So How Did You Finish Your Basement?

I didn't do anything (except put new carpet down). Let the previous owner's take care of the big stuff!

Joe- Probably not going to get away from conventional framing and drywall. You are going to need walls that are structural to attach layout tables and scenery to. I prefer acoustic tile ceilings in basements (metal track and 2X2 tiles), but that comes from years as an electrician and needing to run wires across basements. Look at what's up in the floor joists (pipes, ducts, wires, etc) and decide if some areas can be sheetrocked. It's a little bit cheaper and you don't loose head room like you will with a drop ceiling.

Owens- Corning has a neat basement wall system but I don't think it provides much structural support.

Lighting is wide open- I like hi-hats for general lighting . Lot's of nice LED stuff on the market now, some with smart phone apps for dimming. Many guys use track lighting for the layout. Gives you flexibility to light areas of the layout as you see fit.

Then again if you are going to build another awesome train room like you had in the old house then a totally retro look with wood paneling and a tile floor would look cool.

Good Luck! Bob

Studs and drywall including the ceiling.  Baseboard heat.  Proper trim.  Track lights.  Wall to wall carpeting.  If you plan on spending a bunch of time there, you want it to be dry and comfortable!

Jon  

Do not go with the Owens-Corning system. While I think it is an innovative idea it is brutally expensive and can only be installed by licensed Owens-Corning contractor. They quoted me $77K to do my basement. Regular construction would have been $20K. Now that I said this I am sure someone will disagree with me. All opinion. 

Hi Joe, to save some money I framed my basement walls with 2x2's just to have something to hang the sheet rock to. I used 2" insulation foam boards between the studs! Put in a small pellet stove, a bar, pool table. One thing I wish I would have done different was carpet and not tile. Tile leaves a cold floor!

Joe,

   I recommend having lots of Electrical Plugs more than you think you are going to need, at least 3 or 4 on every main wall on different circuits if you can.  I love my recessed LED lighting, spaced as you most like it.  I also love having my big Bar in the Train Room, will build a Donavan's Reef type Tin Plate layout on it, and use the 12' long Bar under structure as a big Tunnel for my Trains to pass thru.  The walls in my Train Room/Bar are all old solid 3/4 paneling over original plaster walls, old style construction with 6' spaced uprights.  I can hang just about any thing on them.  I have solid wood flooring in my Train Room to run wheels on, and run the shop Vac over after building, cleans up like a dream.  If you can put a big Fire Place in your Train Room, a Gas one or a real one, I use mine a lot already, really adds to the Train Room Christmas effect big time.  If possible put your main Electrical Breaker Box in your Train room, with room for lots of extra Breakers for expanding your Train room layouts.  

That should get you started Joe!

PCRR/Dave

Definitely build a nice over head ceiling layout around the complete Train Room before you start building on the floor level.

Test running the new 072 ceiling FT layout with a Scale TMCC,  JLC , GG-1 Consist.

As long as your basement is dry use a high quality berber carpet and pad.Easy on the feet and it will make the room quiet.Nick

We did a big basement job about 10 years ago. Four things off the top of my head that all relate to comfort and convenience:

 -Wall-to-wall carpeting throughout

- A full bath

-Wiring drops for tv, cable, computer, audio

-Installed one of those cast iron gas stoves with easy-on electric start. Takes any chill away in minutes

Basement is comfortable and stays warm even in the dead of winter. Great for running trains!

Finish it like you would the upstairs in your home.  Insulate the walls with vapor barrier, drywall with wood trim, carpet with thick pad for comfort.  Wall outlets every 6 feet as per code, fluorescent ceiling lights.  Outlets for heating and air conditioning.   A bathroom and your good to go.

Art

You pretty much covered it Art!

I know its going to be a train room, but don't forget the BAR! LOL

Depends on what you are planning to do with it and how much you have to spend.  Someone asked me to describe my basement, and I said it was semi finished, it has a laundry room in it, and the rest of it is storage with my (someday) to be train layout and a small work table, so I wasn't looking for fancy. My basement also has a low ceiling, so a drop ceiling would be impossible. Here is what I did:

1)I put up studs (wood) with sheetrock, and covered it with tongue and groove beadboard panels from home depot (wood), then stained and sealed it. I used the same material on the overhead studs, used small screws to hold them on the studs, stained the ceiling pickled white. I also insulated under the sheetrock, with foam board insulation backing fiberglass (to stop condensation, the studs are on the wall).  Didn't spend a lot doing this. 

