Oh crap....you better ask for help. Just remember the top coat is only as good as the coat before it....runs, drips, sags. etc.

Painting trick I've seen done, is one person sprays on the paint and a second one follows with a roller. Gets paint on wall fast whilst the roller give a uniform finish.

this is looking incredible- amazing job.

Mine is older and can actually work with a larger paint can as well. I cannot imagine that the sidekick would not work. Just be sure to wash the roller between uses as they are expensive and no one seems to stock them. I have used the same roller for 8 painting sessions in different colors and it is still holding up. Just just make sure when cleaning the system to clean it for a very long time. the water should come out clear. You still may have it glue the pump line shut but like I said, it is a simple fix. If you need any info hit me up with a PM.

edit: Also they used to make ones that have two handles so that 2 people can roll at the same time. If they make the sidekick like that definitely get that. It took 2 coats with killz to cover all of the sheet rock well enough to paint. Painting I can usually get by with just 1 coat. That thing uses so much less paint but gets way better than traditional rolling.
Also be sure to use the "splash guard". It really cuts down on mess.

Guys, sometimes you just have to crush a 15 pack and roll the damn stuff on old school.

When we had our house interior painted, this is exactly with the guys did with the primer coat. Very fast and looked great.

Why do you need a subfloor?

spaces like this are ALL about the professional airless sprayer and a guy backrolling.

A little extra prep time in taping off windows and anything else you dont want to overspray, but if time and quality is what you want then that is the method to use. Spraying does not even need to be perfect since you have a guy backrolling.

I painted my way through college and grad school, so I speaking from experience. 2 guys can get 2 coats on in one long day.

Then finish off your ceailing the next day.

Then topcoat the walls the next by hand with brush and roller.

What are your considerations on a subfloor? And I almost wonder do you need one? I'm sure you could just have the floor etched and styled as it is to keep costs down and maybe place some rugs down where people stand, etc. I'm a strong supporter of DriCore but it does get costly at $6 a 2x2'.

My thoughts too, if he doesn't have water in the basement he shouldn't need it. If he does he needs a drainage system put in which is $$$$$ for that size basement then he could just put padding and carpet down. My house is 75 years old (you'd never guess it by looking at it) and my basement has never had water in it, granted you can get water vapor coming up through the floor but the memory foam is a vapor barrier too so I have no problems, it's great stuff.

Looks great!

I put DriCore in my basement >10-15yrs ago. Yes, was a bit expensive as noted, but went down quickly and without many complications. I do enjoy that my carpet and pad are not sitting on bare concrete. Much warmer underfoot.

Our basement floor had some condensation issues prior to finishing the basement. No issues with mold/mildew all these years later. We do run a dehumidifier in summer months that drains to my AC condensate pump for a hands-off solution. I am presuming the fact that the DriCore stands off the concrete permits moisture to be removed. I am guessing carpets alone would have been a stinky mess by now.

Pins are happy down there.

Yes if you have a condensation problem then you need it.

I'm planning a basement rehab soon and have been following these threads for a while. They are as inspiring as This Old House used to be for me.

I don't have moisture issues in my basement, but it is really cold in the winter even though I'm in ATL. We will be putting nice carpet down.

Does anyone have experience with DriCore R+ product and is it noticeably better than the reg product?

Also if anyone has other product experience please let me know.

DriCore R+ looks like it adds an R3 of foam insulation; seems pretty minimal. My DriCore subfloor with carpet pad and Berber carpet seems to do a good enough job. Cold carpets have never been a thought for us. Note: We only partially heat this space via forced hot air,. It's generally pretty cool down there, unless we open the nearby vent to warm things up a bit while we play. Still, it's air temp, not carpet temp that we mostly feel.

http://www.dricore.com/en/rplus_about.aspx

My first thought looking at the R+ product was it seems like it would add LOT of surface area in contact with the concrete, reducing airflow to a fraction of the original product. Maybe they have infused some sort of anti-fungal agent to the material?

I will say that our basement prior to my remodel was that thin crappy carpet put on the bare concrete. When we went with the DriCore we noticed a huge improvement in comfort standing as well as it felt less warm. Glad to hear others that have had it over 10 years. Ours is 4-5 years now and still holding up great even with pins there and my woman neighbor friend who's a bit heavy (5'4" and 320 lbs).

Before I started my basement finish project ten years ago I coated all the poured foundation walls and floor with two coats of UGL Drylok. I have never had a problem with moisture and we have 9' foot ceilings and a high water table. I agree with your father. I plan on addding carpet/ pad directly over floor with some slate tile and engineered hardwood flooring glued directly to the floor. The whole idea is to create the largest space possible. Walls, dropped ceilings, sub-floors, etc. are just subtracting from that concept.

I put in a Delta FL system with a subfloor. You should also put landscaping fabric beneath the Delta as the plastic can click against the floor. (This is suggested in the install instructions). I put in a floating floor above that and it looks and feels great. Definitely helps create a thermal break in the floor as we live in Michigan and it can get really cold in the basement in the winter.

