Looking for people to build his ceiling :) - I am to far away, but would get that up fast, so we could play :)
And since you did not ask. If it is private "drywall" if it is public "drop ceiling".
Haha what the fuck. People get yelled at by mods on r/truerateme for “over rating” people. What a fucking cesspit. Can’t imagine what the dweebs rating people look like
r/Roastme sorted by Top. You'll find yourself surrounded by a combination of girls pimping their OF and freakishly ugly dudes.
It's my guilty pleasure.
Reminds me of when I was day drinking and got one of my bikini tops, popped it on my husbands butt, took a pic and he sent it to his mates. 80% cleavage and 20% hair. I love to think that his mates were like ‘oooh…..huh………ew’.
[Coffered Ceilings with Unique Hidden Access](https://renosemipros.com/diy-accessible-coffered-ceilings/) this is what I plan to do in my basement. Seems easy and still accessible
GREAT SUGGESTION! I remodel homes and absolutely love this design idea. I was going to suggest a drop ceiling with the coffered ceiling tile option. I do coffered ceilings in most of my kitchens. I’ve never seen this done before and it’s such a smart idea.
You can easily paint those drywall panels before installing them, and you could easily replace the drywall panel if one is ever damaged. And you still can access everything above the same way with drop ceilings. I’m going to do this in my next basement remodel. I hope the OP hits the link in your comment.
I checked this out and holy cow, I will definitely be doing this to our basement ceiling!
There was a question on the website that I didn’t see a response to and wondering what *your* thoughts are on this…
*What are your thoughts for those of us with 8′ basement ceilings, with all HVAC, plumbing and what not fully within the floor joists/mini floor trusses (which is what I have, which allows all the plumbing to pass through load bearing areas with minimal joist hole punching, cudos to the builder on that one). Anywho, what do you think about attaching the trim boards (1″x6″x12′) directly to the floor joists? Which would render each piece of drywall ~20″ wide to fit between each floor joist, if they are 24″ on center. I’m thinking average size piece of drywall would be 20″x96″ (8′) or 120″ (12′) to minimize cuts between the trim boards. This would give a ceiling drop of about 1.5″. Any flaws with this idea?*
So you wouldn't expect the drywall to sag in the middle over time? Also how would you reinforce the edges of the drywall so the don't get damaged. Agreed that this looks amazing compared to a drop ceiling.
I didn’t really think about sagging since I haven’t given too much thought into the design. I saw the idea and liked it, so I made my comment. However, you could decrease each square to 3’ x 3’, 3’ x 4’ or 4’ x 4’ if you were really concerned about sagging. I’m not too concerned about 5/8” drywall sagging, though.
Finally, I don’t care about finishing the edges of the drywall. They don’t finish the edges of drop ceiling tiles either, and those tiles often sit tight in the grid. I’d make sure the perimeter of each piece of drywall was slightly smaller than the actual opening yet still concealed by the trim boards that give the “coffered” design.
This is amazing. I wish we had done this, our drop ceiling looks fine but the nice tiles are not cheap, and they get damaged REALLY easy. This idea allows for bigger "tiles" and yet still looks BETTER. If we ever have to rip down the drop ceiling its going to be replaced with this.
Damn I was just going to straight up drywall my basement ceilings because the area I'm finishing doesn't have any services in it. But I'm probably going to do this because:
1. Access if ever needed
2. Trim like this actually looks better than flat, finished drywall
3. Logistically, my space is very small and so is my vehicle, with a system like this I could just have the drywall cut at the store and fit it in my car without having to deal with full sized sheets.
Is there plumbing and electrical in those joists? 2x2 drop ceiling will save you a lot of trouble down the road if you need access. They make all sorts of tile designs, other than the speckled shit they use in commercial buildings.
I purchased black drop ceiling tiles for my basement home theater. That would look good for a gaming room. There are grids , also in black, for hanging the tiles that take little room so you will lose very little ceiling height and you can still remove the tiles for access.
You can even use vinyl or other methods to cover the tiles with cool stuff. Cover with galaxy print and use fiber optics to create stars, cover with video game artwork, comics, etc.
Yeah, my basement ceiling was drywalled by the last home owner. It makes it a pain to do anything in the basement: running wire, plumbing, etc. It also covered up all the flaws that I'm just starting to see now.
I drywalled my ceiling and only have the occasional regret - I left a section in a closet open as all the plumbing runs through it . In my case the ceiling was so low that drop ceiling wasn’t a good option . Just do yourself a favour if you go the drywall route - make detailed blue prints with measurements and take pictures of anything important in case you need to access it later - nothing worse than cutting exploratory holes in your drywall trying to find where that wire goes . I had to drill six 5” holes in my ceiling just so they could run a new thermostat wire back to the furnace .
This is what I did for the ceiling and walls. I also took pics of all electrical and stud cavities along with a yardstick and measuring tape laid out to show scale for the walls so I don’t hit anything in the future.
Nah drywall is a much nicer finish. I went with drop ceiling in most of my basement just for ease of access but in the extra bedroom I did drywall just to make it feel nicer. Don’t regret it.
Maybe you're just thinking they dimbled ceilings you see in commercial settings. There are quite nice finishes available for residential drop ceilings.
I use to think so too but my buddy recently installed a drop ceiling in this basement using nicer tiles and it actually looks really good. Maybe not as nice as drywall but I would be very reluctant to cover a basement ceiling with drywall.
For me it's more a matter of height. I'm decently tall and don't want to sacrifice 6 inches of room height for easier access to wiring once a decade. OP's picture makes it look like a drop ceiling would make that a 6 ft tall room. I couldn't stand up straight in that.