2)I agree totally with the electrical, wire as many outlets as possible and multiple circuits, will make wiring the layout a lot easier. Also, make sure to have sufficient lighting.

3)If the basement is really below grade, it can be humid, would recommend either a good dehumidifier or some sort of abatement system, air to air exchanger or the like. 

4)In terms of heat, having auxiliary heat there is probably a good idea. If you can hook up a heating zone to it with its own thermostat that might work, or some sort of way of heating it. Though insulated, my basement is about 60 degrees in the winter, and likely will require auxiliary heating for the time I spend there (it is small enough, might use a portable AC unit that has heat as well). 

For now I am going to paint the basement floor using drylok concrete paint, and see how that goes. If it is hard on my feet, I might put down rubber matting in the areas around the layout, to be easier on the feet. 

The thing about basements is in many places if you finish it they end up hitting you with larger taxes without really getting much benefit out of it (finished basements don't do much for the resale value of a home), especially if you have things like bathrooms on that level or sinks and such, they consider it extended living space even if you can't sell it as such (square footage by law, at least here in NJ, doesn't allow you to count the basement in the square footage). Keeping it as a work space IME doesn't get you the tax hit.  

Joe,

A very important, if not the most important part to finishing a basement is to make sure you have a good vapor / moisture barrier. Even if your basement is dry, you still need a good vapor barrier on the walls and floor to keep moisture from coming through the concrete and causing mold. When we finished our basement, we used Dricore floor tiles. They provide a vapor barrier as well as a small air space between the concrete and the finished floor, which helps keep the floor warmer than if you install the carpet right on the concrete. They're easy to install, and in the long run, well worth the money when you consider what you get. Once they are down, you can put just about any type of flooring material on top of them. Dricore has other products now that they didn't have when we built our train room, such as wall panels designed specifically for basements. For our walls, we used 2x4 studs, Roxul insulation, heavy plastic for the vapor barrier, and sheetrock. We also used sheetrock for the ceiling, and before any work was done, I took lots of pictures of the area to be finished in case I ever need to locate anything covered by the sheetrock. For climate control, a heat pump does a great job, uses very little energy and takes up little space.  It also works as an air conditioner in the summer months, although you may still need to run a dehumidifier as well. 

www.dricore.com 

www.roxul.com 

Hope this helps. Good luck with the project!

John

You've gotten great advice above. I'm just chiming in to confirm construction choices tha I made a few years back and will do again next year on a new project  

• permaseal all cracks, vapor barrier the walls

• insulate the walls and ceiling

• I prefer using a drywall ceiling with can lights on dimmers to retain as much head room as possible, it also makes the space much brighter and feel less basement like, don't worry about accessing pipes or wiring in the ceiling-drywall is so cheap that for the occasional issue I feel it's worth the minor hassle of cutting and patching  

• do not skimp on padding and carpet  the thicker padding pays your back back over and over. The only issue is when you have to replace the carpet which usually requires the train tables be moved or taken down  ouch!! 

• set up a couple of dehumidifiers and start running the trains!!!

Enjoy the project. 

I would consider using metal studs with moisture resistant 5/8" drywall.  Using metal studs has advantages over wood.  There are no twisted studs, every stud is usable.  Running wires is easy.  If you insulate, the insulation has no gaps, where a wood stud creates an inch and a half gap.    If the basement tends to be on the cold side in winter, by all means insulate between the studs.  

I would caution about using a vapor barrier.  There are schools of thought either way, with or without one.  When you set down the bottom plate of your wall framing, set it above the floor a half inch.  You can use any type of non wood material to use below the bottom plate.  

I'm not a big fan of acoustical ceilings, but you may not have a choice if you have too much mechanical stuff up there, like pipes, valves, junction boxes, etc.  But handled correctly a drywall ceiling can give you access to those areas where you have a constant need to access valves and so forth.  

