First Step was to paint the darn thing.  Our basement was a deep mustard-y yellow which was something that didn’t bother me too much until we started wanting to spend time down there.  I went with the nothing fancy Extra White from Sherwin Williams.  It took two coats to cover everything.

Before

During

I thought about leaving the ceiling red, because I didn’t mind that as much as the yellow, but in the end I thought it would brighten the place up (which it did).  It also helped that the ceiling was only 7’2″ so I could easily reach it on a chair.

End Result

I probably went a little beyond by painting the trim gray.  However, I am also considering painting the upstairs of our house too, and wanted to test out this gray.  It’s actually a little too dark for anything I would want in the kitchen but looks good in the basement here.

Cost of paint: $45 + $6 for a sample quart of gray.  Our landlord reimburses white paint purchases, so the painting cost me $6 (and a sore back!).

Cost against budget: $6

Remaining budget: $994

 

Read the rest of the story below:

Post 2 – Flooring

Post 3 – CycleOps and Entertainment

Post 4 – Equipment Part 1

Post 5 – Equipment Part