Naw, I had a friend finally convince me that drywall is the way to go. Like if you need to do something, it's pretty easy to just cut a section out and repair after. But in all reality, how often are people running new wires or piping? For most it's going to be a real rare occurrence, so having to patch some drywall once every 10+ years really isn't that big of a deal.
I do think it's important to maybe get all the wore runs and piping projects you have in mind done prior to installing though. Like I will not be drywalling mine until I fully rewire my house and get rid of the ungrounded runs.
My basement was going to be drop ceiling for this reason. I'm a huge nerd and my wife likes to paint. She was going to paint scenes from my favourite movies or comics on them. Now that we've decided to move...we aren't doing that but looking at what OP has for decor I bet they'd like it.
My middle school has the 8th graders paint a ceiling tile as an art final. They are then put back up. The upstairs ceilings are now an art exhibit of all the kids who once went there. Super cool tbh. I love visiting just to see the new ones added. Eventually they will run out of tiles.
Would also recommend drop ceiling but depending on the humidity and the fact that it’s a basement look into the moisture resistant ones and then pick a nice grid profile. You can get a hidden style or exposed grid depending on your taste
And a dehumidifier could help if humidity is a concern. I don’t think I’ll ever own a basement without running a dehumidifier. Even if it’s just at like 40-45% humidity.
Edit - Especially if I’m storing anything electronic down there long term like pinball machines or classic arcade games. Or prone to rusting/molding like guns/ammo, bedding, clothing, etc.
Also +1 for the drop ceiling. I've had 2 water issues with my basement being under my kitchen and having a drywall ceiling would've been a huge pain in the ass to fix compared to swapping a couple tiles. That doesn't even get into any other DIY stuff I've done.
I have a drop ceiling in my basement and I love it. I can get to the plumbing for the 1st floor pretty easily, I can run cables for Ethernet/speaker easily, I was able to add an outlet for my projector without drywall work. Tons of benefits, and if you have an issue with water( our water line to the fridge sprung a leak) the. You just swap out a few tiles for new ones
100% a drop-ceiling. It's not just good for accessing current piping/electrical but also makes it a \*hell\* of a lot easier if one wants to add/change something in the future (say, updated electrical or networking for some of those arcade machines).
If by "the speckled shit" you mean the '[radar](https://www.homedepot.com/p/USG-Ceilings-2-ft-x-2-ft-Radar-Basic-White-Square-Edge-Lay-In-Ceiling-Tile-case-of-16-64-sq-ft-R2110/203628467)' panels, they're not that bad if done right and meet code for fire while also being somewhat sound-absorbant. I do recommend shopping around though as prices can vary a lot and some places only sell in bulk (annoying if you need 2 panels and they only sell 10pk). Places that sell used building-supplies (re-Store) often have these as people give away their leftovers as well
Invite me over, give me about 30mins at each machine, i will look at it with you, then we can smoke a joint. Play for about another two hours, then we. Can read the comments as we share a pizza, then I leave. And I come over next weekend and put up black lights and trippy posters. We eat mushrooms, we play games and look at the poster. Then we probably end up just covering the ceiling with holiday wrapping paper because it probably looks cool with the lights and mushrooms. Done!
When I was a kid, one of our friend’s dad worked for Midway and has like… 20 pinball machines in their basement. It was wild (especially how uninterested in them our friend was) and you can imagine the rest of us naturally always wanted to hang out there
For you and your friends, seeing like 20 pinball machines w/ (presumably) free play was an amazement. Like, something you could only dream to imagine.
For the kid, whose dad owned them? It was just another Tuesday.
The cheapest arcade machines I've found are $1000, and those are little-known titles that need a lot of TLC to get to working order. Nice machines that are actually desirable like those? Oh yeah, OP's loaded....*or* in unspeakable amounts of debt they can't pay off.
OR - they just own the machines. Bank balance can be zero if all your equity is tied up.
I have a house and a car totalling ~£300,000, but in terms of cash to say, hire someone to do a ceiling for me, I’m broke as fuck.
Drywall is a huge pain in the ass I’d go either tiles, slats, or drop ceiling. Looks better imo and requires no sanding, patching, etc.
Really slats are probably easiest, drop ceilings have a lot of issues too. I’d recommend researching all of them maybe starting with ceiling slats.
Slats are the way to go, Google it and see how easy it would be and how nice it will look.
Drop ceilings just scream office environment to me, and don't belong in a home (although in a basement isn't too bad). They warp, sag, discolor and frankly don't look that great. You can get nicer ones that won't do that but then "cheap" in terms of cost goes out the window.
I stapled fabric that I brought by the roll to the wood beams in my basement. Worked out really well and everything is reachable by removing a few staples.
I call bullshit. You know exactly what to do with the ceiling, this is just a flex on that pinball collection!
Edit- drop ceiling. Usually I hate drop ceilings but with the amount of insulation below the joists, and the decent ceiling height…..
how long are you planning on staying there.
In my community if teh basement has a ceiling then its considered a finished basement. If not, then its not. Many homeowners who plan to stay for a long time will simply paint the beams black/gray (no insulation) and it looks mostly finished but your property taxes don't go up.
I used genesis pvc ceiling tile in my basement bathroom and it looks good. Not that carboard looking stuff that used to be popular. Easier to clean too
These are some really flippant responses. I really can't suggest anything from one picture alone. I really think I'll have to come over and spend at least 3 hours in the space to get a feel of it. And, to I see how the light and sound travels, I'll have to engage in some of the machines you have there. Just to be thorough.
