BASEMENT HUMIDITY CONTROL IDEAS

Basements can be large and therefore you may need a dehumidifier that has a larger capacity. It's not how physically big the machine is that is important but how many pints of water it can take out of the air per day. The bigger your basement, the higher capacity you should get when buying a dehumidifier.

To control the humidity in your basement, you need a dehumidifier that can keep it between 30% and 60%. Not all machines do a good job of keeping the humidity in that range so you should shop around to see which ones have good reviews. (you can find reliable reviews here- Dehumidifiers on Amazon) Reading reviews of each machine that are made by people who have bought them is a good way to narrow down your choices.

The video below also talks about frost control, fan speeds, auto restart, and energy savings features that you might want to consider before buying any basement dehumidifier.

BASEMENT VENTILATION IDEAS

Proper ventilation is one of the basement ideas you should make sure to not overlook. There is not a lot of air movement in most basements and many might not have any windows. This means dampness and moisture is always a problem as well as the cool temperature.

When you have an unfinished basement, it may have some air ducts that protrude out of the ceiling that come from the central heating system. These air ducts might provide you with an air supply while they may also just be for returning cold air. If you aren't going to use your basement for anything, you might not be concerned about any ventilation problems you might have. But if you are going to finish your basement, you will want to get all the air circulating properly.

If you are going to be using your basement for a theater, guest room, play room, office, or game room you will want to make sure it has proper ventilation and heating. That means any hot air should come out at the floor level or near to the floor level as it is going to rise. This is why most forced air heating in houses have the vents on the floors. Your house will probably not have any heating in the basement and if it does it might be connected through the ceiling because the basement ceiling is really the floor of the main level.

You might look into getting something known as an air exchanger that keeps the air in your house fresh by exchanging it with the outside air. Many newer homes are built with this feature included in the central heating and cooling system. Something like that can be important for basement ventilation and keeping the air moving so it doesn't become stagnant.

BASEMENT GUESTROOM / BEDROOM IDEAS

If you have a basement that has a bathroom, you might have a suitable area for an extra guestroom. Many houses may not have enough rooms upstairs for all the kids and a guest and so one of the pracical basement ideas is to turn it into a bedroom.

One of the first problems though with a turning your basement into a guestroom is to figure out the heating situation. If you are going to use it as a bedroom, you need to make sure the basement has some insulation in the walls. Additionally, even if it does, you may find it exremely hard to heat in the winter.

In the summer time, a basement bedroom or guestroom will work great because it will be hot outside but naturally cool at the bottom of the house. In the winter though, heating your basement to a degree that it is livable could be expensive. you may have to have a stand alone heater or heaters to do the job. Radiant heat downstairs might also work well but that could be too expensive for many budgets.

Another problem you might have is installing ample lighting in your new basement guestroom. Many basements are partially or totally underground and thus have very little natural lighting. This means you will probably have to have several bright lamps or ceiling lights to give your guests enough light to see.

The color you paint your basement walls can either help or hurt the lighting. If you paint the walls a dark green or black, it will make the room look that much darker. However, if you use brighter colors it may help with the poor lighting situation many basements face.

As mentioned at the outset, a basement bedroom works best if you have a bathroom on the same level. If not, it may still be doable but having a bathroom with a shower is best for anyone staying down there. The more complete a room you can make the better and the more it will help with resale value as well.

BASEMENT FLOORING IDEAS

All basement flooring ideas must take into account the tendancy for basements to be cool, dark, and damp. Basement moisture is always a threat as it seeps in from below basment floors and does all sorts of damage.

Your main choices for a basement floor are a hardwood floor, concrete, carpet, a laminate floor, an engineeered hardwood floor, and a porcelain tile cement. Carpet and hardwood basement floors may not be the best options because of the dampness issues.

Installing an engineered basement floor might be a good alternative to a hardwood floor if you like that kind of floor. They usually have a higher resiliency to any humidity changes that allow it stay dryer than many of your other basement flooring ideas.

A laminate basement floor can be constructed from moisture resistant materials and they can be "floating" floors which are not directly attached to the floor beneath it. Most laminate is OK but some is not so you need to check with the manufacturer to make sure the laminate you choose will work for basement flooring.

The most popular and perhaps easiest basement flooring ideas is to just paint your cement floor. You can be careful to choose the right basement colors for your floor so that it creates the atmosphere you desire. Painting your basement cement floor is the safest option because you are not investing a lot of money on the floor only to find out later that it has been damaged due to basement moisture problems.

BASEMENT WATERPROOFING IDEAS

If you have any musty air in your basement it might find its way up to the living areas up above. It is for this reason that you need to keep you basement dry and for that you need to pay attention to basement waterproofing. A wet basement is wasted space that you just can't use or enjoy.Did you know that basement waterproofing pays you the highest dividends out of all home improvement projects? The investment you make in having your basement waterproofed will be repaid by: increased property value, a new living space, and healthier living conditions. When you decide to sell your home, it will be to your advantage to have a dry, usable basement.

Over the years, basement waterproofing contractors and engineers have developed many different methods of keeping basements dry. One option for do it yourself basement waterproofing is to use concrete water proofer. Another very popular option is crystalline basement waterproofing and a third is PermaFlex. Methods of basement waterproofing include a liquid membrane which is applied to the interior of the space or a sheeting membrane attached to the exterior of the space.

The basement waterproofing industry is extremely competitive because the market is literally flooded with basement waterproofing products and basement waterproofing systems that DO NOT WORK. If you live in a part of the US that gets heavy sudden rains, then you will surely need someone to help you with your waterproofing needs as basement flooding cleanup can be quite costly. Quality installations and service assures the homeowner their basement waterproofing project will be done with professionalism.

You can learn what is causing your basement water problems and the the methods to repair a leaking basement by having a certified dealer give you a free wet basement inspection and estimate on the solution to your leaking cellar. It makes no sense to live in a home with an unuseable wet basement or a basement that floods once in a while. If you have been dealing with a leaky basement, no doubt you are ready to get something done about the problem and start looking for basement waterproofing professionals.

A dry basement will protect the investment you made in your home as well as enable you to use the space for storage or for a basement finishing project to gain additional living space. Sodium Bentonite clay is another common method of waterproofing a basement.

BASEMENT DEHUMIDIFIERS IDEAS

If you have an issue with basement mold and basement dampness, one of your options is to look into basement dehumidifiers. Keeping your basement dry is very important for many reasons and one way to accomplish this is to buy a dehumidifier that will keep your basement free of moisture.


There are many makes and models of basement dehumidifiers including Haier, Kenmore, GE, and Sahara. The bigger the space, the bigger the dehumidifier you will need to have it be able to effectively get rid of basement moisture. You can also try to waterproof your basement but even if you do, it still will be a good idea to cover all bases and use a dehumidifier.

Basement mold will ruin your basement and present real health problems as well. Buying a cheap basement dehumidifier is a great investment and one of those basement ideas that you should do if you have any problem at all with wetness. A great place to get one for a cheap price delivered to your door is here - basement dehumidifier.