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lovelycherry

My basement...

lovelycherry
16 years ago

Rather then put up a drop ceiling we are painting the floor joist flat black (basement ceiling). The ceiling is about 7 feet high.

Here is the start of the project

I did get a price on having the area painted a local guy said $250 with materials and two coats which I don't think it will need. It was $175 per day to rent a sprayer from Home depot plus the paint, so the painter was a good price.

I chose to paint it by hand( with my son), I would rather put the money into things I can't do.

Comments (12)

  • lovelycherry
    Original Author
    16 years ago

  • worthy
    16 years ago

    Dark colours bring the surface closer to the viewer. Which I wouldn't do in a basement with a relatively low ceiling. At least, try painting the subfloor white.

    Otherwise, the loft look can look fine.

  • lovelycherry
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Basement ceiling is 7 feet high, not a low ceiling by any means.
    The black will fade into the background and will become less noticable not more. Have you seen how they paint industrial buildings, or restaurants? Black ceilings to conceal flaws and pipes.
    I did paint some white and it drew your eyes to it rather then concealing it, and needed two coats.
    Once the lights are installed below the joists you will not see the ceiling at all.
    Cherry

  • justmee_2006
    16 years ago

    Cherry, what will you do about the noise from the basement seeping through the floors? I have 9' ceiling in the basement and plan to leave open as you have described. But just wondered what I can use for noise barrier. What type of lights? I like the spot lights mixed with recessed. I hope to have the floor in the basement stamped and colored and use rugs easier to manage in case of a flood.

  • worthy
    16 years ago

    Have you seen how they paint industrial buildings, or restaurants?

    Have you seen the ceiling height in restaurants and industrial buildings? Certainly not a paltry 7 feet. Our basement is 8' and is considered unsatisfactorily low by neighbourhood standards.

    But it's your taste and you're entitled to it.

  • homebound
    16 years ago

    I'd recommend white for low ceilings. They don't draw attention once you have the room furnished again. Black looms when the ceiling is low, imho.

  • lovelycherry
    Original Author
    16 years ago


    When we were deciding to do this we searched for photos of others who had done this as a LOW COST solution to the basement ceiling.
    Anyone who had was very pleased with the effect it had on the basement.
    Hope others feel inspired to try this.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Black basement ceiling link

  • jasper60103
    16 years ago

    Lovelycherry,
    I think the black looks fine.

    Also, heres a guy who did a DIY basement and painted his ceiling dark blue.
    I think that looks cool too.

    Check out the link. It may be some more low cost ideas in there.

    -jasper

    Here is a link that might be useful: Brian and Louisa's DIY Basement Project

  • jasper60103
    16 years ago

    Also, be sure to check out the August, September, and October archives. There are a fair amount of pics in there, especially August.

    -jasper

  • lovelycherry
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    thanks for the link.. and the encouragement.
    I hope to post pics as I go along.
    cherry

  • amy_d-r
    16 years ago

    Art 101: Dark colors recede, and light colors advance. I don't know how people got brainwashed into thinking the opposite. In a room full of natural light, white walls and ceilings make it look huge as all that light gets bounced all over the place. At night, or in a room that doesn't get as much light, white walls can really close a space in because they make you more aware of its boundaries. At night, a white ceiling will catch light and reflect it back down, bringing the ceiling lower. A black ceiling will absorb the light and create a "night sky" effect. But because it's absorbing so much light, you have to compensate and your lighting scheme is crucial. I think maybe people who associate dark ceilings with feeling closed in have been in rooms that were too dark or had a poor lighting scheme (like one ceiling fixture in the center of the room).

    Anyways, enough of that rant, your basement is going to look great--and maybe you'll be able to splurge on some great wall sconces with all the money you've saved painting the joists yourself. I look forward to more pics.

    -Amy

  • imgoingraw_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    I know this topic is a century old, but if I stumbled across it, then others will, too. Just wanted to point out that you really have to go far beyond art 101 in order to understand color theory.

    http://home.flash.net/~cameron/japanese_painting/shikishi_tanzaku/chikuu_landscape.jpg

    Check out this painting. There are visual cues that signify depth, like overlapping and line weight, but you'll notice that light shades recede and dark advances -- the darkest things in the painting are the closest thing you perceive. In fact, when painting scenery, people are generally taught that things get lighter and bluer as it recedes into the distance due to atmospheric perspective.

    http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2005-10/whelan_450.jpg

    See how the darkest thing is the closest?

    But it's way more complicated that that when you start dealing with warm and cool shades. Cool tends to recede (hence why things get bluer -- ie cooler -- as the distance increases) but that totally depends on the quality of light and the other colors present, vibrancy and all that jazz.

    That is all.