Bathroom Basement with Exposed Pipes & Wires

last year

Context: I’m not going to scrap the bathroom. My house has a warm, light feel, not industrial.

My finished basement is undergoing a makeover, including white oak engineered hardwood, but this bathroom needs more than that. What are my best bets beyond putting in a light switch and smoothing out the cement walls? The bathroom is already cramped, so there’s not enough room for dry wall.

Featured Answer

Kendrah

last year

White makes the space look somewhat forgotten about or unintentional. Instead select a color. Paint that color on everything that is white - walls, conduit, pipes. Choose an accent metal color rather than chrome, again so it looks intentional. Install a new faucet, mirror, light fixture, and TP and towel holder in that same metal finish. Hang a piece of art on the short wall with the same metal frame finish. Yes, the conduit and pipes may still be showing, but your eye will have a lot of other things to go to and the space will feel finished and intentional.

What is the rest of your basement going to look like aside from white oak floors?

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Comments (8)

3onthetree
last year
There's no need to "smooth out" the foundation wall when all the MEP is exposed.

It makes sense that all public rooms in the basement be at the same level of quality (what your flooring and other rooms will get), but there is no rule that requires that.
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PRO
lisedv
last year
last modified: last year
Insert the wires in a cable cover and paint the same colour as the pipes.
RedRyder
last year
I always like an unexpected wallpaper in a tight powder room. You can paint the pipes to blend in with the background, but going a bit wilder can make this room a favorite. (I’ve done two really tight powder rooms with the best wallpapers.)
RedRyder
last year
You can go subtle.
RedRyder
last year
No one will see or notice the pipe in an unusually designed powder room.
PRO
lisedv
last year
If the walls can be smoothed out (sounds like they're presently uneven) wallpaper is a good solution.
GN Builders
last year
How often is this bathroom being used? If it's only once in a blue moon that someone is down there, leave it alone. If it's worth your while, use what others suggested to dress it up, and even then, no matter what you do, you will end up with what it is... In other words, all the obstructions will stick out as a sore thumb.

If this bathroom is being used often, or you have plans for the basement that will have some regular activity and whatnot, it may be worth bumping out a wall where the door is, put up a few 2x3 studs hiding all the plumbing, make an access point for the water meter, etc, and extending the existing plumbing move the sink to the left the corner and have a decent bathroom.

To do something like this wouldn't be hard on the pocket, and the result will be more satisfying.

By the way, what are the dimensions of that bathroom, and can you take a picture from far back of that wall where the door is?