Redoing basement gym--need advice, kinda long

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
OK I put pics of the current state of my "home gym" on my picture trail:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17585945&uid=9586454&members=1

Obviously it's very dark & needs some lightening up, among other things. I think I've decided on the flooring:

http://www.stagestep.com/StageStep_flooring_woodstepultra.html

In the maple color, need the lightest color available. Is this similar to what the rest of you have done? My only concern is the ceiling is only 6'--fortunately I'm short otherwise it'd be useless :p --& I'm guessing this floor will take up at least an inch of space making it even tighter, but I guess scraped knuckles are better than knee surgery.

Also, did you do your flooring yourself? I looked at the directions & I think I can do it alone. It might take me a couple weekends while it'd take a pro a couple hours, but it'll save me a bundle.

Not sure what to do about the paint colors. I don't know if you can tell, but in the pic that shows the fan & the boxes of crap I haven't unpacked yet, that stuff is actually sitting on a bench that opens for storage, which is a really nice feature. My initial instinct was to go all white just b/c it's so dark right now, but then I changed my mind & decided I wanted to really punch it up w/some color. One wall obviously will be mirrored. I'm thinking either 2 shades of one color (maybe a light, beachy blue)--I'd use the lighter color for most of the room & a slightly darker color to accent.

Finally, the horrible protrusion from the ceiling which is totally cramping my style. They're pipes from my furnace, kitchen/bathroom plumbing, etc. I'm wondering if they can be extended into the ceiling & covered so they're not sticking out & will give me the whole room to work out in? Right now it's either one side of the room or the other. Makes Drill Max kind of impossible. ;-)

Thoughts? Advice? Any help would be much appreciated....TIA!
 
Hi Laura! My only piece of advice for you is to make sure you Kiltz (? on the spelling) before painting over those walls. You can get it at your local Home Depot or hardware store. If you are not familiar with it, it's just a paint that seals the wood so that the knots don't show through. It also will kill any residual smell that has absorbed into the wood. We had that in several rooms when we bought our house. Most of which has been removed, but I kept it in my breezeway and painted it a sage green. This was about 9 years ago and it still looks great. There are couple of knots coming through but it actually looks cool.

I like your idea of having 2 walls lighter with one accent wall and one mirrored wall. The ceiling, I have no input for you. I have a similar situation in my unfinished basement where I work out. I was just telling my husband that we should put a suspended ceiling up but it hangs down too low. Drill Max would definetly have to be modified!! And I only have mat flooring over concrete, so I have no advice on your flooring. Regardless, I'm pretty sure you could tackle it yourself given all the practice you've had with repair work and using tools since moving into your new home!!!

I noticed that you have a dehumidifier now. Do you notice any difference in your mold/damp situation?
 
Thanks Melissa--yes I'm familiar w/the primer. Truthfully I love natural wood & hate to paint it, & this is real wood paneling, but it's just way too dark for a workout room. I'm still kicking around ideas for the color but I do appreciate the suggestion.

The dehumidifier has been a godsend! I have noticed a tremendous difference & it is most definitely much more comfortable to work out there now--thanks for asking! :)

BTW, I am trying to get the room on to Divine Design on HGTV. They'll do rooms within a 90 minute drive of NYC. I watch the show all the time & I don't believe they've ever done a home gym, so maybe it'll be a unique enough project for them to try. And I'm pretty sure the host goes to my gym--I swear I saw her on the treadmill the other night sans makeup. }(
 
Wow, that would be awesome if you got onto Divine Design. I watch that show all the time. And have never seen them do a home gym. Good luck!!

I had a really hard time covering the wood too. The previous owners were heavy smokers and I just couldn't get the smell out of the wood so we had to end up painting it.

Glad to hear the dehumidifier is making a big difference!!!

Good luck on your room!
 
You could be right--I watch so many of those shows I get them confused. I just assumed it was Devine Design b/c you have to pay for everything yourself--I believe shows like Decorating Cents & Design on a Dime pay for the improvements through HGTV. I could be thinking of 24 Hour Design or maybe it's a new show?

The chick at my gym is a tall blonde in her 50s w/the hair that's really short, cut to the nape of the neck but kind of long on top, if that makes sense.

Crap, now I have to go to their website & figure out who's who.

ETA: Joan Steffend from Decorating Cents I think. Not positive though.
 