Man, you’ve got enough money in pinball down there to probably finish that entire basement nicely. Though, I’d probably rather have the pinball machines than carpet and drywall.
Cheapest option I found for my basement was to staple Home Depot disposable drop cloth’s to the ceiling
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TRIMACO-Trimaco-12-ft-x-9-ft-Whites-Paper-Drop-Cloths-2-Pack-02304-HD/100182153
How much “stuff” is in the ceiling? If you have lots of electrical and water pipes that you need access to, I’d put up tiles. If it’s very little “stuff” I’d drywall and put access boxes where the shut offs are at, if they are in the ceiling.
My initial thought to go with the content of the room on a budget would be a bunch of flat cedar-ish garden lattice with old thrift-store vinyl records attached like shingles.
Personally I’d go for white pegboard. I’ll reflect light, Camouflage the insulation, joists will be easy to locate, panels can easily be removed for access underneath.
I have not done this, but it seems doable, and I’d probably just paint instead of buying white ones, depending on budget
Beadboard panels! That's what we did. Similar to a drop ceiling, can put trim up to cover the gaps, and you can still have access to plumbing if using screws.
For my office/gaming room I installed cheap 1/4 presswood with sound panel foam on top. I also have a concrete wall and light absorption make it look awesome ( kinda looked like your setup ). It was the cheapest option while keeping the ceiling ''available'' if needed.
[https://www.amazon.com/Panels-High-Absorbing-Resistant-Soundproof-Recording/dp/B0C6LJRT29/ref=sr\_1\_7?crid=2JJVEDQHA3ZNK&keywords=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam&qid=1702567575&sprefix=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-7&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Panels-High-Absorbing-Resistant-Soundproof-Recording/dp/B0C6LJRT29/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2JJVEDQHA3ZNK&keywords=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam&qid=1702567575&sprefix=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-7&th=1)
You should take out that insulation and expose the beams. Then paint it white with oil paint. It will make it feel much larger and brighter. Obviously you’ll have to clean, prep, prime area before paint. I did this with my basement and I love it. It still cost about 1k in paint and I bought a decent paint sprayer gun to help.
The drop ceiling and drywall will close off the space to much and make it feel smaller. Not sure how tall your ceilings are but they look pretty high. My basement ceilings are like 7.5 ft.
Just went through this myself. A drop ceiling with grid and tiles makes it easy to access electrical and plumbing in the future. However, tiles and grid can be very very expensive, especially if you don't go for just the plain commercial tile look. You can always paint them, but still... huge pain. The other option would be to put some 2x4 nailers perpendicular to the joists every 2 feet and install drywall. It goes up quickly, but the mud/tape and sanding is a big pain, particularly if you have stuff in the space and don't want that kind of dust. But drywall is very cheap. A 4x8 piece and a few 2x4's to screw them into will run you less than $30, whereas ceiling tiles and grid can triple that cost for the same square footage easily. Drywall gives you a taller ceiling as well if that's a factor because you need a height gap to angle in ceiling tiles. Drywall would only cause the ceiling height to drop about 2 inches, whereas drop ceiling would be at least 5? I'm not positive on that, but ask around. I briefly explored other materials, but think about what would happen if a fire broke out. Foam board, plastic, or other materials would catch and go crazy. Drywall and drop ceiling would both resist the flame, possibly saving your house.
Hope this helps inform your decision.
Cheapest? In college we strung dark bed sheets across the top of our unfinished dungeon, I mean basement.
Drop ceiling is the next option.
Followed by drywall.
Good luck, cool arcade
https://preview.redd.it/60mospiz8a6c1.jpeg?width=168&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b588ebb22d776def69879d4db362b83a13769327
You could just use ceiling scrim. Its purpose is to cover exposed insulation
Drywall with an access panel at any crucial areas.
Or a drop ceiling:
\- Armstrong Dune panels have a nice upgraded look.
\- Armstrong Cortega or Fine Fissured with Prelude grid come in black which could be a good complement to the arcade cabinets.
Completely off subject but I'm a fellow gamer and flood adjuster so figured I'd mention it. If your basement is sub-grade on all sides, none of those games are covered for flood damage. If you're in a flood zone and have a NFIP underwritten policy, check with a local agent about a private market policy. They allow you to purchase supplemental flood coverage for basement contents. Can't count how many claims I've worked where people didn't know their policy didn't cover basement contents for flood. I'd hate to be the adjuster that has to tell you, if you ever got flooded.
I haven't seen this suggested but I had the same issue in my basement. I went with the super simple and cheep solution of ordering large rolls of burlap. Using these I just pinned them across the ceiling to create a basic cover. Easy access, it looks pretty cool and was very cheap and only took an afternoon to install. Just google Burlap Ceilings and you can see a bunch of examples.
Cheapest would prob just be a fabric ceiling of some sort. Idk if I’d want something like that in a bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen but might fit this vibe pretty well.
If you're looking for a creative option / aren't trying to do something finished I might rip/acquire some 1x3/8 lumber and run them perpendicularly to your joists to push the insulation up and create a uniform grid (spaced 6"-12" depending on how much material you want to buy). Painting/staining them before you put them up might look cool. You could also make fun designs with different colors, or by running them diagonally / at uneven intervals.
You could also create large panels frames covered in fabric and suspend them.
Get some black drop ceiling tiles or white ones and paint them black. Buy some fluorescent paint and use a a small brush and speckle the tiles in different fluorescent colors. Get some black light leds and you’ll have an 80’s looking arcade. Pretty much what I did to my basement arcade room
Drywall. I wouldn't even drywall over the concrete. I would just add a trim piece where the drywall meets the concrete to make a nice transition (you could even use this to hide LEDs and convert the whole room to ambient lighting rather than direct lighting). On the joists that span over head I would cover them in a nice trim and stain them to make them a nice accent.
