Basement ceiling needs finished! Been contemplating 10 years!...
Related Discussions
Vinyl plank flooring vs pergo (laminate)
I currently have stinky dirty carpeting in my living room and I want to replace it with a durable flooring that can stand up to dogs and kids.
How to remove popcorn ceiling that has been painted?
Does having a paint over a popcorn ceiling change how I'd remove the popcorn ceiling?
How to apply peel and stick wallpaper?
I want to spruce up my walls with peel-and-stick wallpaper. Has anyone used this before and can advise me as to how to apply it properly?
How to stain wood floor?
I've heard staining is a good technique for updating floors. So how do I stain my wood floor?
Paneling/flooring on a ceiling: Good or bad idea?
Has anyone used paneling or appropriate flooring on a ceiling? After a plumbing disaster upstairs, we had to remove our plaster and lathe dining room ceiling in our... See more
How to put up crown molding with a sloped ceiling?
I'd love to put crown molding up (after I paint the walls and the shelves above the fireplace, previous owners painted EVERYTHING the same yellowish cream color). But... See more
I had the same problem. Your ceiling looks just like mine did. I bought fabric and 10 packs and just tacked the fabric kind of droopy over the entire ceiling it was not hard took a little while but I’m a woman and I did it myself and a couple of days looks pretty now. It’s not 10 packs, it’s thumb tacks.
I’ve been tempted to staple a white tarp acrose my basement ceiling.....just to brighten the area up. Unfortunately there are vents from the duct work to deal with.
I think drywall is your best option for this type of ceiling. It will feel a little taller when it's all finished and painted. And the ductwork can be boxed in.
Our basement is recreation only and we did not want to finish any of the walls, floor or ceiling as permanent living space. We used 4' x 8' sheets of lattice, which we painted white to lighten the ceiling, and attached it to the floor joists. We wanted to use vinyl lattice but it was too expensive ($15 a sheet and we needed 30 sheets). If your duct work sticks out below the joists, you may have to use a block of wood to drop the lattice below the duct work. We had to drop ours 2", so we used a 2x2 and screwed through the lattice, through the 2x2 then into the joists. This way a sheet could be easily removed if needed to get to pipes or electrical. Hope this gives you ideas rather than expensive drop ceiling or drywall. Good luck.
Assuming you don’t have a damp problem, paint the beams black. Then get painters canvas tarp which you could cut and staple to the beams. To cover your insulation. it would make a decorative English cottage ceiling. Or modern urban - don’t cover the ductwork. That canvas is a substantial weight to hold its shape, but easy to cut. And reasonably priced.
Or there’s always bead board, which is reasonably priced, not terribly heavy and east to cut.
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/low-ceiling-basement/?lp=true
we had black insulation and pipes criss crossing the basement to go to upper radiators. We had white finished fake bead board put up. Really brightened things up.
Will send photo soon.cut around the lights.