Why Drywall Doesn't Belong in a Minnesota and Wisconsin Basement

Tips from our Basement Finishers in Minneapolis, Duluth, & Areas Nearby

When it comes to home building practices, old habits die hard. Despite the fact that better and more effective building practices are being designed for the home, there are still builders that will keep beating that dead horse and installing the same broken-down systems they've built their whole life. This is especially true if the same old ways provide a cheap solution for them. Why would a builder stop doing what's making them money? They're not the ones who live with the job, right?

Here's the bottom line: the basement is different than the rest of the home. There are fewer windows, the ceiling is often lower and above all, there's moisture and humidity. If you install drywall in the basement, it's probably not going to last as long as you would like, and even if it does, it's still absorbing moisture from the concrete walls over the years are vulnerable to other water leaks in the basement, holes in the walls, etc..  The following are four good reasons to take drywall out of the formula in your basement finishing plan.

Basement Drywall: Standing Firm?

If you're looking to install shelves, cabinets, or any other objects that weigh more than 10 pounds, drywall is not the building material for the job.  Before installing anything on the walls, you'll first have to locate a wall stud, which is often a difficult and imperfect task. You'll be limited to the areas where the studs can be found and you'll be at the mercy of the sometimes unevenly spaced studs.

If you're remodeling the basement, however, you're going to want to mount things on the walls.  If you try to install speakers, a flat screen TV, sports memorabilia, family pictures or other heavy objects, however, drywall just won't cut it. Additionally, with the same readiness that it crumbles under too much weight, family members or a well-placed doorknob can drive a large, unsightly hole into it. If you want to move the items on the wall, you're left spackling and re-painting the wall in that spot.

In contrast, Total Basement Finishing's EverLast™ Wall Panels include dense foam insulation and hardboard wall panels that can have objects mounted anywhere you want, with no need to locate a stud. You can mount up to 300 pounds on an Everlast Wall Panel!

Drywall Dust in Basements

Having to deal with clouds of drywall dust is quite possibly the most painful part of a basement remodeling. Installing drywall is a dirty job!  When these heavy panels are cut to fit your basement, a dense and extremely fine dust is generated that will cover everything in the area. This dust is invasive, and it can easily clog and damage ordinary vacuum motors as the filters are used up and the motors overheat. Professional drywall vacuums cost about $650, a price that makes them impractical to homeowners and small contractors. If you're installing drywall yourself, it's important to be careful- gypsum in drywall can be irritating to eyes, lungs and sinuses. Use masks, goggles and gloves, and clean up all drywall dust as soon as the installation is done.

Service and Renovation Woes

Drywall ceilings can be a nightmare when the time comes to service the area or renovate a basement.  When pipes, ducts and wiring need to be serviced or replaced, the small access ports that are installed in drywall ceilings offer narrow and often inadequate access. In some situations, areas of the ceiling will even need to be removed or replaced for the sake of the job. Installing a drywall ceiling is often a labor-intensive and expensive process, and it's not recommended for non-professionals. If a renovation of the first floor of the house is needed, you may need to spend hours and hours running wires and pipes under the floor (or learning where existing ones lead) as you remodel.

Be Green!! Broken, moldy, and damaged drywall creates an enormous amount of waste. Drywall is filling up landfills by the tons all over the country. Drywall is continuously being removed and replaced due to damage from plumbing leaks and ground water seepage. It's constantly being replaced and reinstalled as this water and other moisture in the basement leads to mold, rot and stained drywall.

Black Mold Blues and Drywall

No drywall product- including mold and moisture-resistant drywall - stands by their claim with a long-term warranty. This is because drywall is constructed with a gypsum core and layers of heavy, processed paper. Gypsum easily absorbs water and stays wet for a long time (while the water damage ruins the gypsum core), keeping the paper facing saturated long enough for mold to grow.  Drywall mold has a wide range of unattractive symptoms. If you have drywall, keep an eye out for peeling and cracking paint, bulging behind the paint, musty smells, and discolored walls. Additionally, drywall can support the growth of toxic black molds, which can cause a significant health problem for homeowners and their families. However, even when toxic molds are not present, mold spores can agitate asthma and allergies as well as a wide variety of other health issues. At times, it's even necessary to hire a trained professional to remove and replace the entire installation. If that includes mold remediation, it can get extremely expensive.

DBS provides professional basement finishing services in Minnesota and Wisconsin areas such as Rochester, Saint Paul, and surrounding areas.

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