Why Use Faux Stone When Finishing Your Basement?
Finishing an unfinished basement can be daunting, but it can be rewarding and give you some extra living space in your home. One of the best and most versatile materials you can use to implement into your basement design is faux stone. This article will examine why you should consider using faux stone when finishing your basement.
Why use faux stone when finishing a basement?
If you are a DIYer who wants to transform your basement on your own, you need reliable and affordable materials. Faux stone is a versatile material that is easy to install in a few hours and can give any part of your finished basement a beautiful polish. It can quickly transform the walls of the basement into a more comfortable living space and improve your property value. When completing your basement, the walls are one of the best places to start since they can help set the tone of the rest of the room and because you do not want the debris from finishing the walls to muck up your new flooring.
You really cannot beat the look of natural stone; it brings with it a quiet elegance and natural beauty that is visually striking. It can be used in many ways as part of your basement finishing project, whether you are covering an entire wall or only part of it.
Faux Stone is Affordable
Natural stone is expensive to buy and install. Faux stone has the look and feel of natural stone, but it is significantly more affordable than its natural counterpart. Since you can easily DIY install faux stone, the installation process is more affordable and more accessible than working with natural stone.
Faux Stone is Durable
Natural stone is strong, yes, but it is prone to cracking and chipping over time. With the amount of time and money that it takes to purchase and install natural stone, it offers less longevity than it should. Faux stone is significantly more durable and damage resistant than natural stone, with a much longer lifespan.
Faux Stone is Lightweight
If you are putting up the stone on something light that might not be able to support a lot of weight, natural stone is not going to work. It is heavy and cumbersome. Faux stone is significantly lighter than natural stone, making it perfect for something that cannot support the weight of natural stone. It also is not too bulky, so it will not stand out too much from the wall when you install it; therefore, you will not be losing any space in the basement by using it.
There Are Endless Colors & Design Options
Faux stone, like natural stone, comes in a lot of different colors and patterns. Whether you need something a little more earthy, or a darker gray or black, you can find what you need in faux stone. There is even brick made out of the same materials, so if you envision turning your finished basement into an old-fashioned wine cellar, it is easy to do.
Faux Stone is Easy to Install
Natural stone is hard to install and usually requires you to hire a professional mason to finish the job. Faux stone panels fit together easily, and you just need to screw them into the wall to install them.
Ways to Use Faux Stone When Finishing Your Basement
Now that we have looked at some of the benefits of using faux stone when finishing your basement, let’s take a look at some of the different projects you can complete with it in your basement.
Basement Fireplace
One of the most popular applications of faux stone is to surround a fireplace. If your basement has an old fireplace that has seen better days, you can easily replace the existing surround with faux stone to restore its original beauty. The best part? You can install the faux stone directly on top of the existing stonework, so you do not need to spend time and money removing what is already there before you can install your new faux stone fireplace surround.
On the Walls
There are a few different ways that you can add faux stone to your basement walls. You can cover all of the walls in faux stone, using it in place or paint or wallpaper. Wainscoting, which is the design technique where you cover only the bottom half of the walls with the faux stone, is a wildly popular design for any wall in the home, and it is perfect for finishing your basement.
Another great way to add faux stone to your basement walls is to create an accent wall. This is a great design choice if you are turning the basement into a TV room, home theater, or something else where you want to draw the eye to a specific wall. Since it is an accent wall, it will stand out a lot and help pull the eye to it.
You can also add it to line the wall of the staircase coming into the basement, so you have a beautiful stone stairwell that will stand out and draw attention. Guests will be impressed by a stone stairwell that opens up into a beautiful, freshly finished basement.
Transform Support Columns
Does your basement feature some unsightly support columns that you have to work around when finishing it? Since getting rid of the columns is not really doable, you can transform them into something new by using faux stone pillar panels. These can become beautiful faux stone pillars that stand out and look beautiful. It is a great way to turn something unsightly into a thing of beauty.
If you do not have any support columns in the basement but want to create some beautiful pillars or columns, you can do that too with faux stone. It is easy to do, and no one will know it is not from an old support column.
To Hide a Secret Door
You can easily create a secret door using faux stone. For example, if you are planning on building a little utility closet to hide your water heater and furnace, or a closet for storage, you can install faux stone along that wall and hide the door to that closet. This is a fun design idea that you can have fun showing off when giving someone a tour of your basement.
Accent Your Wine Cellar
Thinking of turning your finished basement into a wine cellar? This can be a fun space to show off when you have guests, and adding some faux stone or brick to the walls is a great way to enhance this room. Guests will be even more impressed by your finished basement if you include faux stone or brick in it to give it that classic look.
Basement Stair Risers
The part of your step that you do not step on does not need to be ignored or ugly. You can easily install faux stone on the risers of your basement stairs, giving them a subtle yet beautiful feature.
Around the Bar
Turning your basement into a home bar or incorporating a bar into your finished basement? Adding faux stone around the counters, to the backsplash, or even on the walls and ceiling itself can enhance the bar and turn it into a thing of beauty. It can add a little extra touch of class to the space, giving the bar natural beauty. It is also waterproof, so you do not need to worry about any spills or splashes ruining the stone veneer.
In the Bathroom
Are you adding a bathroom to your basement? Faux stone is an excellent addition to the bathroom. Since it is waterproof, you can install it on any of the walls in the bathroom. It makes an excellent backsplash, and it can even be used in the shower to give it a spa-like feel that will make you feel pampered whenever you use it.
Around the Doorways
If you want to make the doorways in your basement stand out more, make them feel more grand; you can install faux stone around the doorways. This can make them feel more decadent and grand, which is great for a lot of design plans when finishing your basement.
Final Thoughts
An unfinished basement is a blank slate that you can have a lot of fun turning into extra living space. Whether you plan on making it a spare bedroom, game room, home theater, bar, wine cellar, or something else, you can incorporate faux stone into your design to make your finished basement stand out even more, and it can help raise your property value.
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