If you are absolutely sure your basement does not get any water and the concrete floor is bone dry, carpet is a good sound absorber and easy on your feet.  Otherwise you must use one of those systems that is made to install on concrete and allow moisture to gather underneath without damaging the material above.  Then whatever finished floor you want can be installed on top of this system.  

The whole point is not to trap moisture anywhere where it can't escape.

Our basement was finished before we bought it in 1995. Was finished sometime in the 70s. Fake wood paneling and recessed lighting...everywhere! Thats fine because it goes with my 1970s stereo system.

Lots of shelves.

Great advice from everyone and can't add much.

My only suggestion would be to caution against using any sort of  bead board, knotty pine, tongue 'n groove or other wall paneling that has grooves in it, if you plan on using a backdrop. The grooves will distort the image, so you're better off using a flat wall system, like sheetrock.  

If you do use or have grooved wall paneling, you can hang masonite to the height of the backdrop and to attach the backdrop to it, but it's just more work.  

Dan, you have some good points, but if you do your research you will see that a 2x4 provides better insulation than any metal stud! If you look around you can find photo of heat lose threw 2x4's!

jim sutter posted:

Lots of shelves.

Now there's a basement that brings back many good memories and left behind several greenbacks. 

I framed mine out with 2x4 studs and hung drywall. Luckily the builders had already hung drywall on the ceiling due to fire code in my township, all I had to do was frame around the beams and duct work and mud the joints. 

Due to my lack of drywalling skills I added 1/4 ply in 8 inch strips to make a fo-shiplap appearance. This covered the not so perfect drywall and made my wife happy (thanks HGTv). I put in track lighting around where the layout would be and recessed cans above the "living" area. To be honest I skimped on electrical outlets to save money, I only added 5 and could have probably gone with 20. 

I then put in wall to wall carpeting to help with sound and give the space a warmer feel. All in all I am very happy. It's not perfect, but it's a basement and added about 1,100 sq ft of living space to my house. I did the math and saved thousands by doing it myself, so that makes me feel good too!

Nice room Chris!

 My walls were insulated by the builder. I wasn’t in love with it, but I left it. 12 years in, no problems. I used Pergo laminate flooring with the attached underpayment, and I spread a vapor barrier below it. Carpet would be nicer, but I had two smalls sons then, and now as teenagers, they’re even messier. The floor looks good, was easy to install, and needs no maintenance.

 For my framing, I used metal studs for most of it. I never used them before, they definitely made for easy work. However, I included 3 built in display cases, with sliding glass doors. They are made from melamine, so I framed those walls with 2x4s to handle the weight.

  I used recessed floodlights. Don’t do that. OK now, but while up on the platform building my layout, I felt like fried chicken under the lamps at the store.

 Finally, I used 12x12 ceiling tiles that interlock. Easy to install and they look great. Then you need to get behind them for something, and you’re screwed. Don’t use them, either.

 I’ve learned a few lessons since then, but I still love my basement.

Agree with most of what the guys say.  Hesitate to disagree with Chugman, who is, of course, THE Man:

1.)  You gotta have a bar.

2.)  Since you have a bar, you're gonna need a bathroom.

3.)  Don't like carpet on the floor with the poker guys drinking, playing cards, watching the ballgame, and watching the trains-often simultaneously.  Tile is the way to go, IMO.   Its a lot easier to clean when they spill, and you won't have to replace it every few years.  A living room area, with carpet and couches, big screen TV, is the ideal.  If you have the space, it's a lot more comfortable to watch all those ballgames.

4.)  Don't like florescent.  (Sorry, Chugman)  Potentially noisy, and too harsh.  With the advent of LED light bulbs, put in regular ceiling fixtures, utilizing warmer, energy saving LED bulbs.

5.)  The more 110 power boxes you have, the more flexibility you have.

6.)  Pool table is a great option if you have the space.  Games too.  On the left is an original sit down table Pac-Man machine.  Guys like it, wives adore the thing....

7.)  The more you can fit, the more you should.  The bowling machine is 50+ years old.  The Slugfest baseball game is great, not sure how old.  Both run like champs.  Great stuff for New Years parties.  BTW, you gotta have a guy near you, so he can come to the house in case you need service.  Rarely, but every 10 years or so. 

8.)  Run a dehumidifier, spring, summer, and fall.

