What can I do with unsightly concrete basement walls and pipes?
by
Beverly
+8
How can I improve the appearance of my concrete walls, concrete floor of my basement laundry area? The house is 55 yrs. old, and we have updated throughout, but not this area. We know it will be hard to sell (we are downsizing) with w/d in basement; however, we have no plans to move them to a floor with bedrooms. There are many wonderful wall cabinets for storage, but the concrete basement walls behind the w/d with water pipes, wiring, drain pipes, etc. are very unsightly. I do not want to spend a fortune (saving money for new house!), but the wall area really needs a facelift. What can I do myself with handy hubby's help? I don't plan to hire a contractor.
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Hi Beverly, what about just painting the concrete? Then you could paint the pipes the same color as the walls, so they blend in. That would hide the pipes a little bit.
You could paint the concrete floor a complimentary color but use a paint with some texture in it like this....
https://amzn.to/2QIDZb7
Go for the industrial chic look, just paint everything and call it a day. You may see it as an eyesore. I, on the other hand don't. I appreciate that they are out in the open and easy to maintain and service when necessary with a minimum of inconvenience. A 55 year old house, really isn't that old. And I bet the house will be easier to sell than you think if you have upgraded other areas of the home. To me a basement is where all the working "guts" of the house should be. You can always build a rolling screen or two to block what you feel is unsightly.
We painted ours it was an easy pleasing upgrade.
I redid a basement that sounds similar and paint is your best friend: https://bachelorettepadflip.com/2017/08/04/flip-4-friday-feature-the-basement/
Never paint basement walls ;
how about using fabric as a wallpaper
Hi Beverly, you can go for the industrial look and paint everything the same color, pipes, walls etc. It will give it a more uniform look too! Hope this link helps you outhttps://www.homestratosphere.com/make-exposed-pipes-chic/
Just make some fabric scenes. That way you can move them around when you want to. You can also make them the exact height you need.
I would start out by painting the walls and floors of the basement with concrete paint. It is easy to apply with a long roller. Here is how I updated my basement that was about the same age https://www.homeroad.net/2021/09/basement-makeover-ideas-on-budget.html#more