# Drywall vs. drop ceiling for basement



## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

drywall:

cheaper (if DIY)
look nicer

drop ceiling:

more expensive
less labour
flessibility in the future when need to fix/add stuff...


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## warnerww (Apr 9, 2007)

Drop ceilings are great in a basement if you need to get to stuff. I don't like them though. I think they are a pain to install. If you finish your basement right you should not need to get to stuff anyway. Sheetrock is cheaper and easier and cleaner looking ( in my opinion).


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

We recommend drywall ceilings in basements as long as there are no serious accessability issues. 

The reason being is ....simply, they look nicer. 

A dropped ceiling in a basement, no matter how nice it looks, will still always remind you that...........you are still in a basement.


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## DIY4EVER (Apr 10, 2007)

Thanks for all the info! Being on a budget I was leaning towards drywall, but had concerns regarding accessibility as you have said.

Knowing that my house is only 2 years old, and they were thoughtful enough to run all the water lines, gas line, and drain lines parallel and very close to the main trunk line of the HVAC, I think drywall is the way to go. I will be building a soffit around the HVAC duct anyway and I will simply make it big enough to enclose the other mechanicals. Would it be feasible to maybe incorporate a "hatch" into the soffiting that could be removed if access to anything would be needed?

Two final questions, do I drywall the ceiling first or the walls? How much of a pain is it to drywall the ceiling by yourself?

Thanks again for any advice/info!! This site is awesome.


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## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

In either case make sure you insulate the water lines, especially the cold. You don't want condensate dripping on the other side of the ceiling. 
If you have any junction boxes, you can't bury them.


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## send_it_all (Apr 30, 2007)

Keep in mind that if you have any electrical junction boxes in the ceiling, they can't be buried under drywall. You would need a hatch anywhere there's a j-box.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

drywall ceiling first, always, if you have a lift, drywall ceiling is not difficult, and make sure you enclose everything rather than building all sort of soffets... mudding is so painful for soffet....


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## ron schenker (Jan 15, 2006)

send_it_all said:


> Keep in mind that if you have any electrical junction boxes in the ceiling, they can't be buried under drywall. You would need a hatch anywhere there's a j-box.


Don't forget plumbing shutoffs


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## nywoodwizard (Jun 13, 2007)

All the oh do this and that if you drywall,all the more reason to do a dropped ceiling,if you have the budget,there are beautiful drop ceilings available.Sure its nice to have a drywall ceiling too but i think its not practical for basements.Updating and changing things in the house over the years makes it a better choice in my book and they are very easy to install,an easy one day project.I just ran all new cable wire thru out my house last year,ran a bunch of audio and video cables for my new plasma's to equipment closets,made me appreciate the drop ceilings even more.
:whistling2:


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## warnerww (Apr 9, 2007)

I always find it interesting when people think a drop ceiling is a good idea for basements. How many million 2 stories are out there and have you ever seen a drop ceiling in one. When I finish a basement I try as hard as I can to duplicate everything that is upstairs. Use the same trim,toilet,faucet,doors,wall and ceiling texture ect...


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

ron schenker said:


> Don't forget plumbing shutoffs


$10.00 paintable panels:




























Once painted, they disappear from view (Great for shut-offs and electrical access points)...buy 10 now and receive a free oven mitt....Operators standing by.....


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## DIY4EVER (Apr 10, 2007)

Thanks for the pics Atlantic. If I install these every so often in the soffits and in the wall where the sewer clean out is I think I will be good to go.

The plumbers put all the shutoffs for water by near the water heater which will be enclosed in a utility closet and will not have a ceiling.

Also, I was going to run all my wiring for the ceiling lights inside the soffit as well, so if I need to tap into any wires in the ceiling I should have access through the removable panels. I was going to go ahead and install some boxes in the ceiling ahead of time for any additional lighting, etc in the future. These can be conceiled with those cover plates until I need them.

thanks again for all the advice!! If there is anything that I seem to be overlooking please let me know. You guys and gals in here are great!


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## Brik (Jan 16, 2007)

AtlanticWBConst. said:


> $10.00 paintable panels:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I got a case of those for something like $10 on ebay. They are $10-$16 EACH at Lowes depending on size.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

Brik... you just like me ... hunt for deals in Ebay... I got those metal access doors like 20 of them 8"x8" and 12"x12" for somthing like 40 bucks.... but then I have so much left couldn't use anymore... they are selling for like $30 a piece in HD... they are too heavy to resell as shipping will kill anyone who interested... yours seems a better deal after all...


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## njchan (Jan 4, 2008)

Brik said:


> I got a case of those for something like $10 on ebay. They are $10-$16 EACH at Lowes depending on size.


does anyone know what these are called - I'm working on a basement reno, and these would be great for my outdoor sprinkler shutoffs.

thanks!


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## Brik (Jan 16, 2007)

Plumbing access panels
http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...=m37&satitle=plumbing+access+panel&category0=


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## Educator (Jan 1, 2008)

I guess I am in the minority here. :huh:

I would never install a drywall ceiling in a basement.

I totally agree that the drywall ceiling looks better; no disagreement there from me.

However, in our home we have had a major, major leak in our en suite shower on the main floor. Not only would it have required more effort to find the leak, caused us to break the drywall ceiling to locate the leak but also much more effort to repair the damage to the drywall ceiling than it took in time and money to simply replace 6 or so new ceiling tiles.

Then we had a toilet leak which caused more water damage to another area of the basement ceiling.

Lastly, in early November we installed on the outside wall of our walkout basement a solar air heater for which we used insullated flexible duct to take the heated air 25 feet into the basement. Again, with the drop ceiling it was very, very easy. If we had a drywall ceiling .... ?

I've just seen too many things in life that are unexpected when it comes to houses to ever recommend a drywall ceiling, even though they do look fabulous.

If you think I'm just making the above situations up, here are links to our stories in our home blog:

Solar Air Collector (this is a work in progress)
En Suite Shower Leak
Toilet Leak

Cheers,


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## buletbob (May 9, 2008)

I prefer the drywall ceilings myself. the drop ceiling is accessible but over time I don't like the look of the sagging tiles


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i too like the idea of solar air heat. i built my own unit, but have not installed the glass front yet. box, cans, and fan are all done. i'll post pics if anyone's interested.

DM


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## buletbob (May 9, 2008)

MdangermouseM said:


> i too like the idea of solar air heat. i built my own unit, but have not installed the glass front yet. box, cans, and fan are all done. i'll post pics if anyone's interested.
> 
> DM[/quot
> WHAT ??????? :huh:


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## Educator (Jan 1, 2008)

buletbob said:


> MdangermouseM said:
> 
> 
> > i too like the idea of solar air heat. i built my own unit, but have not installed the glass front yet. box, cans, and fan are all done. i'll post pics if anyone's interested.
> ...


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## buletbob (May 9, 2008)

Educator said:


> buletbob said:
> 
> 
> > Hi buletbob,
> ...


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

oic now..... look at the times... we kinda crossposted. yours was not there when i started typing. lol

DM


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