LESLIE: Now we’ve got Susan in Minnesota who finds The Money Pit on KNUJ. And you’ve got a basement question. What’s on your mind?
SUSAN: Yes, my question is what your advice would be with the Owens Corning where – for in a basement versus studding it out.
TOM: The basement finish system? Yeah, that’s a – that’s a prefabricated basement finish system where the panels are basically structural and pretty all at the same time. That Owens Corning system allows you to redo a basement fairly quickly. It’s installed by franchisees. It’s fairly pricey.
LESLIE: It looks good.
TOM: It looks great. It’s going to be more expensive then doing it the traditional way, where you stud it out and use drywall and stuff. But it does look fabulous. A lot of basements are – because they’re underground – are being studded with metal studs these days and that actually saves some cost.
And the other thing that she should think about, Leslie, I think is the kind of wallboard …
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: … that she uses. I would not use traditional drywall; paper face drywall. No.
LESLIE: Paper face drywall. You want to make sure, Susan, because the basement – if you’re going to go with the drywall technique – the basement is such an area to have a lot of moisture because it’s below grade and you know, humidity, possibility for mold growth. So if you’re going to do drywall, make sure you get one of the newer kinds; like Georgia Pacific has one called Dens Armor. And it is a fiberglass face drywall. It looks just like drywall; finishes just like traditional paper faced drywall. But because it’s fiberglass, it’s not going to be a food source for potential mold and mildew growth. And the only option I say about the Owens Corning basement system is that the way it pieces together is that you do get some seaming of the pieces coming together; whereas if you go with drywall, it’s going to be a smooth wall. So it’s aesthetically a choice you need to think about.
TOM: Well, it’s the great untapped space; the basement. Susan, thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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