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Should I finish my basement

Moved in to a new house....one of the main selling points was a concrete basement; walls and floor slab.
The dimensions are perfect for my setup and I will finish the ceiling and do sound treatment as necessary but really wonder if I should also put up sheet-rock ?
As of now wall are painted with water-seal paint, and I have a large carpet on the floor.
I can just hang few drapes on the walls, do some sound treatment and leave it as is...
The looks are OK either way for me - no bearing on my decision.

Just want to hear if some of you have experience with such a "dilemma" (finished vs cement walls) and what would be recommended?

PS: I would NOT want to do any sound treatment under the sheet-rock...as a matter of fact I would only mount aluminium rails to the walls and then attach 1/2inch sheet-rock
ether
markpao
523 posts
 
Setting aside visits from assessors or whom ever, more importantly is the issue of not pulling a building permit, the work not being up to code, and someone gets hurt........ or worse. You will have a much bigger problem than you ever imagined.
If you manage to escape any issues over the years, at some point you may want to sell your place. I've heard of cases where the building department made owners gut there illegal finished basements before they could sell it.
I'm speaking of NY and not sure about other cities & states.
elevick
2,638 posts
 
Ejlif is correct. I left my ceiling opened. In order to keep it cleaner and sounding better, I sprayed the entire ceiling with primer/paint. It looks acceptable now.

I did do one other thing: I put in a floating floor over the concrete and then a huge carpet. This really decoupled the speakers from the concrete, warmed up the room and protects everything from the moisture concrete will leech over time. Floating 2x2 squares can be bought at HD or Lowes. Simple wooden squares with plastic backing that interlock.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Ejlif, how right you are.
For decades I have lined the wall in back of my listening spot with tall bookcases filed with hardback books, the one directly behind my head is 7 ft tall with all leather bound top to bottom.
As the cable guys says it "gets 'er done."
paladin's avatar
paladin
227 posts
 
YES! I would finish it & ENJOY!
I think as long as you do not add a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom - the tax man has no say.
I live in NY (mid state) & finished my walk out basement 6 years ago & have not heard a knock on my door.
The difference between a finished basement & a unfinished basement is like night & day.
Sheet rock, suspended ceilings & floor coverings are just the beginning.
You will need outlets, switches, lighting, heating & will probably want dedicated lines for your rig.
You may want to re-think your flooring - I opted for cork flooring & could not be happier as it is soft, warm & will last for 20+ years.
sounds_real_audio
1,019 posts
 
Sounds like you live in the south where you may not need insulated walls. Even so I would not want to spend much time in a basement with concrete walls. Throw some wood studs on the walls and insulate and sheet rock texture and paint. Live a little.
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