finishing basement
 

Hi guys,
newbie here...but currently I am finishing up my basement and I'd like to know some steps like what to do first....

right now I have finished up the layout and framing. Almost done all the drywalls including drywall ceiling.

now since I am the only one doing this, I really had trouble putting up the drywalls to my ceilling....very heavy! :( so ended up cutting smaller pieces so I can put it up myself.

I've put compound already, but planning on putting stucko instead of sanding it smooth because it's very tiring. Good idea??

and now I've made up my mind on what color my living room, bedroom and washroom, should I wait til I finish with stucko ceiling first before I start painting the walls? or can I paint my walls first since I can't get a hold of the stucko machine right now (have to wait a bit for my friend to be avaliable doing it for me).

another question, is the stucko machine easy to use by rookie like me? never used one. :D

any suggestion?

I'm not sure what you mean by "stucko". I've seen and very breifly used a 'stipple' machine, which is not unlike a paint gun. A pain in the neck, hard to get the right thickness (too thin and it doesn't look good, too thick and it falls, but not hard too use itself). I think it required an oil primer too, which is nasty to put on overhead.

I would very much recommend doing any ceiling that needs to be sprayed or painted before you do the walls or the flooring.

Use a "dead man" on the drywall ceiling next time. It is a 2/4 with another nailed to the top, you slide it under the drywall.
Use the stipple "popcorn" to do the ceiling before priming the walls. You can rent the machine at Lowes or HD. Some will get on the walls, you can knock this off with a broad knife.
Good Luck,
Lorin

Stucco is generally used in exposed exterior conditions. It contains cement and dries very hard, making it hard to clean up once it dries. I'm not sure what texture or finish you are trying to achieve but you could use a mixture of drywall compound and sand and just take a trowel and make a pattern of your choice. Simply roll or spray the color of your choice to match your decor. Works well on walls and ceilings.

I assume that by cutting the sheet rock into small peices that you do not have the ability to tape the tapered edges to form a smooth seam...you therefore want to "stucco" to hide the bad seams and imperfections...This type of finish does not clean or paint easily, that being said you could just as easily put a heavy coat of mud(spackle) and swirl it, pucker it, or use any othe type of pattern to hide the seams etc...Just remember to still tape your seams or you will end up with cracks.

I "textured" my living room ceiling with the help of a contractor friend who had all the equipment. We mixed up the material by combining a gallon of white ceiling paint with, I think, 2 gallons of drywall mud for each batch. We used the extra large and thick rollers to slop the stuff on the ceiling and then I came behind with a thing that looked like a worn out flattened broom that I would smack around on the ceiling to create the texture.

I was the biggest mess I'd ever seen and we had the carpet covered in 2 or 3 layers of plastic and some still got through.

So, if this is what you're thinking of doing...Don't paint the wall first!

Thanks for all your suggestion guys.
I am gonna have to prime my ceiling first.....and rent a stucco machine and spread away!! :)

Some questions:
Can you access shutoff valves for supply plumbing?
Are cleanouts for DWV plumbing also accessible?
Are collar dampers for forced HVAC systems accessible?
Are zone valves for hydronic heating systems accessible?
All electrical junction boxes must be accessible per NEC.
Working space requirements per NEC also apply.

These items may not become issues until the home is sold. When the local municipal inspector, the fire marshal, and the buyer's inspector (me) come through, then there is a problem.

If everything above is covered, fine. Good luck!

Thanks for your concern, but yes, they're all accessible.

Have you considered one of the more elegant patterned drop ceilings? I say this because I constantly find that I need to run wiring or need to access the utilties in the ceiling of the basement.

I personally am not a fan of textured walls that have a pointed finish, but I have seen a great textured wall that had what looked like a subtle random groove pattern to it.

Did you insulate the walls with foam board prior to framing up the walls?

I didn't want drop ceilings because that would make my basement very low in height. I've put up the ceiling with drywalls instead.

I also did insulate all my walls including the ceiling since I need to block as much noise as possible from upstair.

good idea on the ceiling insulation, that way you can turn your basement into a home theater and not worry about the noise.

I don't know if you've commited yourself to a textured ceiling yet, but most tool rental stores rent power drywall sanders. They typically are attached to a vacuum, making the job pretty much dust-free.

Textured ceilings are rather simple, but you're kind of limited on what you can do afterwards. 'Knock-Down' finish (which is what we usually do on whatever we build) works good on walls and ceilings and will hide a lot of things. It's messy too, just like anything that will get applied to sheetrock. :)

Knock-down is just thinned drywall mud sprayed on with a texture gun, then lightly troweled after it dries a little while.