Learn how to do a cheap basement makeover to create a room in your home the whole family will love. We are so happy we were able to update our basement while staying on a budget.

Are you looking for an inexpensive way to redo your basement? We were in the same predicament after we decided we needed to use our basement space to become a play area for our children.
Luckily our basement was “finished”, but it was completely dated. Here are a few steps and products we used to do a cheap DIY basement makeover on a budget.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read our full privacy policy.

Easy Ways to Cheaply Makeover A Basement
1. Redo old and dusty drop ceiling tiles
2. Replace flooring if needed (luckily our carpet was in good enough shape)
3. Paint or get rid of wallpaper
4. Paint or update some of the basement molding, doors or beams. Making a few things white can really enhance a space!
5. Add extra storage space in your basement
5. Add extra living spaces, such as a bedroom
6. Decorate using items you already have and enjoy your space for your family
Basement Drop Ceiling Makeover
Our basement had a drop ceiling and probably the construction grade for all homes built in the 1990s. I researched all sorts of different ways to redo the drop ceiling. Here are a few that I read about:
1) Tear out the drop ceiling and paint all pipes and wood black or the color of your choice. If this painting method sounds appealing, here are a few tips from the bloggers over at One Project Closer.
Pros: Gain extra footage in your ceiling height, no longer have a drop ceiling, looks nice when done
Cons: Have to tear out the current system, best if you spray paint on (therefore require a lot of prep work/cover current materials, extra soundproofing from tiles gone
2) Paint the current basement drop ceiling tiles
Pros: Pretty inexpensive
Cons: Time-consuming, still may not look the best
3) Drywall the basement ceiling
Pros: Professional looking
Cons: Expensive to have someone else do, have to demo current ceiling, time-consuming and unable to easily read basement pipes or electrical wires.
4) Use vinyl drop ceiling tiles
Pros: Looks professional, brightens up space, can easily order boxes of 10, easy to install, limited mess
Cons: Still takes time to replace all ceiling tiles but not nearly as much as tearing the whole system out and then doing something else, is not as cheap as painting the existing tiles
Easiest Way To Redo A Drop Tile Ceiling
We chose to cover the existing tiles. This drop ceiling product was absolutely awesome.
You can just take the old ones out, but we decided to keep the old drop ceiling tile and just add these covers. As you can see in the picture, it really brightens our space.
The tiles come in 2′ x 2′ covers or 2′ x 4 depending on your current grid set-up.

Tile Installation
The full tiles were very easy to install. I worked in small sections.
You take the one old tile down and add the cover. You can place both back into the grid or just the new tiles. If one needs to be cut, use scissors to carefully cut a cover to match the existing tile.

It was amazing that just a nice pair of scissors. You do have to be careful to not cut the tile too small. It will hang down if it doesn’t fit in your current drop ceiling tracks.
I cannot say enough about how much this simple drop ceiling cover product, changed the look of our basement. I know it is hard to spend money on a CEILING…but you will be glad you did. I never realized how much a dated and slightly dingy ceiling can really impact a space.
Read more>>>Our full Ceilume Tile Review and more details on how to install with video
Other Drop Ceiling Tiles To Consider
And if you are a price comparer like myself, links to see how much you will pay for the product we used.
Amazon
Ceilume Stratford Tiles (the ones we used)
Genesis Icon Relief Tiles: Great counterpart to compare to the Ceilume brand
Home Depot
Ceilume Stratford Tiles (the ones we used)
Single Raised Panels: Slightly cheaper, but not as much depth.
Flamingo Panel Grid Panel Ceiling Tile
Decorative Tin Ceiling Tiles: Just in case you want to consider something completely decorative and different!
Lowe’s
I never thought I would LOVE vinyl drop ceiling tiles so much!

If you get any inspiration from my cheap DIY basement makeover we hope it is to finally upgrade your ceiling. I was able to do it all by myself, without the help of anyone else.
Grid Covers
You can also purchase this product by Ceilume to help cover up your drop ceiling grids. One day we might do it. It does look super nice, but right now it is not high on our priority list.
Our space really did transform once we covered our old and dingy tiles! Can you tell how happy a new ceiling made me????
Basement Wall Makeover: How to use a sealer on wallpaper?
Our basement had an ugly ’90s wallpaper throughout the wall space. One of my friends said that it looked like it came out of the TV show, Full House (not Fuller House). I had to update it, but when I tried to take a little off using traditional methods, it just didn’t seem to work.

Using A Wallpaper Sealer
Obviously, the most ideal situation is to fully remove your wallpaper. However, it was impossible in our basement without completely tearing up the drywall underneath.
We had to research what to do with wallpaper and found an oil-based sealer would work.
Recommended Sealers
- This sealer would work just as well. It is the counterpart to the SW brand that we used.
- We found our wallpaper sealer at Sherwin Williams. If you go and ask them about what product they recommend, they will guide you to it. Just make sure you work in a well-ventilated area or that you take a lot of breaks when using the product.

How To Use Sealer
You simply roll it out like you would paint after you lightly sand the wallpaper seams. For a basement, I think it was a perfect solution. Way better than trying to take all the wallpaper down and having to patch all the walls.

After it was done, we used a nice neutral, but cool gray. As you can see in the above picture, you really can’t tell that there is wallpaper under the layer of gray paint.

