This is a shot of the floor after I finally managed to pull up all the nasty old carpet. The carpet had been glued to the concrete floor. Who does that?
Damaged drywall from a rusty old leaky water heater. Prior to repairing the wall, the water heater had to be replaced. Replacing the water heater was a job in itself. I really wish I had video taped my struggles with that stupid old water heater...in retrospect it was really funny.
The bottom two feet of the drywall was removed due to mildew damage. The rest of it was okay, so I left it. I took this opportunity to go ahead and rewire and install new electrical outlets since everything was open, exposed, and easily accessible. At this point I also installed a dimmer switch for the recessed lighting in the dropped ceiling.
Drywall replaced, prior to mudding and sanding.
After mudding, sanding, priming, and a fresh coat of paint. My favorite color...blue...one of my favorite shades of blue too. It really gave the room a nice warm feel.
A picture of the space to illustrate. I had knocked out the drywall and framed the hole in the wall as a spot for a future breakfast bar/kitchenette.
Next I went and bought this amazing product called carpet tiles. Carpet tiles are very easy to install. The brand of carpet tiles I picked is perfect for a basement since they are made of a synthetic (plastic) material and have a thick rubber/vinyl backing. The backing insulates against radiant cold from the floor. The material also makes them easy to clean since if they get wet you simply pick it up and drop it in a bucket of soapy water. Scrub it, dry it, and replace. They don't shrink either! Also, if one happens to get ruined you simply pick it up, drop it in the trash, and replace with a brand new (I bought an extra box of 25 just in case that happens!).
By the way, peel and stick carpet tiles suck! Just get the ones with a nice heavy backing and fit them close together. There is no adhesive necessary if you simply install the carpet tiles properly and tightly together.
The only problem was trying to figure out the pattern I wanted to use. The above picture was one of the rejected patterns...
Placing the tiles. They are so easy to put down. You start in the middle and work your way out. The important thing is to get them square with the walls. Once you get to the walls it takes lots of careful cutting to make them fit together tightly. Fortunately they are easy to cut using a sharp utility knife/box cutter. Next you nail trim into the wall over top to hold the edges in and provide a nice finished look (leaving enough space to pull the tiles up and replace if necessary, of course).
Here's a picture of the completed space with the bed. The bathroom is to the right side. I didn't have to do anything with that since it was already finished. I hate the color of it but I can live with it for now.
Bathroom shot. I'm using the future kitchenette area as a spacious closet for now. I have faux wood floor cut to fit there for the time being. that will be pulled up in the future when I'm ready to install cabinets/sink/etc.
All in all, its a nice little space. I have a bathroom, a nice sized little closet, and a pair of french doors leading off to my deck. I've got my bookshelf for books and as a makeshift towel rack for the time being. There are still a few little anemities I would like to install when budget permits.
The other half of the space is more of a living/chilling area.
Before
After.
Most of the furniture is all stuff picked up in the free section of craigslist, by the way. Even the TV was something someone was giving away free on craigslist.
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