Cheap option for flooring/walls - basement guest room

[elaine amj]

We've had some water damage in our basement guest room so we've had to pull everything out, including every scrap of flooring. To fix it, they are cutting up a chunk of the wood paneling on the walls. Since we're going through all this hassle, I told DH that we might as well update the room (the paneling is from the 70s/80s!). Unfortunately, we did not have enough extra laminate flooring panels to replace the damaged boards so will have to replace the flooring completely. The room is about 200 sq ft.

DH told me this morning that from what he understands, wood paneling is going to be cheaper than drywall. I'm rather horrified. I'm trying to UPDATE the room - and it is NOT returning to the 80s. Also, I reminded him how expensive and time consuming it was to paint the paneling (special $$ primer, multiple coats of paint, etc). Plus, we have to pay someone to do all this since DH is not able to be exposed to paint right now and I am terrible at painting and could not manage a whole room by myself (not a handy person sigh). We agreed to discuss this further so I am hoping from feedback from more experienced folks.

We're open to any type of flooring although I am very partial to laminate. the rest of our house is all laminate or hardwood now and it's been wonderful since we got rid of the wall to wall carpeting. SO much easier to keep clean with a broom and a mop (I haul out the vacuum only to clean the cars!).  The cheap laminate in our basement we installed 6-7 years ago is still holding up fine.

We are not looking for anything fancy - simple and basic suits our taste (and budget). I just want to get the room to an acceptable standard while DH is campaigning for wood paneling and linoleum. We don't use it much, mostly as a store room for junk and as a guest room several times a year. That said, we may possibly be looking at selling in the next few years so that is something I am considering. Keep in mind that our basement family room and the laundry room still has wood paneling (I have painted the family room and its acceptable) and we will not be updating either at present.

Any suggestions? We've done some price quotes and laminate flooring is going to cost approx $350-$450 (including underlay). Not including installation.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I'm about to put some big-ass vinyl stick tiles in an office we're getting finished out of a porch. Less expensive per square foot than engineered hardwood and much more water-resistant. I don't like "*-look" items so I just got "coal oxidized metal," it says on the box. You can also grout them if you like the look though I don't know why you would. When my wife was pregnant she and I re-floored a laundry room using stick tiles that was about 200 square feet. It took an afternoon.

[elaine amj]

Hmmm...maybe I should reconsider stick on vinyl tiles. We did that as a cheap update in a place we lived in a long time ago and last time I saw it (15 years later), it was still holding up fine. Not sure how stick on flooring would work in a damp basement though - and I suppose if I was going this route, we might as well consider linoleum again. Perhaps if we go cheaper with flooring, we can put the money towards the walls. I'm still shuddering at the thought of having wood paneling again.

[pbkmaine]

Painted wood paneling looks very cottage-y, if you like that style.

[Frankies Girl]

Do you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area? They might have flooring remnants enough to do 200 sq ft.

But if it is an area prone to damp, I'd probably go with something easy to replace like low pile peel and stick carpet tiles like Flor (or the cheaper ones available at most big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes). Those also might be available at some place like the ReStore if you have one of those around you.

There are some really trendy wood panelling (wainscoting) stuff out there now - I saw a nice white beadboard just doing a quick search that looks quite nice (New England-y/cottage like pbkmaine said) and it would look great if you did some crown molding too.

[elaine amj]

Do you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area? They might have flooring remnants enough to do 200 sq ft.

But if it is an area prone to damp, I'd probably go with something easy to replace like low pile peel and stick carpet tiles like Flor (or the cheaper ones available at most big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes). Those also might be available at some place like the ReStore if you have one of those around you.

There are some really trendy wood panelling (wainscoting) stuff out there now - I saw a nice white beadboard just doing a quick search that looks quite nice (New England-y/cottage like pbkmaine said) and it would look great if you did some crown molding too.

We do have a Habitat Restore and have shopped there (and donated stuff) in the past. Gave the DH the suggestion. He had already thought of it and called but they have nothing suitable for a room our size. I took a look at the carpet tiles (thanks!) but at $1-$1.50/sq ft, I'd sooner go with cheap laminate (about $1/sq ft) which I know and like. If at all possible, I want to avoid carpet as it is harder for me to keep clean. I don't find the laminate in our basement to be too cold. The advantage with carpet tiles is not needing tools to lay it. But DH and I truly horrendous with these types of projects (and cutting in a straight line) so we are hiring someone to do the flooring. I'm done with being penny wise and pound foolish on these types of projects. On the good side, he can fix a computer and is always on call to help our handy friends with their tech issues :)

The white beadboard suggested may be acceptable. With decent molding, I could go for a cottage look in that room. And FINALLY I have the excuse to push DH to fix the closet door on our pantry (which is in that room). That room also has a doorway to our laundry room. I have hung a cheap curtain there for years - considering adding some kind of "proper" door to it. Ugh...I keep finding more things to fix. This project can easily get out of hand....

[lthenderson]

DH told me this morning that from what he understands, wood paneling is going to be cheaper than drywall. I'm rather horrified.

Wood paneling depending on type, is $20 to $30 a sheet around here. For the same size sheet of drywall, it runs about $7. If you are counting labor, wood paneling is much cheaper to install and easier for a DIY project but I'm not sure that will make up the cost difference. Depends on the room size.

[dycker1978]

I would stick to the drywall myself...

As far as the flooring goes, check out your local good will/thrift store/restore.  People pull that stuff our all the time that is perfectly good.  The last stuff I bought was .25 a sq ft.  I did the install myself.