For my walls, I put up 3/4" foam panels and then walls with insulation in between the studs. Keeps it pretty nice down there.

I considered carpeting my new game room, but was spooked by my former room in IL that was carpeted - and trashed - four times in 12 years due to water damage. Although I moved to much higher ground in Colorado, it still left a bad taste in my mouth. So, I decided to try something new. Landed on a "polyaspartic" coated concrete with pure metallic fill. It starts out with machining the concrete with a diamond tipped sanding machine to scuff and flatten the surface. Then, a black binding material was applied. Once set, the poly two-part coating is blended with aluminum powder (my choice in colors) and applied using a trowel. Next, while the surface is setting, acetone is applied to various sections using a sprayer. This gives the surface a floating, cloud effect.

I was concerned about the cold floor potential, but found a fix. My area is big in Radon gas in basements, so I had to put in a Radon mitigation system. This consists of a vacuum pump in the attic, and a 4 in. PVC pipe that starts at the pea gravel under the concrete floor. It runs continuously and siphons air from under the concrete to outside the roof of the house. The effect turns out to be a comfortably warm floor all winter. Although I can still use area rugs and runners in front of the pins, I really don't feel the need for that. Except maybe if you're spending a lot of time standing, it might be desirable to stay off the concrete.

Low odor, and fully set in 24 hours. Although the process cost about twice what carpeting would have cost, the effect is stunning and it's the first comment people visiting make. Blacked out the ceiling with 36 gallons of flat black latex/primer combo and it works great.
img12_(resized).jpg
img09_(resized).jpg

I did the plastic taped to the floor test. I taped, completly all the way around 8, 18 inch squares of polyethylene plastic film to 8 different sections of my floor and left them on for 48 hours and there was moisture on the underside of the plastic or the floor so I put down the Memory foam and carpet. 2 years and counting and no problems. I run a dehumidifier during the summer and pull about a gallon a week out of the air. It doesn't pull any out of the air in the winter. Google "Basement floor moisture vapor test" and a bunch of stuff comes up, that's how I found out about the test I did.

Aint that the truth. I wouldn't be surprised if he needed another 5 gallons. Then most likely 2 coats of paint.

Yup, raw drywall and compound is a sponge. I'm guessing he'll need at least another 10gal. I'm surprised that 10gal would even be enough given the size of his space.

Jaz

P.S. Following this project - green with envy.

Cant wait to see how it turns out

I am very opinionated when it comes to paint. Most professionals insist that paint from the big box stores is inferior. How many paint contractor trucks do you see in the lot of your local Walmart store? I used/am using a premium paint from a company here in Ohio called "Porter Paints". They were recently bought out by PPG. Top coat goes for $65 a gallon. I used one coat of primer and two topcoats. I don't buy that gimmick about one coat will hide everything. I used some semi-gloss for baseboard moulding with a Purdy super-soft trim brush. There wasn't a single brush stroke mark to be had. I applaud your use of Sherwin Williams just like I would Pratt and Lambert. Clearly a case of "you get what you pay for."

Too bad you couldnt get paint done! How are you prepping the walls? Shop vac? I think im going to wait a bit to paint since my drywallers not done yet and i dont want to risk all the dust on wet paint

One word of advice: Berber is a tremendous dust and dirt trap because of the high and low nap. I used that carpet in a game room and regretted it.

It doesn't vacuum up like a normal carpet because of the deep grooves, but instead, stays discolored. Especially in a room where there is a lot of traffic and activity.

A short nap, high density carpet would work better for you in the long run, IMO.

I payed $20 per yard for my black light carpet so $5.50 per yard aint bad......I know you meant per yard. I went with 3/8 inch Memory foam and love it. Got it at Menards when they had a 11% rebate sale.

Big Box is ok for the Memory Foam pad especially with an 11% rebate.

Looking good! Were you using a paint sprayer too or just a roller?

Yea, if you're doing a lot, a sprayer or power roller will save you tons of time. I bet more than 50% of the motion you do while painting in "full manual" mode is wetting/evening it out in the paint tray. Then you go to the wall where you have tons of motion as well.

I've painted a number of rooms in the last year and it takes WAY WAY WAY longer than you think it will!

Jaz

I have a good sprayer i borrowed from a guy at work, and a power roller, but itll be nice to know how it goes for you so i can avoid mistakes! Yours is looking great tho!

WOW! Really looking good. Hope to see it when it's finished.

Looks great! How many gallons so far?

It is looking great. I think a good primer layer on the ceiling is good enough for a finish coat since most ceiling white paints are a flat anyway (and seldom require cleaning). Obviously not good enough for the walls though.

The key to sanity on a project like this is definitely what's in the bottom middle of the 2nd picture. I know it helps while I've been working on the long boring tasks like drywall and paint!

Looking great so far!
Jaz