Hello Laura,

I have experience with decorating rooms when I re-furbished my flat and this is what I would advise.

The flooring sounds really good for the work out room. It's great that you are tackling this yourself. I just hope that it's not too complicated and you have all the right tools. Good tools make a difference. I know that workmen will cost more, but it might be worth considering especially since you will have a workout space much sooner. It depends on how busy you are.

Is it possible to remove the wood panels along the walls before you paint? What's underneath? Concrete, brick? Can you replaster the walls? Because if you could remove and replaster then the room would look much more spacious and airy, you know more breathable.

If the wood panels are fine and removing it is too much hard work (don't make more trouble for yourself if you don't need to) then sand them down so you get rid of the varnish before you paint. You can get a hand held electric sander that does the job quite well. The smoother the surface the better the paint will look and the better it will go on.

I would advise sticking with white paint all over with one mirror because if the room has no light then even light paint will look dull and one dark wall will make the room sink into itself. What you could do if you want more colour is to try stencilling the borders around the ceiling area or down the side on each corners. You can get some great stencil patterns from a DYI shop. If you can draw, even better. Or have fitness posters on the walls. But white paint will be cheaper and give the room more light and add space above and below as well as around. Over time paint will fade in colour anyway. Where that door opens you can paint it a different colour so it stands out as a door.

As for the potrusion, I know it's cramping your style. But my experience is, if there is nothing wrong with it don't touch it. You might end up creating more problems for yourself. For example, I had a tiler in my flat to remove some old tiles in the bathroom. I was so stupid because I told him to remove tiles around the toilet and wash basin as well and when he did so he discovered that the toilet was not properly fitted and the waste pipe in the wall is not on the same level as the toilet pipe, the wash basin is now loose too. I now have to call out a plumber, at more expense to myself, to re-fit them. I should've told him to leave the tiles around the toilet and wash basin well alone. It is a pain in the neck.

Best of luck with the basement and post some after pictures when it's finished.

Yen
 
I think Candace is around my age, but she is tall and blonde:)

I know most of those shows you have to commit to spending a certain amount of money (it's usually at least around $5000).
 
I would paint the door the same colour as the walls. It looks like it is cut out of the panelling and it has no molding around it. I think painting it a different colour will draw too much attention to it and unless it's a feature you want to highlight, I think it should just blend with the walls. And if you're going with white, don't go stark white. Use a creamy white. China White by Behr is a good choice, as is Cloud White by Benjamin Moore. If you're using a high adhesion primer like Kilz, you don't need to sand the walls smooth. Just give them a light sanding to help the primer adhere. After you're done sanding, wash them with a solution of TSP and water and rinse them well.

I agree that the bulkhead will be more trouble than it's worth to change. Can you rearrange the room so your TV/DVD is in that area and you're not actually using it as floor space?
 
Here is a link to the flat that I had refurbished.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kimyenchu.uk/25CatfordBroadway

The bathroom has no natural light and I painted it the lightest shade of pink/fushia and to me it still looks a bit dark.

I painted the open plan living room and kitchen brilliant white with a strong colour on the potruding wall and doors, so the the room does not look too white.

It's all about colour blending. Maybe it will give you some ideas.


Yen
 
UGH the stupid thing runs right through the center of the room! I'm wondering if I can at least get a less obtrusive covering? Maybe I don't need something so large as the box cover........

So really you guys think white? It's so boring! I kicked around a few color ideas & my first thought was to choose 3 really bright, bold colors but then I decided that was too limiting (like if I want to do pilates or something I'd like to have colors that are a bit more soothing).

I'm definitely not removing the paneling, it's just too much work & mess (gosh, the disposal fees alone would probably cost more than the new floor!). Painting it seems like the best solution, especially b/c it is a good quality wood.

BTW, there are FOUR paneled doors. One (smaller door) covers the circuit breaker, one covers some weird hole where the electric meter & a bunch of wiring is, one accesses the oil tank & the last is the entry to the unfinished/laundry part of the basement.

Maybe I can do a vertical striping that works w/the paneling? Like, alternating a white with a pale beige or taupe or something like that? Still kind of boring......I am definitely a color person when it comes to decorating. Decisions decisions!
 
That's nice Yen. I don't think the bathroom looks too dark, I think it's pretty. :)

Funny, now that I think about it I don't have a single white room in my entire house, nor did I have a single white room in my last house. Weird huh?
 
