Basement shop worth it to frame out walls

[Matthew Sherman]

I moved earlier this year and went from a garage shop to a basement shop. Granted it is a slightly larger area about 21x40 and has double doors with a ramp so moving equipment in was not an issue. It was a big mess up until now because I had to dump everything from my shed in there too. I just finished building a shed and now starting to get my shop set back up, but 3 of the walls are just the concrete foundation. I have thought about framing this out and would put 1-1/2" foam first then 2x4 wall. Any thoughts on pros and con on doing this. One big con is I see is I would loose about 32 sq/ft. Any advice from other basement shop people?

[Jim Becker]

Framing out makes it easier to setup various kinds of storage and tool support setups because fastening things to a concrete wall is "not fun". Painting the block can also be "not fun" for some folks. But you don't have to do a full stud wall. You can use furring strips with foam insulation between them and then mount whatever wall covering you wish to use. I used half-studs 16" OC in my old shop building which had concrete block walls, insulated between them and the put up my wall covering. (Thinner T1-11 in that case on one end and painted OSB on the other end that was finished out later) I used a powder actuated nail device to fasten the furring to the wall. This method substantially reduces the impact on space. Do note that if you plan on hanging anything truly heavy, you still want to get proper anchors in to the concrete wall for that.

[Carl Beckett]

I have concrete on two walls. So far I have left them bare. Although I think noise might be improved if I put a layer of sheetrock over them. But I am always worried about moisture/mold buildup if a trapped space. The temperature gradients may not be high for a basement wall, but moisture leaks might. The ability to monitor moisture is enough to sway it for me to not cover them.

Hanging shelves/etc has been done with Tapcon screws.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I would leave as is for awhile, at least until you find out if moisture is present.

[Darrell Bade]

Glue 2" foam to the concrete, it provides insulation and controls moisture. I would then frame it out with 2x4's myself and finish with plywood or drywall if it was mine.

[Jack Frederick]

I painted my basement walls with the UGL paint after using the UGL etch. The room was substantially brighter and I think it helped with humidity in the space too. I’d paint it first and see how you like it.

[Scott Winners]

I agree with Bryan, first give it a year to be sure you are dry. Even if there are no watermarks, seeing it dry at the spring melt will be reassuring. You might try heating the space this winter to estimate how much insulation to put in.

Once dry I would insulate and frame have a place to run juictricity. Then cover the studs.

[Ole Anderson]

My shop has both bare concrete and 2x4 framing over concrete. Both work fine, OSB over the framing sure makes it look more like a shop though and affords opportunities to hang stuff on the wall, at a price of reducing shop area.

[Dave Sabo]

Location would be helpful - you can add it to your profile and it will appear w/ posts.

I’d design walls very differently if I lived in South Georgia than if I lived in Upstate NY or Seattle.

Not much advantage to a 2x4 wall other than it a place to put batt insulation - which prob. isn’t necessary. A thin wall like Jim made or battens on foam into the walls is usually sufficient to cover the design goals.

[Scott Clausen]

+1 on waiting. It may take a year to get a soaking rain to test for moisture penetration. The last thing you want is moisture hidden behind wood walls causing mold issues. Even if dry I would apply a waterproof barrier just in case. Even then I might pick Random sections for this treatment instead of 100%. You may want some partitions in places which will add some added wall space too.

[Matthew Sherman]

Sounds like it is good idea to wait for now. I am in Ohio and house is around 20 years old. I do have a little water intrusion is one little spot where there is a small crack near one of the tie strap when they poured the foundation, but I know it is from the corner downspout not draining water away far enough. I am planning to tie it into an underground drain tile this coming spring.

[Christopher Charles]

Good luck getting set up. A quick painting would brighten and might reveal moisture.

One note to check your local codes if you cover as plywood may not be permitted as a covering in an interior residential space.

[Steve Tripp]

I had a basement shop for 8 years and didn't need to frame it out. Temperature stayed consistent all year and didn't have any moisture issues, but YMMV. The only reason I thought of doing anything to the walls was because of the lighting I thought about painting it all white. I liked having the concrete walls because I had all my storage and shelves on wheels and I could move stuff around when and where I needed it and didn't need anything hung on the walls.

[roger wiegand]

Foam plus sleepers then a wall covering--plywood if you can afford it-- is the way to go. You don't want insulation that can absorb moisture in a basement. Insulation will make the place much more comfortable as well as more efficient.

No particular reason to wait, there's nothing particularly effective you can do from the inside to stop water infiltration. You either need to dig it up and repair or install the exterior water barrier or if there's serious water, dig a french drain around the perimeter, either inside or outside. First thing to do is to make sure your exterior grading is correct and downspouts empty well away from the building. Concrete in the ground in Ohio will almost always be wet unless you have really exceptional waterproofing, closed cell XPS foam is pretty impervious to water. The furring strips will hold the wall board out from the insulation, providing ventilation to keep the wall dry. As long as you keep the materialz that have the goodies the mold/fungus like to eat dry you won't have a mold problem.

Vapor barriers in basements is a fraught subject; I believe they can work, but depend on perfect installation and no penetrations, so have come around to the view that it's better to leave them out. If I were to install one I'd put it up against the concrete.

[Dave Sabo]

The ridgid XPS foam if taped at the seams will act as a vapor barrier. Even w/o the tape it's still acts as a vapor barrier for all intents and purposes.

[Roger Feeley]

To pass inspection, my basement had to be insulated so they put up these giant bats with shiny stuff on the inside. I felt like I was was inside jiffy pop. I took that down, put up 2x4 studs and sliced the bats int strips. I covered all that with OSB. The only place I painted the OSB is behind the wood lathe. It’s easier to see the profile of the work.

[John Lifer]

I work my laser business out of my basement. I use about 30% for the business. Basement is roughly 1600 square feet. Almost the same size as my upstairs. I'm on a slight hill and I have walkout door on the lower side with one set of windows on the far end, so three sides are tapered up from 3 feet min to full underground. I only have painted walls, the walls were cast in place concrete not block. I REALLY wish I'd had the $ at the time we bought to add furring and insulation. Even in NW Arkansas, it gets in the 50s in the basement as the heating system wasn't plumbed or sized correctly for heating this whole thing. I've added a mini split which help, but insulation would be great on the walls. Just hard with all the equipment and other stuff in the basement. I vote to insulate and put up walls for sure. Even sheetrock over furring and insulation would work.....

[Stan Calow]

I thought about it, but decided not to. I need to monitor some cracks and leaks. So I just attached shelves, cabinets, pegboards, etc., directly to the concrete walls with cleats and Tapcons. If my basement was a walk-out, that might have made a difference.

[George Yetka]

Definitely seal the walls up and floor for that matter. I would rockwool the ceiling before insulating and paneling the walls. If its poured concrete foundation I would leave bare. Get yourself a hammer drill if you dont have one already and you can do french cleats/shelving on the walls. I would run a seperating wall with double doors so you can have a milling /sanding side and a finishing/assembly side.