When we moved into our home 5 years ago, finishing the basement was not in the budget. But desiring to use the space and make it comfortable, I started looking at ideas for doing an unfinished basement on a budget. There are so many great ideas out there! Just do some Pinterest searching and you will find so many great and creative ideas!
Not wanting to invest a significant amount of money into things that would eventually be replaced or changed we opted for a couple easy DIY.
DIY Projects
- Painted the ceiling black. Used a paint sprayer and painted everything. It’s not perfect but the black did wonders for camouflaging all the stuff up in ceilings.
- Painted the walls. Used just basic latex paint with a roller. Once again not perfect but didn’t want to spend tons of time or money on something that would eventually be covered.
- Concrete floor paint. Used a roller and rolled almost all of the floor with concrete paint. I would say this step could be skipped, especially if you are going to use large area rugs. Not super impressed with the durability of the paint we used, although that could be an application error on our part.
- Hung canvas drop cloths to create walls. You can see that more in my other post of our unfinished basement guest bedroom.
- Shiplap on stair wall. I picked up some shiplap and covered one side of the stair wall. It was small and simple. Hid all the under the stair space.
Unfinished basement on a budget: suggestions/ideas
Rugs!
A large area rug can do wonders for making a concrete floor feel cozier. Try to find a rug that you would use/keep even if you do eventually finish the space. Don’t just go out and buy the cheapest large rug you can find. Wait for sales and find one that you really like. This is the one we have in our family room space. (It’s a 9×12)
Lamps and Lights
Basements are notorious for feeling cold, dark and creepy. I have 3 lamps in our family room space, one overhead bulb and string lights! The string lights are my favorite!
Decor
Decorate the space like you would any other part of your home. I like to use some faux greenery in the basement and command strips are great for hanging decor on concrete walls.
Throw blankets and pillows
Make it feel cozy! Our basement is a little chillier than the rest of the house so I like having some comfy blankets down there to cuddle up with.
That’s about all I have for an unfinished basement on a budget. I’ll leave you with the encouragement to use the space you have NOW. Budget or time may never allow for you to finish your basement, so don’t miss out on the possibilities of a great space today!
Emily
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