Alternative to Owens Corning Basement Finishing System?

[dkn1997]

A family member just bought a house with a huge basement.  He wants to finish it.  We finished the basement at his last place together and he would like to avoid the sheetrock/spackle deal.  I like the idea of some type of wall system where you just attach it and join the pieces with a trim type strip.  He would like to stay away from panelling too.  We pland to frame it, drop ceiling, electric, ect..and I like the owens corning concept..problem is that I looked and you cannot just buy it, you have to pay someone to come do it and that's not part of the plan.

There has to be something similar out there that we can use for the walls.  space will be used as a kids and adult rec area. no bedrooms, no bathrooms.  has outside seperate entrance if that makes any difference. 


Lets hear the ideas guys.  and remember, no 70's panelling.  there has to be something we can screw or finish nail to the studs or even over sheetrock that looks decent. 

[BrianShaughnessy]

I looked into that stuff also and came up empty.   So my basement remains a mess.   Those contractors would jack that price thru the roof on that basement system.

On one hand there's new yellow drywall that's supposedly mildew proof even moreso than the old blue board.  It was about $13 a sheet last I looked... probably more now.   I hate doing drywall... not so much nailing it but tape and mud suck IMHO.

I was looking at some exterior pressed sheeting that looked like old barn siding at HD once.   It was vertical 4x8 sheet with a tongue and groove fit.   It'd look kinda cool if stained properly.  That was about $20 per.   It could probably be removed easily enough to gain access if necessary. 

[Old Moparz]

I saw that Owens Corning system at a home show last year & thought it was an excellent concept until I found out you can't buy it & DIY. A coworker got a quote that was so high, I actually laughed. He said the cost estimate to finish his basement came in at around $55,000.00 complete. 

I don't care how good the contractor is, & how great that system is, but you can't tell me it's worth anywhere near that amount.   

My wife & I considered finishing part of our basement, but it's damp & sometimes in the spring we get some water seeping in. Unless your basement is bone dry, any type of material you use will become a candidate for moisture damage. I don't have any ideas on a different method, but whatever you do don't skimp on water or damp proofing the walls & floors.

[2Gunz]

You need a concrete sealer and a dehumidifier.

My father has a full basement and its pretty nice down there.

It has concrete sealer on the outside of the blocks.

As in painted on before the dirt was put around it.

I looked real fast and it appears you can also seal it from the inside.

Heres a link with a little bit of info.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/basementremodels2

I would seal it from the inside.

And deal with any outside drainage issues.

Get a dehumidifier then wait a couple weeks and see how it feels.

[derailed]

Before I would do anything I would evaluate the condition of the foundation just to be safe. I just went through a huge ordeal with mine and had to replace 2 walls under my house for a total of $25k. I took it in the ass a bit there because one of them collapsed unexpectadly last winter and the contractor had me on the spot. The block wall was decayed from the outisde on the bottom and there wasnt any signs of a problem on the inside. I was looking into finishing off mine and didnt find any cheap alternatives to the owens system either. The densarmor paperless mold resistant sheetrock sold at lowes and home depot is good, it may be what Brian is talking about. I used it in one of my bathrooms and its easy to work with. Like 2 Gunz said, make sure you have good drainage and fix any issues if there is any. if its an older house it may be worth the extra expense to reseal the walls. When I replaced mine I used this plastic "dimpleboard" stuff on the outside which helps the water fall to the drainage tile below the wall instead of causing hydrostatic pressure. It comes in a big roll. You attach it to the wall with a ramset. It may be a little overkill but when you wake up to this you tend to get a little paranoid!!

[dkn1997]

bone dry basement. poured concrete. house only about 8 years old.  I think I will cruise the lowes/home depot.  I have seen that rough bead board barn stuff and I agree that it could look nice. plus it's go some substance to it so sheetrocking under it would not be necessary.  I would die before I had anyone finish a basement for me.  it's one of the few projects you can take your time on even with a busy schedule because you are not currentlly living in it.  I did the basement at his last place.  I just framed, insulated, and sheetrocked.  I made a hole in the bottom of a wall big enough to slide a dehumidfier in and trimmed it out in molding.  when it was done, the front of the dehumid was flush with the finished wall.  I then drilled out the bottom of the condensate collection tray and ran a hose from that to a condensate pump already in use for the a/c system, worked perfect and no smell or moisture ever there.