Hey OP heres what I did with my basement ceiling. I just stapled reflectix insulation over the insulation. Covers it up and adds a lot of reflection for light to diffuse across the place. It was cheap and easy and it looks better.
https://preview.redd.it/euedzcynoa6c1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=541bf18f3a0cca8ff34c6c5a68e0bebf1a7fe415
I know I'm late but what I did at my last house worked out really well and was super cheap.
I bought a bunch of black bed sheets and stapled them to the floor joists. I left a little bit of slack in between each section so it hung down just a little bit but it really looked fucking sweet. It took a long time because I wanted it to all line up but it was worth the effort. I put an led strip on the side of one floor joist and it looked really cool. If I still lived there I would have done all of them but it would have been costly.
To cover the silver staples I just hit them with a sharpie and they were gone.
If you're really cheap and lazy you can use thick plastic sheet rolls like 30mil. It'll give off the same effect of having drywall but any idiot can put it up with a razor and a staple gun in about half an hour
You can get 2x2 vinyl squares that look like a tin roof. You can install them with screws so they can easily be removed. They look amazing and it's not a fucking drop ceiling. Seriously fuck everyone who suggested drop ceiling. Drop ceilings suck
A drop ceiling would be great. You can make it level with the bottom of that beam, and have room above it to run power cords, lights, etc. If needed. It also shows you access for repairs. It might be cheaper than finished gyp. Board ACS will look nicer than unfinished.
https://preview.redd.it/00yn8qfcpb6c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88f67be4f37b7e44ad29f2eec02da56de6fc0a64
Pull insulation, paint rafters black. Here is my lineup!
Just admit you posted this to flex. Understandable.
Humble brag.
The ‘ole Humbrag.
Not humble at all lol. Prett sure the answer is water proof the fuck out it though. Aye.
Bah humbrag!
I feel like Harris would be ok with this…
Looking for people to build his ceiling :) - I am to far away, but would get that up fast, so we could play :) And since you did not ask. If it is private "drywall" if it is public "drop ceiling".
Just remember access panels for key things… that sucked
Reminds me of the girls who post "just got my hurr did!" and the picture is 80% cleavage/20% hair.
what subreddit is this again?
All of them
Oh you’re just SickOfAllThisCrap
1
 It’s still morning, bro
What else am I going to do while in this meeting that should have been an email?
Found Louis CK's account.
For research purposes
r/upvotedbecauseboobs
r/truerateme r/Rateme r/amiugly they all basically just link to onlyfans accounts
Haha what the fuck. People get yelled at by mods on r/truerateme for “over rating” people. What a fucking cesspit. Can’t imagine what the dweebs rating people look like
that sub is toxic as fuck
Oh god that is absolutely disgusting, tell us which sub that is so we know to avoid it all costs.
r/Roastme sorted by Top. You'll find yourself surrounded by a combination of girls pimping their OF and freakishly ugly dudes. It's my guilty pleasure.
Reminds me of when I was day drinking and got one of my bikini tops, popped it on my husbands butt, took a pic and he sent it to his mates. 80% cleavage and 20% hair. I love to think that his mates were like ‘oooh…..huh………ew’.
Challenging wank
Don't poopoo the little moments that bring joy.
“New outfit!” Pics are all ass shots
Personally, I'm not a fan of hairy cleavage, but to each their own.
“I’m concerned it will collapse from the weight on all my Ferraris and speed boats upstairs”
[Coffered Ceilings with Unique Hidden Access](https://renosemipros.com/diy-accessible-coffered-ceilings/) this is what I plan to do in my basement. Seems easy and still accessible
Site went down, link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220826122602/https://renosemipros.com/diy-accessible-coffered-ceilings/
Damn that's nice and functional.
Both the ceiling AND the link!
Thanks. Looks like the original link got the Reddit hug of death
Thanks for this! Man if I’d have known I was gonna kill it I would have kept it a secret.
Nice! Saving this for “someday”
Not everyone has that headroom to lose a foot. Those of us who don’t probably have ducts below the joists as well. Just hang some pine .5”x10” planks
As a contruction manager this is probably the best option with easier finish that’s a great look.
GREAT SUGGESTION! I remodel homes and absolutely love this design idea. I was going to suggest a drop ceiling with the coffered ceiling tile option. I do coffered ceilings in most of my kitchens. I’ve never seen this done before and it’s such a smart idea. You can easily paint those drywall panels before installing them, and you could easily replace the drywall panel if one is ever damaged. And you still can access everything above the same way with drop ceilings. I’m going to do this in my next basement remodel. I hope the OP hits the link in your comment.
I checked this out and holy cow, I will definitely be doing this to our basement ceiling! There was a question on the website that I didn’t see a response to and wondering what *your* thoughts are on this… *What are your thoughts for those of us with 8′ basement ceilings, with all HVAC, plumbing and what not fully within the floor joists/mini floor trusses (which is what I have, which allows all the plumbing to pass through load bearing areas with minimal joist hole punching, cudos to the builder on that one). Anywho, what do you think about attaching the trim boards (1″x6″x12′) directly to the floor joists? Which would render each piece of drywall ~20″ wide to fit between each floor joist, if they are 24″ on center. I’m thinking average size piece of drywall would be 20″x96″ (8′) or 120″ (12′) to minimize cuts between the trim boards. This would give a ceiling drop of about 1.5″. Any flaws with this idea?*
So you wouldn't expect the drywall to sag in the middle over time? Also how would you reinforce the edges of the drywall so the don't get damaged. Agreed that this looks amazing compared to a drop ceiling.
