2.
Suspended ceilings vs drywall in the basement
What are the advantages of suspended ceilings vas drywall?
Which would be easier to install, maintain and what are
some of the issues with each, especially health concerns
and future repairs? We will explore each of these areas
in this short newsletter. If you would like more information,
the web sites listed at the end of this article can provide
you with additional detail.
Regardless of which type of ceiling you select, planning
is a very high priority. If your entire basement will be
finished, then electrical wiring for the lights in the
ceiling, and also for the rest of the basement must be
planned carefully. Cable runs for cable-tv, telephone,
speaker systems and alarms systems must be given careful
attention. If you are planning to install a central vacuum
or run a water pipe to your ice making refrigerator on
the floor above, now is the time to install all of these
items. Obviously, if you install a suspended ceiling, you
will have the flexibility to remove some of the panels
in the future to accommodate some of the above considerations,
however with a drywall ceiling, you have much more work
involved to install these types of appliances and cabling
onc ethe ceiling has been installed.
Drywall ceilings can be textured, stippled or painted.
Although most people seem to apply a stippled finish, you
have many more choices regarding the finish that you apply
to your drywall ceiling. Suspended ceilings come in a number
of varieties of finish and colours, however you generally
do not have the same flexibility with suspended ceilings
that you have with drywall.
If dust is a concern you may
have already decided to use wood paneled walls and suspended
ceilings in your
basement. Dust from drywall finishing can be an issue
for some people, either from an allergy impact or just
from the amount of dust that tends to be spread throughout
the home during construction. If you are concerned about
the gas emissions from panelled walls, glues etc, then
drywall may be the answer even with the dust, which only
lasts for a short time.
Installation time and difficulty
are about the same, although they each will need different
tools and skill
sets. Both can be installed by the consumer or by a professional.
Suspended ceilings are easier to repair, just flip out
a panel and place a new one in its place, while drywall
needs to be taped, plastered, dried, sanded and painted
over several days.
Obviously the decision will be a very
individual choice for each person and their family. The
final finish, health
issues, choice of colours, flexibility with regards to
installing missed cables etc are all issues that each
consumer will need to consider. Just the other day my
neighbour was talking about buying a new fridge with
an icemaker. I asked him if his basement was finished,
to which he answer yes with a chagrined look. Although
we could find a way to get the water pipe to his fridge,
he did not want any part of messing up his new-finished
basement and his drywall ceiling!
So to wrap up, if flexibility
to add something in the future is important for you then
maybe you want to consider
a suspended ceiling. On the other hand if you prefer
a more finished look and are not concerned about future
modifications, then drywall is probably the best for
you.
Some useful links to check out
Armstrong Ceilings
http://www.armstrong.com/resceilingsna/index.jsp
Suspended Ceilings: What You Need and What to Avoid
http://doityourself.com/ceiling/scneed.htm
Installing Suspended Ceilings
http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/htseries/susceil.html
Installing Plaster Ceilings
http://www.usg.com/Expert_Advice/3_5_4_inst_dry_att.asp
Installing Drywall
http://www.chase-pitkin.com/How-To/Projects/floor_wall/insdrywall/drywall.htm
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3. Kitchen walk-in-pantry
There are many practical issues to consider for your pantry
design, as well as how you will clean and maintain a healthy
environment within your pantry. We will explore a few of
these issues in this article. We have also, as usual, provided
a number of web sites that we thought you might find interesting
and useful.
As with many design projects there is a process that everyone
should go through to ensure that the final solution meets
their needs. Pantry design is no different. Since space is
limited, we will focus on the basics and refer you to some
of the web sites listed below for more detail.
The two basic questions everyone must address is “What
will the pantry be used for? “ and “How much
space do you have to work with?” Pantries in smaller
homes may be limited to wall cabinets or pull out drawers,
while in larger homes they will be large enough to walk into
and may be also multi purpose. Kitchen pantries storing items
traditionally used in the kitchen will be designed differently
than a closet pantry located in the basement or perhaps closer
to the laundry facilities. Once you have decided how much
space you have to work with, you must also decide what it
will be used for. This is important for a number of reasons.
Pantries used to store food goods should never have household
items such as cleansers and soap stored in them as well.
Although everything is sealed, there still can be a transfer
of smells to your food goods. It is always a good idea to
separate food storage from cleaning supplies. If you have
a large pantry, wall closet or walk in, consider either shallow
shelves or roll out shelves so that all items are accessible
and easily found.
Health issues are also a consideration. If your pantry is
not easy to clean, then it probably will not be and you will
find that over time you will have a build up of dust and
small particles of food. These food particles can be attractive
to ants and other insects that may enter your home. One suggestion
is to leave room under the bottom shelf so it is easy to
clean and vacuum. In addition as we mentioned previously
do not store dry food goods with cleansers and soaps.
While recycling and pantries do not always go hand in hand,
you might consider a bottom drawer combination for a recycling
unit. If it is convenient to the kitchen and easily accessed
you will be more likely to make use of it.
Design questions that you should consider are as follows:
