The “Finished”, Unfinished Basement
8February 9, 2015 by Decorum DIYer
Stage one of the “finished”, unfinished basement is complete!
Aside from my amazing husband, I owe Serena of the “Thrift Diving” blog for giving us that final push!
The BEFORE:
The AFTER:
And a few more befores and afters for good measure:
It feels so much cozier down there already. I am still stalking a large area rug for the children’s area and awaiting my blinds from Payless Decor, but other than that; it is completely usable.
Remember, the only change in the basement is newly painted masonry walls (Behr’s Basement and Masonry Waterproofing Paint in Silver Jade), flooring from Lumber Liquidators (Black Forest Oak, 6mm), and subfloor from Dricore. Everything else has been thrifted, gifted, or sifted through our piles of one day items. I am sort of amazed as to how well the mismatch of items are playing well together.
I’ll be sharing the details on how we made the space a bit more cozy with artwork and draperies in another post.
Have a great day!
Decorum DIYer 
It looks fantastic!!! Such great work by you and your man. I know how good it feels to cross such a big project off the list. ~Christina
Ha! Me and my man! 😉 I love that. He is indeed my man and is crazy enough to endure my grand schemes. I have major plans for this house, but it is nice to get things in a state of usable before the grand ‘one day’ overhaul.
WOW! What a huge difference. This is giving me some mad ideas! I am super impressed with how much you’ve accomplished down there. Sigh. I want to get there soon. It’s on my master list, ha ha.
Shocking the difference the floor makes. We’ve got rooms with unfinished floors and I, too, know it’s the first thing that has to happen before trim and doors. Hope to follow your bravery and just do it. That’s a big space you have finished thanks, as you say, to your amazing husband. Perseverance, whew. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
The floor really makes the difference down there. The black tile adhesive that was left after the asbestos tile abatement was sticky and coated everything it touched. We tried to puzzle piece area rugs together for the longest time, but it was just too busy and impractical. One, seamless flooring area is just what this space needed to ground it and make it feel homey.
I’m impressed especially since you didn’t run out and buy everything new. I bet you’re enjoying this space so much more now!
We really enjoying the space. My husband is excited to gather around the pool table with friends and family (a fond memory from his childhood, watching his father, uncles, and grandfather). I find myself escaping down there for moments of peace without the kids. (Shhhh… don’t tell anyone.) I also find that I am more eager to get on the treadmill, since it is in this refreshed space.
WOW! that looks great!