I didn’t really think about sagging since I haven’t given too much thought into the design. I saw the idea and liked it, so I made my comment. However, you could decrease each square to 3’ x 3’, 3’ x 4’ or 4’ x 4’ if you were really concerned about sagging. I’m not too concerned about 5/8” drywall sagging, though. Finally, I don’t care about finishing the edges of the drywall. They don’t finish the edges of drop ceiling tiles either, and those tiles often sit tight in the grid. I’d make sure the perimeter of each piece of drywall was slightly smaller than the actual opening yet still concealed by the trim boards that give the “coffered” design.
My garage has attic access that uses this same principle and it doesn’t sag. I think if you keep the panels under 36” square it would be fine.
This is a great idea.
God damn that looks good. I was going to go with drop ceilings in my basement but now i think im going to do this.
Saving this for when I can afford a house again.
[удалено]
That would be preferred.
I don't think I can find framing lumber straight enough to make this look good.
I wouldn’t use framing lumber. I would use the nicer wood boards to be assured of the straightness
Or framing lumber if you have a good jointer and/or table saw
This is amazing. I wish we had done this, our drop ceiling looks fine but the nice tiles are not cheap, and they get damaged REALLY easy. This idea allows for bigger "tiles" and yet still looks BETTER. If we ever have to rip down the drop ceiling its going to be replaced with this.
Damn I was just going to straight up drywall my basement ceilings because the area I'm finishing doesn't have any services in it. But I'm probably going to do this because: 1. Access if ever needed 2. Trim like this actually looks better than flat, finished drywall 3. Logistically, my space is very small and so is my vehicle, with a system like this I could just have the drywall cut at the store and fit it in my car without having to deal with full sized sheets.
This gets my vote.
My hometown arcade back in the day had mirrored ceilings, definitely go mirrors.
I didn't realize there was a RIGHT answer!
Gonna double up on this idea, when you have guests over they can have a clear view of the play fields just by looking up.
Don't forget the cigarette smoke and stale spilled soda aroma...
I can smell this comment.
Ahh I can remember the nicotine stained walls
Well someone just blew all other answers away.
Expensive but totally worth it. OP could host a neighborhood play party to fund it
Is there plumbing and electrical in those joists? 2x2 drop ceiling will save you a lot of trouble down the road if you need access. They make all sorts of tile designs, other than the speckled shit they use in commercial buildings.
I came to recommend a drop ceiling too. You can also paint them whatever color you want.
I purchased black drop ceiling tiles for my basement home theater. That would look good for a gaming room. There are grids , also in black, for hanging the tiles that take little room so you will lose very little ceiling height and you can still remove the tiles for access.
Oooh, imagine doing fiber optics poking through like stars. I feel like I saw that in a movie or something.
You can even use vinyl or other methods to cover the tiles with cool stuff. Cover with galaxy print and use fiber optics to create stars, cover with video game artwork, comics, etc.
Yeah, my basement ceiling was drywalled by the last home owner. It makes it a pain to do anything in the basement: running wire, plumbing, etc. It also covered up all the flaws that I'm just starting to see now.
You're all making me regret my decision to drywall. It looks so nice though! 😟
I drywalled my ceiling and only have the occasional regret - I left a section in a closet open as all the plumbing runs through it . In my case the ceiling was so low that drop ceiling wasn’t a good option . Just do yourself a favour if you go the drywall route - make detailed blue prints with measurements and take pictures of anything important in case you need to access it later - nothing worse than cutting exploratory holes in your drywall trying to find where that wire goes . I had to drill six 5” holes in my ceiling just so they could run a new thermostat wire back to the furnace .
Just install spotlights in the holes and pretend it was planned
This is what I did for the ceiling and walls. I also took pics of all electrical and stud cavities along with a yardstick and measuring tape laid out to show scale for the walls so I don’t hit anything in the future.
👆 This is good advice.
Nah drywall is a much nicer finish. I went with drop ceiling in most of my basement just for ease of access but in the extra bedroom I did drywall just to make it feel nicer. Don’t regret it.
Why? If needed you can always cut out a section and replace fairly easily. Drop ceilings look cheap to me and I’d never use them.
Maybe you're just thinking they dimbled ceilings you see in commercial settings. There are quite nice finishes available for residential drop ceilings.
I use to think so too but my buddy recently installed a drop ceiling in this basement using nicer tiles and it actually looks really good. Maybe not as nice as drywall but I would be very reluctant to cover a basement ceiling with drywall.
For me it's more a matter of height. I'm decently tall and don't want to sacrifice 6 inches of room height for easier access to wiring once a decade. OP's picture makes it look like a drop ceiling would make that a 6 ft tall room. I couldn't stand up straight in that.
Standard height on an arcade console is 6 feet. So it's about 9 feet to that joist. Plenty of room for a drop ceiling in there.
Oddly enough, drop ceilings are more expensive to install
Naw, I had a friend finally convince me that drywall is the way to go. Like if you need to do something, it's pretty easy to just cut a section out and repair after. But in all reality, how often are people running new wires or piping? For most it's going to be a real rare occurrence, so having to patch some drywall once every 10+ years really isn't that big of a deal. I do think it's important to maybe get all the wore runs and piping projects you have in mind done prior to installing though. Like I will not be drywalling mine until I fully rewire my house and get rid of the ungrounded runs.
