What Can You Use for Basement Drywall

By Ansel Steinhaus


If you are intent on remodeling your basement for the better, taking care of the basement drywall is one of the first things you should mind about. Basement drywall is used to give a finishing look at the interior walls and ceilings. Taking care of this part of the basement is important for both aesthetics and comfort level inside the basement.

Drywall is normally created up of gypsum paper. It is a panel that's inserted between two thick sheets of paper: generally brown paper on its back and soft paper on its front. Drywalls are often in light gray color and are sold in pairs, obtainable in 1/2 and 5/8 inch thickness. The 1/2 inch kind is preferred for walls, while the 5/8 inch is for ceilings.

Drywall's other primary purpose is to control moisture and stop molds from growing in the basement. But a careful inspection of the plumbing and leaks inside the basement should be carried out firsthand to stop damaging the drywall.

Adding Drywall

Drywall is ready by numerous households compared to other wall materials. For one, it's simpler to install compared to plaster-based interior finishing. Drywall demands only hand finishing along its joints and fasteners (thus, the term "drywall" due to its speedy method to put up).

There are two ways to install a drywall: horizontally and vertically. The main consideration as to installing drywall is to lessen the amount of "joints" as much as possible. A joint is defined as the meeting point between two drywall sheets. Professional installers prefer to use 12 to 16 foot sheets to truly minimize the number of sheets. Using long sheets require at least two persons doing the job, unless you have specialized equipment for it.

Using a compound known as "mud," the joints could be smoothened out. There is a sort of art involved in smoothing out utilizing the mud compound so be sure to do it properly. When mounting the basement walls, put a minimum of 0.five inch clearance between the floor and the drywall. This would be to prevent the basement drywall from soaking water like a sponge when there's sudden flow of water on the flooring.

Does it Truly Eliminate Moisture and Molds?

However, there have been various complaints concerning the paper drywall becoming vulnerable to moisture and mold growth. Because of its paper and cellulose materials, drywall can be a source of food for the molds particularly when you will find plumbing leaks and floods. As an option, fiberglass drywall is becoming used by many people. You will find other plastic supplies also for basement walls that are purportedly 100% water-proof and mold-resistant even if there is a leak.

Another option to stop leaks and wall harm within the basement would be to install a sump. A sump is basically a hole within the basement floor which contains a pump. As the water level within the sump reaches critical level, a pump discharges the water outside the home. This equipment can prove to be useful as it usually takes time to notice leaks underneath the basement walls.

Setting up basement drywall can provide your basement having a balanced look and smooth finish. But if it's installed haphazardly, it can totally ruin your goal of having a remodeled basement with sense of warmth and comfort.




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