Ask Dave your basement remodeling questions
Asked By: Maria S. Last Updated on: 08 December 2009
Question:
Hi Dave,
We are planning to finish out a 2100 sq. foot space. A consultant came to bid the project utilizing the prefabricated foam cement board system. The biggest advantage to the system is that it is guaranteed to inhibit mold growth and that it goes up quickly. It also comes prefinished. The drawback esthetically is that every 8 ft there is a seam. Do you have any first hand experience or have had any feedback with this material? It is made by Owens Corning and is called the Everlast Wall System.
Dave Answers:
Many moons ago....we're talking years here, I ran a survey through my newsletter inquiring about the Owens Corning wall system.
About 25 or so persons responded. The most interesting point I noticed from the persons responding - none had actually gone ahead and had it installed. Responses ranged from, "It was a totally high pressure sell" to "we're thinking about it, but its more expensive than the conventional drywall system." For the record these are not direct quotes, only paraphrases.
I personally don't like it (since you asked my opinion) mostly for the following reason: If you want your basement to be an extension of the rest of your home, that will be hard to do with the panels and a suspended ceiling.
Yes, it's true it will do better than drywall if you have a flooding problem. You just need to weigh in your mind's eye which is more important for you - the esthetics or the ability to better withstand moisture. Don't forget to balance costs out either vs. doing it conventionally.
And just as an FYI - in all the basements I've finished no one has come back to me with a mold issue - and that goes back to 1994 with basement number 1. :)
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