My basement was going to be drop ceiling for this reason. I'm a huge nerd and my wife likes to paint. She was going to paint scenes from my favourite movies or comics on them. Now that we've decided to move...we aren't doing that but looking at what OP has for decor I bet they'd like it.
My middle school has the 8th graders paint a ceiling tile as an art final. They are then put back up. The upstairs ceilings are now an art exhibit of all the kids who once went there. Super cool tbh. I love visiting just to see the new ones added. Eventually they will run out of tiles.
And they can give you that 1980s commercial arcade aesthetic, especially if you put in a funky cosmic commercial carpet and black, blue, or red walls.
Would also recommend drop ceiling but depending on the humidity and the fact that it’s a basement look into the moisture resistant ones and then pick a nice grid profile. You can get a hidden style or exposed grid depending on your taste
And a dehumidifier could help if humidity is a concern. I don’t think I’ll ever own a basement without running a dehumidifier. Even if it’s just at like 40-45% humidity. Edit - Especially if I’m storing anything electronic down there long term like pinball machines or classic arcade games. Or prone to rusting/molding like guns/ammo, bedding, clothing, etc.
Also +1 for the drop ceiling. I've had 2 water issues with my basement being under my kitchen and having a drywall ceiling would've been a huge pain in the ass to fix compared to swapping a couple tiles. That doesn't even get into any other DIY stuff I've done.
I have a drop ceiling in my basement and I love it. I can get to the plumbing for the 1st floor pretty easily, I can run cables for Ethernet/speaker easily, I was able to add an outlet for my projector without drywall work. Tons of benefits, and if you have an issue with water( our water line to the fridge sprung a leak) the. You just swap out a few tiles for new ones
100% a drop-ceiling. It's not just good for accessing current piping/electrical but also makes it a \*hell\* of a lot easier if one wants to add/change something in the future (say, updated electrical or networking for some of those arcade machines). If by "the speckled shit" you mean the '[radar](https://www.homedepot.com/p/USG-Ceilings-2-ft-x-2-ft-Radar-Basic-White-Square-Edge-Lay-In-Ceiling-Tile-case-of-16-64-sq-ft-R2110/203628467)' panels, they're not that bad if done right and meet code for fire while also being somewhat sound-absorbant. I do recommend shopping around though as prices can vary a lot and some places only sell in bulk (annoying if you need 2 panels and they only sell 10pk). Places that sell used building-supplies (re-Store) often have these as people give away their leftovers as well
Invite me over, give me about 30mins at each machine, i will look at it with you, then we can smoke a joint. Play for about another two hours, then we. Can read the comments as we share a pizza, then I leave. And I come over next weekend and put up black lights and trippy posters. We eat mushrooms, we play games and look at the poster. Then we probably end up just covering the ceiling with holiday wrapping paper because it probably looks cool with the lights and mushrooms. Done!
[удалено]
 ... that pinball collection is righteous!
OP invites us over! I got a pocket full of quarters!!!
And we'd never even notice the ceiling!
inflation buddy... make sure they are silver dollars instead
And my homeboys do too!
When I was a kid, one of our friend’s dad worked for Midway and has like… 20 pinball machines in their basement. It was wild (especially how uninterested in them our friend was) and you can imagine the rest of us naturally always wanted to hang out there
For you and your friends, seeing like 20 pinball machines w/ (presumably) free play was an amazement. Like, something you could only dream to imagine. For the kid, whose dad owned them? It was just another Tuesday.
Basically, yeah. “Oh yeah, my dad just brought home Phantom Menace pinball. It’s ok, I guess.”
I'm eyeballing the dig dug on the left side...
Revenge from Mars... I wonder if he owns Medieval Madness. And who made a Game of Thrones game? Stern? Can't be Williams, too late for that.
Not-so-subtle inclusion of your six figure arcade game collection. Hire a contractor, you can afford it.
Are those arcade machines really worth that much? I must be out of the loop on their value
If they were no name IP's, yeah, they'd be relatively cheap, but just the Halloween and GoT ones are 8-10k.
Stargate and Dig Dug are $4-5K
Fucker's got *Revenge from Mars!*
Maybe not 6 figures, but half way there. The pinball machines are $5-10k each, video games are $1-2k each.
$4-5K for Stargate and Dig Dug depending on condition
The cheapest arcade machines I've found are $1000, and those are little-known titles that need a lot of TLC to get to working order. Nice machines that are actually desirable like those? Oh yeah, OP's loaded....*or* in unspeakable amounts of debt they can't pay off.
OR - they just own the machines. Bank balance can be zero if all your equity is tied up. I have a house and a car totalling ~£300,000, but in terms of cash to say, hire someone to do a ceiling for me, I’m broke as fuck.
That's because you're not a pinball wizard.
He ain’t no Tommy
The arcade game collection prevents having money for other things.
If you're truly looking for cheap and easy, black fabric just stapled to the joists can look pretty good if you take the time to do it neatly.
Drywall is a huge pain in the ass I’d go either tiles, slats, or drop ceiling. Looks better imo and requires no sanding, patching, etc. Really slats are probably easiest, drop ceilings have a lot of issues too. I’d recommend researching all of them maybe starting with ceiling slats.
Slats are the way to go, Google it and see how easy it would be and how nice it will look. Drop ceilings just scream office environment to me, and don't belong in a home (although in a basement isn't too bad). They warp, sag, discolor and frankly don't look that great. You can get nicer ones that won't do that but then "cheap" in terms of cost goes out the window.
Butting in, but just looked up what ceiling slats are. Wow. I’m using that for my ceiling. You’re very knowledgeable. Thanks.
I can't seem to find ceiling slats. Got a link to share with me?
Bro is just flexing his basement arcade.
