Expert: Ted Barnhill (Principal, Design45 LLC) - 8/18/2007

Question
I was going to paint my basement and try to clean it up.  I currently have insulation in the basement ceiling.  Is it okay to take that out and paint the ceiling basement beams white?  Wanted to make a room without installing an actual ceiling.  We have an addition so I don't think we'd lose a lot of heat by taking out that insulation, but would re-install if necessary.  Is it okay to paint the ceiling white or is that frowned upon?  Not sure how home inspectors would view this when we go to sell.  We think it'd make it a lot cleaner/finished looking.  Thanks.

Answer
Painting your basement ceiling white is a totally acceptable thing to do.  It is common to use a paint sprayer on everything, including exposed wiring, pipes, etc., but be sure to mask off pipe unions and other things that may need to be accessed/removed.

However, removing insulation may not be a good idea, depending on your situation.  Are your basement walls insulated at all?  Are your basement windows (if any) leaky or tight?  Beware that you might end up with some heat loss through the floor, which means your floors will be colder in winter.  On the other hand, if you intend to heat your semi-finished basement, removing the insulation is fine but you should insulate the walls.  Doing this with rigid insulation on the _exterior_ of the walls can prevent the common moisture/mold problems of furring strips or interior stud walls.