[HipGnosis]

I would do DensArmor or Matrix Basement panels for the bottom half of the wall and drywall the rest.

[sisto]

I would do the vinyl for the floor too due to the wet conditions. They have some nice stuff now even that looks like wood. As for the walls I would use some plain paneling for the lower half and you could add some molding detail to give it a very craftsman look. Then I would use chair rail and keep drywall on the top half or just keep the paneling style on all of it. It will look really good painted in warm colors.

[elaine amj]

Hmm...we're still considering and getting lots of quotes. Got some great feedback! Upon closer inspection, looks like we definitely need to redo the insulation. What's there are large panels of foam insulation from way back when and no vapor barrier. DH is still arguing that because we don't use the room much - what's the point of insulating it so well? I'm doing my best to convince him that it will save on heat. At this point, it looks like drywalling+insulation will cost us about $1500-$1700.

Been looking at paneling and seeing cost estimates of $250-$400 just for the paneling. We'd still have to pay for insulation and installation. I sent DH a couple of types of nice white beadboard paneling I'd be OK with.

As for flooring, very tempted to stick with laminate because we know and like it. DH is still hunting through Kijiji and we are hoping to get someone's leftovers for around 50 cents/sq ft (and buying new I know I can find basic stuff for around $1/sq ft). I know we will need to get the more expensive underlay because it is the basement. Priced it out and it will be $75. Peel and stick or vinyl rolls is about $0.79/sq ft but for that price, I'll go with laminate.

[Chris22]

I am redoing my wood-paneled basement in drywall.  One thing to consider, my original walls were framed with 2x2s because paneling is light so it doesn't need robust framing.  I am redoing everything in 2x4s to hold up the much heavier drywall. 

Something to consider/check on, to see if the walls in your basement are up to the weight of drywall.

[elaine amj]

Yes, we will definitely have to reframe the walls with 2x4s if we choose drywall. We r probably going to go with drywall for ease of painting, general updating, etc. I was eyeing PVC paneling but think we will end up with the more conventional drywall.


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[srob]

If you have 1x2's and wood paneling, another option is to remove the wood paneling and put up rigid foam insulation and drywall on top of that, which is what we did in the attached pics. You can leave the 1x2's in place and cut the foam to fit the spaces in between and then seal the gaps with foam from a can, or you can remove the 1x2's and cover the walls with larger sheets of foam board, putting new 1x2's over top of the foam and anchoring them to the concrete underneath. The foam has a moisture barrier on one side and glues to the concrete with special adhesive. If you want to leave the 1x2's in place, after putting up the foam insulation in between, you would put a new layer of horizontal 1x2's over top of the foam, to which you would attach the drywall.

Whatever you do, you want to make sure that no ongoing water seepage is occurring through the foundation. good luck!

As long as the 1x2's are well anchored to the concrete and you replace any damaged ones, they should be plenty strong to hold drywall, especially after putting a new layer of 1x2's horizontally on top of the existing ones. We used the green drywall--it is not much more expensive but nice to have in a basement since it is a little more moisture resistant.

[Trudie]

For the floor would you consider stained concrete?  When done, it looks like tile and would obviously stand up extremely well to moisture and cleans easily.

I vote for drywall, but also suggest a Habitat ReStore if you're worried about cost.  It probably never hurts to check Craigslist either.  You never know what odds and ends people have leftover from projects.

[Fishindude]

How about just strip up the existing flooring down to bare concrete and buy a carpet remnant to cover the majority of the floor in that room.   When it gets trashed out or dirty, just roll it up, throw it away and replace it with another.

[BudgetSlasher]

DH told me this morning that from what he understands, wood paneling is going to be cheaper than drywall. I'm rather horrified.

Wood paneling depending on type, is $20 to $30 a sheet around here. For the same size sheet of drywall, it runs about $7. If you are counting labor, wood paneling is much cheaper to install and easier for a DIY project but I'm not sure that will make up the cost difference. Depends on the room size.

Depending on the panels thy may be able to be installed with only fasteners and trim (pre finished), while drywall will still require mud, tape, the consumption of sandpaper, at least 2 coats of paint (primer/sealer and color coat), and associated consumable painting supplier (tray liners, roller covers, and so forth).

[Goldielocks]

How about just strip up the existing flooring down to bare concrete and buy a carpet remnant to cover the majority of the floor in that room.   When it gets trashed out or dirty, just roll it up, throw it away and replace it with another.

+1

I would paint the concrete too.

[elaine amj]

Thanks so much for all the awesome feedback (really appreciate the photo visual @srob!)

Because the room will be used as a guest bedroom, I did not feel stained concrete was the right choice. (Brr). Carpet remnant is cheap but I prefer not to go that route. I made DH promise me that we will completely finish this home reno project (we have a bad history of getting nearly to the end, freaking out about the budget, and leaving some final details unfinished - where it sits for years. I still need a new bathroom cabinet for the bathroom we remodeled 5-6 years ago).

After considering all the multiple options and pricing things out, we ended up choosing to go with conventional drywall. The drywall went up in one long day. Ended up drywalling the ceiling too - so much nicer than the awful drop ceiling we had before. Mudding and taping has started. Next up is sanding and then painting. Paint is purchased.

Like I said before, I am still surprised by how pricey linoleum/stick on vinyl is. I am pretty certain we will go with laminate. Still watching Kijiji in the hopes of scooping up someone else's remnant. We did pick up the underlay already and still have to purchase all the trim.

Glad the project is moving along! It will be nice to have a decently updated guest room.

I budgeted $5k incl the water damage repair and am hoping to finish up somewhere under $4000.


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