DIY Ideas for Finishing Your Basement

An unfinished basement can feel cold, dreary, and sometimes even creepy. However, that unfinished basement is a blank canvas that you can transform into whatever you need it to be. You do not need to worry about hiring professionals to finish your basement; there are plenty of DIY projects you can complete for finishing your basement in no time. In this article, we will look at some excellent DIY projects you can complete for finishing your basement.

String Up Lighting

Most unfinished basements have just a few naked lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, which makes the rooms feel even more cold and dreary. Instead of trying to DIY the electrical wiring yourself, you can get some beautiful string lights to hang throughout the room, brightening up the place without having to rewire to accommodate new lights.

Hang Up Curtains

If you want an easy and affordable way to divide up the basement that does not include walls, you can easily hang up some curtains to divide up the room. There are plenty of unique looking curtains out there, so you can find something that meets your needs and looks beautiful.

Hide the Mechanicals

When your basement is not finished, it probably has the furnace, water heater, and electrical panel exposed. As part of finishing your basement, you need to hide these things. The best way to do that is to build a little utility closet around the furnace and water heater to conceal them. You can also make this closet bigger so you can use it for storage too.

Install Faux Stone

Whether you want a more rustic-looking basement or something a little more comfortable and natural, faux stone is an excellent option for finishing the basement. You can cover all of your basement walls in it or only cover half the wall for wainscoting. It also works beautifully as an accent wall, or it can be added to your basement bar to give it a beautiful stone look. Faux stone is also more affordable than natural stone, and it can be DIY installed with ease, making it a perfect addition to your finished basement.

Add Area Rugs

If you do not want to replace the concrete flooring your basement currently has, you still need to warm up that floor in some way. That is where area rugs come in. You can get one big rug or a few small rugs to put in the space to break it up, but these will help make the basement seem warm and inviting.

Customize the Staircase

The stairs to a basement are often lacking in personality and character, and sometimes they are quite steep. Customizing the basement staircase and making it a thing of beauty is an excellent DIY project for finishing your basement. You can add a runner or some carpet to the stairs, giving it a little pop of color. You can paint the stair risers and install a new banister that stands out.

Install Electrical Outlets

No matter what you plan to do with your finished basement, while you work on finishing it, it is a good idea to add some more electrical outlets. Most basements are lacking in outlets, and you do not want extension cords running all over the room, creating trip hazards and eyesores.

Paint the Walls

It is quite common for a basement to have concrete or cinder block walls, which are pretty ugly. If you are not changing the walls themselves, make sure you paint them so they are no longer an eyesore. Have fun with it; pick colors that are bold and wild, or turn the walls into a chalkboard and let your kids go nuts.

If you are not finishing your exposed ceiling, paint it a dark color to cover up the blemishes and make it beautiful. This can be physically taxing since it is a ceiling, but the results are rewarding.

Add Storage Space

Basements are often magnets for clutter, absorbing all of the random items that do not fit anywhere else in your home. When finishing the basement, you need to include some storage options to accommodate that. You can install shelving for some of the smaller items you like to store down there. You can also add some shelves underneath the stairs or turn the area under the stairs into a little storage closet. As you work on finishing the basement, watch for areas that are not going to be used, and add some storage to those areas. If there is not a ton of space, you can always install sliding doors in the storage areas in the basement since those will take up less space.

Paint the Floor

If you are leaving the concrete basement floor as it is and are just adding some area rugs, you can repaint the floor itself to go well with the rest of your basement’s look. It is an easy DIY project that can add a beautiful complement or contrast the rest of the décor and design in the room.

Under the Stairs Book Nook

If you are not using the area under the stairs of the basement for storage space, it can be easily built into the space. You only need to build a little bench seat under it, paint the wall and the seat, and add some cushions to it. If there is enough space, you can also add a little shelf where you can put your book and a drink.