9.)  Double-track your overhead train.  Two trains (I run four) are better than one.  Use command control, DCS or Legacy, and run your trains from your bar with the remote.

10.)  Light up your bar/trainroom as much as you can.  Use as many effects as you can.  Install a great sound system.  That bar center fabric covers a large speaker, one of 7 around the room.  50 years old and they all sound great.

Hope this gives you some ideas.  I'm a retired teacher, hardly wealthy.  My father built this entire basement himself.  He started with bare concrete.  He built the walls, ceiling, floor, bar, electric, speaker system, rooms, etc.  All the trains, fixtures, pics, lights, electronic games, are what I added to what was here when we moved in.

All your plans will need to be adjusted as you go.  Best money saving tip?  Go to Lowes and Home Depot and do it yourself.  It may even take a few years, but, that's half the fun.

Your guys will love it.

Best regards,

Jerry

I live in Florida, what is a basement?

Great looking Basement Jerry! Would love to have something like that, maybe in my next life LOL!

HHTRAINS, sometimes its used to hide from the wife! LOL

hhtrains posted:

I live in Florida, what is a basement?

Our Florida home didn't have one either, so we moved to Atlanta.  Problem solved.  Also gained change of seasons.

Art

A couple of things:

Given the dangers of water in any basement, I tried to take precautions.

I had my water heater ‘lifted’ on blocks and sitting in an aluminum pan that, if there is a leak, will then drain into a large bucket with a sump in it. The sump will spit out the leak to the backyard.

Also painted the outside walls with Drylok water-sealing paint.

Find as many uses for Flex-Seal as possible. In spite of the goofy guy in the door-screen boat bottom TV spot, it really is a good product for keeping out water. 

I used moisture-resistant drywall (worth a few more dollars).

Wood studs were fine. Insulated outside walls, even though it is a below-grade basement.

I used Pergo flooring (4 years ago) but would now consider the newer vinyl flooring on the market. Almost a ‘must’ to make sure the floor is perfectly level with any hard-ish surface. I paid Home Depot a few hundred dollars to take that added step.

I used vinyl ceiling tiles (2’ x 2’) in a dropped ceiling. Something like this:   https://www.udecor.com/Stratfo...ePjbRe1TFtfzjaDr4Lp-

Track lighting follows the shape of the layout tables with several rotating lamps which allows for highlighting certain scenes on your layout. Use a dimmer switch to change the effects.

In the center of the layout portion of the room (there is also a ‘family room’ section) I installed a combination ceiling light/exhaust fan which runs to help rid the room of excess smoke. The fan is attached to several feet of PVC which is vented to the backyard.

You didn't say if house is new, if basement is a walk-out, etc.  If a new house, I wouldn't finish the basement until after several heavy rainfalls and maybe snow falls, just to make sure no leaks or dampness.  If basement is a walk-out, so that outside walls are above ground, I would use 2x4 studs, accepting the loss of space, to get 3-1/2" insulation in walls.  I would not insulate within a few inches of any water pipes, so inside heat can keep them from freezing.  I would place receptacles every 4' apart, use 12-gauge wire, and have a GFI receptacle at the upstream receptacle on the line.  My train room has 3 breakers feeding the receptacles; it's a large room.  The ceiling lights are par 30 floodlights, on 15-amp circuits separate from any receptacles.  Originally incandescent, I switched to LEDs last year.

My existing furnaces were adequate, so I just ran ducts from it to heat & cool the basement.

I used wallboard for ceilings and walls.  I did contract this out.  Wallboard work is tough.  I did 2 basements this way for me, and 4 basements for my sons.

Joe,

I finished my basement with a friend with having a layout in mind but ALSO with value in mind. It MUST be DRY !

1) Design a living space, NOT just a train room. Is there plumbing? Can you stud out a bathroom? A work area? A play area? Keep it OPEN (not the bathroom !)

2) Design the electric service with a layout in mind and build to code. 

3) If it is without a CO, try to get one in accordance with code.

4) Plan your lighting ahead ! I use track lighting with dimmers.

5) Wire the room for sound and create an area for electronics. Include plenty of wall mounted speakers.

6) Plan exhaust fans !

7) Make sure heating/cooling is planned

8) Make access as easy as possible. 