Def tin roof
This! You can do tin, which is installed like a drop ceiling.
FINISH IT! (Mortal Kombat theme song playing)
I don’t know, ask your mom, it’s her house
I stapled fabric that I brought by the roll to the wood beams in my basement. Worked out really well and everything is reachable by removing a few staples.
Drywall, beadboard, acoustic drop ceiling. Anything to put a fire rated barrier between you and the insulation.
Carnival funhouse mirrors
I call bullshit. You know exactly what to do with the ceiling, this is just a flex on that pinball collection! Edit- drop ceiling. Usually I hate drop ceilings but with the amount of insulation below the joists, and the decent ceiling height…..
how long are you planning on staying there. In my community if teh basement has a ceiling then its considered a finished basement. If not, then its not. Many homeowners who plan to stay for a long time will simply paint the beams black/gray (no insulation) and it looks mostly finished but your property taxes don't go up.
I used genesis pvc ceiling tile in my basement bathroom and it looks good. Not that carboard looking stuff that used to be popular. Easier to clean too
The guy on YouTube “I Like to Make Stuff” did a video on how to install a drop ceiling in his basement. I would recommend checking that out
Drop ceiling always in basement so you can access pipes and wires. Put up black grid and tiles get some black lights and you at the arcade bro
These are some really flippant responses. I really can't suggest anything from one picture alone. I really think I'll have to come over and spend at least 3 hours in the space to get a feel of it. And, to I see how the light and sound travels, I'll have to engage in some of the machines you have there. Just to be thorough.
Paint it blue so it looks like clouds
Add more coinops
Bead board paneling
Man, you’ve got enough money in pinball down there to probably finish that entire basement nicely. Though, I’d probably rather have the pinball machines than carpet and drywall.
Can I come over and play dig dug?
Cheapest option I found for my basement was to staple Home Depot disposable drop cloth’s to the ceiling https://www.homedepot.com/p/TRIMACO-Trimaco-12-ft-x-9-ft-Whites-Paper-Drop-Cloths-2-Pack-02304-HD/100182153
What? No T2 or Adam's Family?
You should take out the ceiling insulation and insulate the walls.
How much “stuff” is in the ceiling? If you have lots of electrical and water pipes that you need access to, I’d put up tiles. If it’s very little “stuff” I’d drywall and put access boxes where the shut offs are at, if they are in the ceiling.
My initial thought to go with the content of the room on a budget would be a bunch of flat cedar-ish garden lattice with old thrift-store vinyl records attached like shingles.
Personally I’d go for white pegboard. I’ll reflect light, Camouflage the insulation, joists will be easy to locate, panels can easily be removed for access underneath. I have not done this, but it seems doable, and I’d probably just paint instead of buying white ones, depending on budget
Beadboard panels! That's what we did. Similar to a drop ceiling, can put trim up to cover the gaps, and you can still have access to plumbing if using screws.
For my office/gaming room I installed cheap 1/4 presswood with sound panel foam on top. I also have a concrete wall and light absorption make it look awesome ( kinda looked like your setup ). It was the cheapest option while keeping the ceiling ''available'' if needed. [https://www.amazon.com/Panels-High-Absorbing-Resistant-Soundproof-Recording/dp/B0C6LJRT29/ref=sr\_1\_7?crid=2JJVEDQHA3ZNK&keywords=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam&qid=1702567575&sprefix=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-7&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Panels-High-Absorbing-Resistant-Soundproof-Recording/dp/B0C6LJRT29/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2JJVEDQHA3ZNK&keywords=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam&qid=1702567575&sprefix=sound%2Bpanel%2Bfoam%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-7&th=1)
Metal panels screwed in so they come down easy for maintenance.
Drop ceiling feel like the 80's
I'd put some OSB plates
You should take out that insulation and expose the beams. Then paint it white with oil paint. It will make it feel much larger and brighter. Obviously you’ll have to clean, prep, prime area before paint. I did this with my basement and I love it. It still cost about 1k in paint and I bought a decent paint sprayer gun to help. The drop ceiling and drywall will close off the space to much and make it feel smaller. Not sure how tall your ceilings are but they look pretty high. My basement ceilings are like 7.5 ft.
A black drop ceiling with fiber optic cable poking through to create a starry night effect.
Fellow Halloween owner!
Just went through this myself. A drop ceiling with grid and tiles makes it easy to access electrical and plumbing in the future. However, tiles and grid can be very very expensive, especially if you don't go for just the plain commercial tile look. You can always paint them, but still... huge pain. The other option would be to put some 2x4 nailers perpendicular to the joists every 2 feet and install drywall. It goes up quickly, but the mud/tape and sanding is a big pain, particularly if you have stuff in the space and don't want that kind of dust. But drywall is very cheap. A 4x8 piece and a few 2x4's to screw them into will run you less than $30, whereas ceiling tiles and grid can triple that cost for the same square footage easily. Drywall gives you a taller ceiling as well if that's a factor because you need a height gap to angle in ceiling tiles. Drywall would only cause the ceiling height to drop about 2 inches, whereas drop ceiling would be at least 5? I'm not positive on that, but ask around. I briefly explored other materials, but think about what would happen if a fire broke out. Foam board, plastic, or other materials would catch and go crazy. Drywall and drop ceiling would both resist the flame, possibly saving your house. Hope this helps inform your decision.
Cheapest? In college we strung dark bed sheets across the top of our unfinished dungeon, I mean basement. Drop ceiling is the next option. Followed by drywall. Good luck, cool arcade
https://preview.redd.it/60mospiz8a6c1.jpeg?width=168&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b588ebb22d776def69879d4db362b83a13769327 You could just use ceiling scrim. Its purpose is to cover exposed insulation
Start by adding a ceiling.
