybe cedar fencing would work, like this:


source


source

I suggested cedar due to the possibility of mold and mildew.

This stuff is really quite flimsy, but we put it into a basement bathroom at our old house and it was nice enough once we'd trimmed all the weird corners.

This stuff looks like it might be actually nice. I'd look for a local mill that makes shiplap as I'm sure you can get something you like better and probably cheaper.

I would use something like Cement Board

I get mine from a local reuse shop.
I would get the  latex-fortified mortar  that is usually used to affix tile, tint it, and parge the whole wall.

Alternatively, the big box stores have dog eared cedar fence pickets.

Your wife might not like either option, so suggest something absolutely outrageous first, like a head to toe mirrored wall....
Which, now that I think of it, would be very water resistant...

A bit obscure perhaps, but I wonder whether stretch fabric walls might suit?

stretch fabric process video


It used to be the way to finish interior walls in stately homes - stretched and suspended fabric rather than wallpaper. No need to plaster, and as eco-friendly as the fabric you use...

Disadvantages: might get grubby as the fabric breathes, not able to put pictures/shelves anywhere. Not sure about costs, it might end up a bit expensive unless you can find some free fabric somehow.
Advantages: apparently good acoustically, will breath and dry out if gets damp (depending on fastness of dye), no need for paint or additional finishes, wide range of patterns available.

Anyhow you could always use the idea as the outrageous leader as William suggested!

Edward Norton wrote:So how does an urban permaculturist finish their walls? . . . I really need to get this project done as so much else in the house requires this room to be finished.

How about a pallet wall?


Source: https://www.gruberpallets.com/blog/2019/3/26/dyi-a-pallet-wall-by-a-pallet-pro

Edward, what did you end up using?