LESLIE: Now we’re going to welcome Laura from Virginia who listens to The Money Pit on WJFK. What can we do for you? You’re working on your basement.
VIRGINIA: Yeah, we have an unfinished basement and I was wondering is there any other alternative, other than drywall and the expense of that, that you can – to make it look better than just the concrete at the bottom and up at the top, I guess, it’s the wood …
LESLIE: Well, there’s a couple of options. When you’re dealing with basements – especially because they’re such a high-moisture situation because it’s below grade – drywall, if you’re going to put it up, you should generally go with something that has a Microban or a mildicide; something built into it so that you’re not going to grow mold in the presence of moisture. And there’s a new drywall product – I know you’re not looking for drywall but let me tell you about this one – and it is from Georgia Pacific; it’s called Dens Armor Plus and it is an antimicrobial drywall. So if you go with drywall, it’s a better choice for a high-moisture situation.
There’s also a brand new product from Owens Corning. And what is it called, Tom? The basement finishing system?
TOM: It’s called the Owens Corning Basement Finish System and it’s a modular system. And what’s need about it is it really cuts down the installation time.
You know, the problem with redoing a basement, if you have to frame walls and attach drywall to them – any type of drywall – it takes a long time to do it and it’s kind of messy by the time you get done with the taping and the spackling and the painting. This is a system where the contractors basically come in and assemble the basement in like a day. Now, it’s going to be more expensive than drywall and it sounds to me like you’re trying to find a less expensive alternative. But it does have the advantage of being done quickly and is really, really pretty when it’s finished.
VIRGINIA: Oh, that sounds good. That is probably something that we would look at; something that’s quicker like that.
LESLIE: And it’s really attractive.
TOM: Yeah, go to their website at OwensCorning.com and you can check out the basement finish system there.
Laura, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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