Laura - you said it's pipes and ductwork? Maybe you can take the cover off completely and paint the ductwork, etc. the same colour as the ceiling so it recedes? They do that in restaurants when they have a big tall ceiling and they don't want to put a dropped ceiling in.

If you don't like white, then don't use white. I would caution against using several colours though... I would use two at the most. Do two of the walls a lighter colour, one wall a punchier colour and then mirror the fourth wall. Don't use taupe. It sucks light more than any colour I know:p

I would go with a warm colour rather than blue. The basement doesn't usually get much light and blue is a cold colour.
 
Laura,
You've gotten so great ideas. I just did my basement gym, too. For one of the walls...how about a mirror?

I contacted the following people:

http://mirrorajwholesale.com/?gclid=CMG7n-WA-IwCFQk4IwodlFGI9w

They installed the 72" by 100" mirror and did a great job! My basement has a turn in the stairwell so they had to cut it to get it down the stairs. I asked for specific cuts so the main part of the mirror (center) was in one piece... The seams aren't that noticeable and they edging they put up is really nice. It was about half the price of the quotes I received from other mirror places.

You'll have to be patient with these people though, it took about a month for them to get out to do the job but it was worth it!

Kathy G


Ooops, I live in NJ as well.
 
Thanks Kathy, great info! Do you mind if I ask how much it cost?

Shelley, fabulous idea about the pipes! Why didn't I think of that? I bet it would reduce the protrusion by another 2-4 inches........

I am still leaning toward blue though--something like a sky or ocean blue. I'd do 3 walls with it, leave the trim & the benches white, & then maybe paint the paneling under the bench & the little triangular piece of paneling by the stairs (can't see it in the pic) a slightly deeper blue. I find blue very clean & soothing, don't know why--color is such a personal thing.

I do love warmer colors--my old LR was a deep mauve & my old DR was a Williamsburg blue--but I've found they tend to make a space seem smaller & more closed in than "colder" colors.
 
Laura,
When my husband found this site on the web and called, they quoted him $275 and they honored it. I paid $275 plus gave the guys $40 for a tip (poor things, the dang thing weighs about 200 lbs!)

So total was $315 and I got quotes for one not as nice for $575 and up.

Kathy G
 
Laura,

I'd say start with white then see for yourself how the room looks before you start adding colour. In my experience, it's easier to paint over white paint with colour paint than to paint over colour paint with white. You only need one coat of the colour paint whereas you might need several coats of white paint.

Work like an artist and start with a blank canvas then add colour where you would like it. You are also going to have mirror on one wall so that reduces the amount of space you have to work with. Once you have the room primed and ready and mirror fitted you will easily be able to see for yourself if colours would work. That was how I did the open plan living room/kitchen. I painted it all white and then I thought it looked a bit stark, the tiles in the kitchen was not enough to reduce the brightness, so I had the chimney breast painted in the same colour as one of the tiles and carried that colour on to the doors of the flat.

Also maybe visit some show rooms or gyms and get some ideas.

I must say, I am getting really excited for you. I love interior design.

Yen
 
I think you should go with color. White in a utilitarian space like that would be kinda stark. Since you'll need to prime it first, the primer will probably be white and it'll give you an idea of what that would look like.

I like your idea of some soothing colors. If you chose white as an accent, it would set off a paler color and give it more pop.

Most paint stores sell small pots of sample colors for like $3 a piece - I've also had a Benjamin Moore place let me have some for free. It's usually enough to cover a 3'x3' swatch on the wall and get an idea for the color in the room.
 
Thanks Yen, I love it too! And I just sent off my email to HGTV........I priced the floors and, well, I am floored! Cost for materials alone will require a few months of serious penny pinching on my part.....I'm just a little less excited than I was this morning.

In the meantime I will see if I can remove that box cover & start painting. Visually/psychologically it'll make a world of difference & can be done quickly & cheaply.

Sadly, the floor is the most important part & I'm thinking I won't be able to get it done until early next year. Hopefully I won't have to wait for my tax refund LOL.
 
Laura,
I think we moved at about the same time. I just finished painting my w/out room. I did a sort of gray color but it has blue undertones. It came out really nice. I thought about going white but I was afraid that it would get dirty. The room was originally a taupe color and it looks so much better now. All I have left to do now is to get DH to hang the mirrors.
LD
 
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