DIY Basement Wall Alternative to Drywall

It’s week 4 of the One Room Challenge and you might have noticed I was MIA last week. Let’s just say that building a room from scratch might have been a tall order, haha! The good news is the wine cellar construction process is coming along and I officially have interior walls now! If you missed week one or week two check those out first to see what’s in store. Now let me walk you through my DIY basement wall alternative to drywall.

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DIY Basement Wall Ideas Not Drywall

If you recall back to week one, this space started off with concrete walls on one side, concrete floor, and wall studs on the other. In week two I framed out the wine cellar. Now the only thing left to do was add the wall coverings.

I have been pondering the design for the entire basement renovation and I really wanted to add an accent wall of some kind. Not only is drywall very intimidating, it is also a lot of work and takes a long time to get a professional finish. Drywall is usually the cheapest way, but I wanted to test out different drywall alternatives. Naturally brick wall panels came to mind.

I love the unique look of weathered brick and thought it would be a good option for a wine cellar. This room is a very small space with minimal square footage so my design choices needed to have high impact. I picked these brick panels up from my local home improvement store. While they aren’t bad as is, I really wanted a more modern look. So I started off by painting the panels black. I used left over paint from my bedroom makeover.

Because these panels do not come in different sizes, I had to cut them down individually. I used the mini Dremel circular saw and the jigsaw. The back foundation walls were not perfectly square, so I taped a line down the center of my panel and measured outward at three points on each side of the tape. This was ultimately a trapezoid shape so I freehand cut it with the jigsaw.

The brick panel for the ceiling slant was more straight so the Dremel worked just fine. I clamped a scrap 2×4 to the brick panel to act as a guide.

Next, I applied a special treatment, similar to my fottery process. I mixed drywall compound with a very small amount of water and white paint. I then used a chip paint brush to apply a stippling texture to the brick wall surface. I kept this as random as I could and left some of the black peeking through to give an aged industrial look.

I wasn’t 100% happy with the overall look so once it was dry I came back with some white paint and filled in all the mortar lines and blended it a bit with a dryer brush. This gave it that finished look of real stone walls, a really easy way to add a finished wall.

Note, on the first panel I did the fottery treatment first and came back and filled in the mortar lines. On the second panel I painted the mortar lines first and came back to apply the joint compound mixture and then added more white paint to blend it. I think the first method was the most efficient.

I attached the brick paneling to the stud wall with construction adhesive and a few small nails. I have seen some people glue the panels directly to their masonry walls or cinder blocks but I do not recommend that.

I also used traditional drywall on the other two walls and the ceiling. I figured I needed the practice for the rest of the unfinished basement as finishing an entire wall or more with wood planks (my second choice) is just too expensive. While I wouldn’t say I enjoy drywall finishing, it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Having the appropriate drywall materials definitely helps. I don’t think I could have finished the drywall without a hawk. And with all DIY projects, pack your patience.

In addition to faux brick paneling, you could also use wood paneling in basement areas. I actually looked into this option, but had a difficult time finding traditional wood panels. You could also finish the brick paneling in a variety of ways to create different looks. Leaving it red and applying the veneer plaster would be a great way to create a more rustic look.

Week 3 & 4 summary

installed electrical wiring
installed drywall
finished faux brick walls
mudded drywall and primed drywall
painted ceiling

Next week I hope to tackle the basement flooring and the one piece of furniture that will reside in here. If you want to see all the behind the scenes and video content, make sure you follow me on Instagram!

Join me again next week to see how the rest of the basement wine cellar is coming along! Fingers crossed I can make up some time, because I am definitely behind.

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Don’t forget to stop by the One Room Challenge to check out all the other participants! There are so many talented designers with incredible ideas. You’re welcome 😉