Update Some Wood Molding & Doors
In this house, we had OAK molding and doors everywhere! It is very time-consuming and a little messy to paint all the molding when you have the carpet already there. I really did not want to have to paint all the molding for this basement makeover.
We chose to paint only the columns and doors instead of all the molding. I am happy with that decision and like have some warmth of the wood in our basement.
How To Paint Oak Molding
- Use a deglossing agent to wipe down boards
- Apply a bonding primer with a brush
- Use a white enamel paint in 2 coats (at least)
Not only does it take time to carefully do this, but you have to wait for each layer of paint to dry before you can do the next step.
Instead of painting everything white, I decided to follow the steps listed above to make my doors and columns white and leave the molding…it is a basement overall!

For the doors and columns, the only difference was that I used a small foam roller to apply the primer and enamel paint. I did have to trim around the columns so that I can leave the top and bottom of the molding the wood color.
My days of painting molding may be coming to an end after doing every single piece in two houses recently!
Where else can you use this same painting technique to get rid of dated oak in your home?
We used this same method to paint our fireplace mantel. If you are looking for another cheap DIY update that can really make a space in your home feel more modern, then check it out.

Adding Extra Storage With Upper Stock Cabinets
Again, I looked all over Pinterest and Google to find inexpensive ways to add DIY storage to our basement. There are IKEA hacks I considered and different ways to create more storage. We decided that we wanted a more built-in look than just taking a piece of Ikea furniture and redoing it.

Create cheap DIY built-in cabinets by using stock upper kitchen cabinets as base cabinets.

Before my husband could install the cabinets, he had to create a base using 2’ x 4s, so that the cabinets would be off the ground and at the proper height.
Stock upper cabinets purchase options
Diamond Arcadia Stock Cabinets
Hampton Assemble White Upper Cabinet
*We also used unprimed stock wood cabinets to add laundry room storage and shelving
Before You Order
Before you order cabinets (they will even ship to you for free from most places), you will need to figure out the size of the cabinets that you want.
Our DIY built-in design had one large cabinet that opened from the middle to store a variety of toys and things. We then added smaller single cabinets to the sides to complete our basement storage.
Get Your Cabinets Level
The biggest challenge with installing any cabinets is to make sure they are level before securing them to the wall. You may have to use shims (or small wooden chips to make sure the first one is level before instilling more).

Add A Top To Cabinets
We then stained to 2 1’ thick, 8″ wide, and 10 ft. long poplar boards to create the top of our DIY built-in entertainment and toy storage center. Once the cabinets were installed, we used wood glue and a few finishing nails to secure the top of the cabinets.
Cabinet Finishing Touches
- Add quarter-round to cover any gaps due to our basement wall not being completely square. And let’s face it, no wall is!
- Add hardware (we used) and you have your own DIY built-in storage to help keep your basement organized.

If you are looking for different hardware for fun DIY projects, check out World Market. I have always loved their fun collection of hardware and have used their products on several different DIY furniture makeovers.
Organize Your Basement Shelving
My husband and I were going to add other shelving on top but then decided we really didn’t need it. It was a great way to add a more built-in look on a budget.
I have even made some of my own storage containers out of boxes to add another touch of inexpensive DIY solutions for inside the cabinets.

Create A Craft Room For Kids
Before our budget-friendly basement makeover, we knew we had to figure out what to do with an ugly room right off the main basement area. This basement room used to be an old office will HORRIBLE green golf wallpaper. (I will add a before picture soon).
Therefore, we sealed the wallpaper using the steps above and drop ceiling covers to modernize this basement space.
We then worked to create a fun craft room for our children.

There are so many fun DIY projects that we did to change this room. From our large string art to using these record cover frames to add DIY artwork to the walls.

Follow us on Pinterest, Youtube or Facebook for more DIY inspiration!
What is your favorite DIY home makeover? I always get a thrill when I am able to transform something for my home on a BUDGET!!!!
Ceilume
Monday 11th of May 2020
Beautifully done!
Erin
Monday 11th of May 2020
Hi! I am so glad you approve of our DIY basement makeover!
Gina Abernathy/ homeatcedarspringsfarm.com
Friday 10th of January 2020
Looks great! My basement is also on my list of things to do. Right now, it is a catch all for everything. :)
Erin
Sunday 12th of January 2020
Hi Gina! I know how difficult it is to keep things organized. We just really needed space in our basement for our kids to go! It is nice that we were able to do that pretty cheaply!
Lisa Alioto
Friday 10th of January 2020
Love your ideas - they all seem so doable by the average person. I love that - it gives me hope!
Erin
Sunday 12th of January 2020
Hi Lisa! Yes, I would say all of these DIY basement makeover tips are very doable!
renicia
Friday 10th of January 2020
I love this, it looks stunning. Thank you for sharing.
Erin
Sunday 12th of January 2020
Thanks, Renicia. I am glad that you loved our DIY basement makeover!
Brenda Bunney
Friday 29th of November 2019
Hi,
We've done several DYI home projects. Always seems to be a combined effort of hiring some pros and us :) I wish I'd know about that wall covering for existing wallpaper several years ago! It's all gone now! Thank heaven's and I feel your pain. Man we needed it! And your ceilings look great. I'd never thought of that! Awesome job.
Erin
Sunday 8th of December 2019
Hi Brenda! Some DIY projects are worth asking for help. We for sure have experienced that is all of our home projects. Thanks for the kind words. I really couldn't get over how a drop ceiling makeover changed our basement.