9) Plan smoke/CO2 detectors where they are easily accessible. NOT over the layout directly.

10) Use good materials ! Sheetrock/paint/tile

11) Get started

Eliot

Me gottem celler.  Hung buncha boxes up between joists.  Paintem sinder block wall.  Heep big wampum saved for rainy day.

In my younger days I did the nicely finished basement thing like shown above but am not sure how much use an old turkey like me would get from it.

I look at the larger financial picture of percentage of dollar return per dollar spent in a sale event.   My cave is comfortable, winter warm, summer cool,  42/45% humidity,  no water leaks,  1.2 Pec. Radon, accessible mechanicals, very well illuminated,  Tankless water heater in a corner out of the way.  Tee shaped 2k sq ft.  8' ceiling,  with a center stairway leaving all walls clear for an around the wall layout.  Not shared with any other household function.   It took a long time to find this home/train room.

Remember, If I made it too nice there would be a potential land grab!!  That is exactly what happened in my last man cave!!

The house is not new construction. The back of the house has a walkout basement, while the front is completely below grade. The basement already has a bathroom and workshop.

Joe,

   I definitely like Jim's idea of lots of shelves for your trains, especially like the one's he has in his pictures.

For you guys living with no basements, I used my big Garage in Slidell, La as my Train Room, it worked out real well!

PCRR/Dave

Alentown posted:

A couple of things:

Find as many uses for Flex-Seal as possible. In spite of the goofy guy in the door-screen boat bottom TV spot, it really is a good product for keeping out water. 

 

 I grew up with that goofy guy, in Cherry Hill, NJ. Phil was a hustler then, and he is a hustler now. Hasn't changed a bit. He was also a heck of a drummer. 

Cmontagna posted:

I framed mine out with 2x4 studs and hung drywall. Luckily the builders had already hung drywall on the ceiling due to fire code in my township, all I had to do was frame around the beams and duct work and mud the joints. 

Due to my lack of drywalling skills I added 1/4 ply in 8 inch strips to make a fo-shiplap appearance. This covered the not so perfect drywall and made my wife happy (thanks HGTv). I put in track lighting around where the layout would be and recessed cans above the "living" area. To be honest I skimped on electrical outlets to save money, I only added 5 and could have probably gone with 20. 

I then put in wall to wall carpeting to help with sound and give the space a warmer feel. All in all I am very happy. It's not perfect, but it's a basement and added about 1,100 sq ft of living space to my house. I did the math and saved thousands by doing it myself, so that makes me feel good too!

 

BUT WHERE ARE THE TRAINS?????

RSJB18 posted:

Cmontagna posted:

I framed mine out with 2x4 studs and hung drywall. Luckily the builders had already hung drywall on the ceiling due to fire code in my township, all I had to do was frame around the beams and duct work and mud the joints. 

Due to my lack of drywalling skills I added 1/4 ply in 8 inch strips to make a fo-shiplap appearance. This covered the not so perfect drywall and made my wife happy (thanks HGTv). I put in track lighting around where the layout would be and recessed cans above the "living" area. To be honest I skimped on electrical outlets to save money, I only added 5 and could have probably gone with 20. 

I then put in wall to wall carpeting to help with sound and give the space a warmer feel. All in all I am very happy. It's not perfect, but it's a basement and added about 1,100 sq ft of living space to my house. I did the math and saved thousands by doing it myself, so that makes me feel good too!

 

BUT WHERE ARE THE TRAINS?????

Working in it! Check out my thread in the layout construction forum “Pennsylvania and Pacific RR Cknstruction”

I took the shortcut and bought the house with the basement already finished.

hhtrains posted:

I live in Florida, what is a basement?

It's what cement slabs want to grow downward to be.

It was either adopt a baby or finish the basement  

I had previously installed an active anti-radon gas system with the added benefit that it made the basement pretty dry and sealed the rock filled crawlspace that provided ready-made permanent benchwork roughly 29 ft by 14 ft. So I painted all the walls and floor, hung blue banquet-tablecloth in front of the walls showing the pink fiber insulation, covered the crawlspace top with indoor/outdoor carpet and got to work planning a layout!

Many layout schemes later, that baby is now 15 and we'll probably move before finishing anything...