How To Finish A Basement In 9 Basic Steps

How To Finish A Basement In 9 Basic Steps

Turn Your “Storage Space” Into Your New Favorite Room In Your Westchester, Putnam, Or Dutchess County Home

Finishing a basement isn’t an easy task. It takes a lot of patience, time, and money, even if you’re doing it yourself. In all honesty, we would only recommend doing it if you’re an advanced DIYer or have previous experience with building homes or additions. We have managed to boil the process down to 7 basic steps for those of you curious (and experienced) enough to try it on your own.

We Can Use It For So Many Things!

“We can host more people, the kids can have their own space, it’ll be like a little escape!”

Cameron is currently doing his best to convince Skyler that they need to finish their basement. Personally, he wants to turn it into a man-cave but at this point he’s willing to compromise.

Skyler isn’t too sure about it but for Cameron… “Alright, let’s finish the basement. I’m sure we’re going to love it a lot and use it quite often.” Cameron smiles with excitement and gives Skyler a big hug. He’s also happy because he can bring out his tool kit and finish the basement with his own hands.

Being an expert DIYer is his thing and this is the perfect chance to test his skills. He gets out his phone and looks up “how to finish a basement” on Google. If it turns out he can’t do it he’ll hire a professional instead.

Here is what he finds.

How To Finish A Basement In 9 Basic Steps

1. Clean your basement out
2. Check your basement for leaks and damages
3. Waterproof and repair anything that needs it
4. Research and get any building permits and codes
5. Do any electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work
6. Finish the basement walls with insulation, framing, and drywalling
7. Add flooring
8. Install a ceiling
9. Finishing details

1. Clean your basement out
2. Check your basement for leaks and damages
3. Waterproof and repair anything that needs it
4. Research and get any building permits and codes
5. Do any electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work
6. Finish the basement walls with insulation, framing, and drywalling
7. Add flooring
8. Install a ceiling
9. Finishing details

Cleaning the basement gives everything a good foundation and is a great way to check it out for any potential leaky areas and damages. Anything you find needs waterproofing and fixing before you move on.

Now for the more boring part- researching and getting any building codes and permits. It’s not fun but it is a necessary step for how to finish a basement.

After that, the fun begins!

Well, that is if you consider doing electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work fun. After you have that all finished up you can start making your basement look more like a home addition.

Finishing The Basement Walls

Add insulation by cutting it .25 inches lower than your ceiling to allow some room for easier installation. Safety goggles should be worn if you use a saw or utility knife to cut it.

After making sure it’s the right height, apply an adhesive to the wall and stick the insulation against it. Once all of it is installed, seal the seams between each piece with duct tape and seal the gaps between the ceiling, floor, and corners with caulk or foam filler.

As for framing and installing drywall, it’s best left to a professional. This part of the project needs an experienced hand (a few, actually) and a lot of tools.

Once finished you can move to the flooring.

Installing Flooring

Vinyl, tile, and carpet are popular choices for flooring.

For cement floors, waterproof vinyl flooring is the best choice because it’s durable and comes in many different styles, including a wood look.

Once you decide on the flooring you can install the subfloor. Install insulation the same way you did the walls and lay sheets of plywood on top of that. Use a masonry drill and concrete screws to hold it in place.

After that, you’ll want to follow the instructions for the type of flooring you chose to finish your basement with.

Finally, the basement ceiling.

Finishing The Ceiling

You can choose between a drop-ceiling and a drywall ceiling.

Drop-ceilings are cheaper and easier which is why they’re commonly found in homes. They’re the ceilings that are made of squares or rectangles and you can lift them up by pushing them. You can simply follow the instructions that come with the installation kit you choose.

Drywall ceilings are a lot more complicated to install but at least the process is similar to finishing the basement walls.

Finishing Details

This is where painting the walls, bringing in furniture and appliances, and hooking everything up happens.

After that’s all done Cameron (and you) should have a great new addition to his home!

What Will Cameron Do?

Cameron rubs his chin thoughtfully as he thinks about whether he should do this himself or look for a professional basement finishing service. He decides to do everything himself except set up the drywall. Now he just needs to plan out how it’s going to look…

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