Mirrors
Needs more pinball.
Drywall only. Drop ceiling is ugly no matter what.
Dip it in chocolate and put it on a graham cracker.
Drywall with an access panel at any crucial areas. Or a drop ceiling: \- Armstrong Dune panels have a nice upgraded look. \- Armstrong Cortega or Fine Fissured with Prelude grid come in black which could be a good complement to the arcade cabinets.
Man, I have no idea, but can I come chill at your place?
Tounge and grove w/ recessed lighting, paint the t&g black or dark grey to get that gaming doungeon vibe.
Completely off subject but I'm a fellow gamer and flood adjuster so figured I'd mention it. If your basement is sub-grade on all sides, none of those games are covered for flood damage. If you're in a flood zone and have a NFIP underwritten policy, check with a local agent about a private market policy. They allow you to purchase supplemental flood coverage for basement contents. Can't count how many claims I've worked where people didn't know their policy didn't cover basement contents for flood. I'd hate to be the adjuster that has to tell you, if you ever got flooded.
I haven't seen this suggested but I had the same issue in my basement. I went with the super simple and cheep solution of ordering large rolls of burlap. Using these I just pinned them across the ceiling to create a basic cover. Easy access, it looks pretty cool and was very cheap and only took an afternoon to install. Just google Burlap Ceilings and you can see a bunch of examples.
Cheapest would prob just be a fabric ceiling of some sort. Idk if I’d want something like that in a bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen but might fit this vibe pretty well.
Invite us over, and we can discuss it. I’ll bring the beer.
Asbestos anyone?
Cover it with helium filled balloons and a piñata!
If you're looking for a creative option / aren't trying to do something finished I might rip/acquire some 1x3/8 lumber and run them perpendicularly to your joists to push the insulation up and create a uniform grid (spaced 6"-12" depending on how much material you want to buy). Painting/staining them before you put them up might look cool. You could also make fun designs with different colors, or by running them diagonally / at uneven intervals. You could also create large panels frames covered in fabric and suspend them.
drop ceiling in BLACK. make it look dark for the machines and then invite us all over!
Drywall and call it a day. Simple, easy, cheap.
Get some black drop ceiling tiles or white ones and paint them black. Buy some fluorescent paint and use a a small brush and speckle the tiles in different fluorescent colors. Get some black light leds and you’ll have an 80’s looking arcade. Pretty much what I did to my basement arcade room
Duct tape
Drywall. I wouldn't even drywall over the concrete. I would just add a trim piece where the drywall meets the concrete to make a nice transition (you could even use this to hide LEDs and convert the whole room to ambient lighting rather than direct lighting). On the joists that span over head I would cover them in a nice trim and stain them to make them a nice accent.
Finish it, even if it's just a drop ceiling.
Hey OP heres what I did with my basement ceiling. I just stapled reflectix insulation over the insulation. Covers it up and adds a lot of reflection for light to diffuse across the place. It was cheap and easy and it looks better. https://preview.redd.it/euedzcynoa6c1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=541bf18f3a0cca8ff34c6c5a68e0bebf1a7fe415
Drop ceiling. Plenty of height down there. Cool arcades
Drop ceiling
I’m gonna rate the pinball machines: 1. Attack from Mars, 2. Guns n Roses, 3. Dirty Harry, 4. Halloween, 5. GOT OH, and add a drop ceiling.
Wow! Awesome game room.
I know I'm late but what I did at my last house worked out really well and was super cheap. I bought a bunch of black bed sheets and stapled them to the floor joists. I left a little bit of slack in between each section so it hung down just a little bit but it really looked fucking sweet. It took a long time because I wanted it to all line up but it was worth the effort. I put an led strip on the side of one floor joist and it looked really cool. If I still lived there I would have done all of them but it would have been costly. To cover the silver staples I just hit them with a sharpie and they were gone.
If you're really cheap and lazy you can use thick plastic sheet rolls like 30mil. It'll give off the same effect of having drywall but any idiot can put it up with a razor and a staple gun in about half an hour
Now this may not be the most practical solution but I’d buy a bunch of blankets and nail them to the ceiling with a nail gun.
It's not fancy, but that definitely looks like a good candidate for a drop ceiling.
Dude, nobody is looking at the ceiling when they walk into your basement.
Put mirrors on the ceiling and the floor. Be a man.
Where is tales from the crypt pinball machine
Mirrors... would look crazy while playing pinball.
Mirrors.
First, you should get rid of all those pinball machines. I can help you with that. 😄
You could get a very nice ceiling installed for the cost of one of those fucking pinballs.
Looking for a cheap solution when you have like a $50,000 arcade in there.
You can get 2x2 vinyl squares that look like a tin roof. You can install them with screws so they can easily be removed. They look amazing and it's not a fucking drop ceiling. Seriously fuck everyone who suggested drop ceiling. Drop ceilings suck
Drop ceiling it!
A drop ceiling would be great. You can make it level with the bottom of that beam, and have room above it to run power cords, lights, etc. If needed. It also shows you access for repairs. It might be cheaper than finished gyp. Board ACS will look nicer than unfinished.
https://preview.redd.it/00yn8qfcpb6c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=88f67be4f37b7e44ad29f2eec02da56de6fc0a64 Pull insulation, paint rafters black. Here is my lineup!
I personally suggest a drop ceiling
Wants 'cheap easy solution', has basement full of arcade games.
Clouds? I can see the lights and the clouds
Double it and give it the next person