I'm renovating my 1950's home and have noticed that the existing walls feel super tough, almost like cement. They're quite a hassle when it comes to drilling for things like outlet boxes, but I'm thinking this could actually be a blessing in disguise. I'm considering finishing my basement and want to use the same type of material to make it resistant to any damage from future tenants. What materials should I look into that would be suitable for this?
3 Answers
Honestly, if you're really worried about damage, regular drywall paired with a good security deposit might be the easiest approach. Plus, conducting thorough background checks on your tenants can help too.
It sounds like your walls are made of old-school lath and plaster, which is indeed very hard and durable. If you're looking for something similar that’s easier to work with, you might want to consider:
1. Double-thick drywall; using two pieces of regular drywall glued together makes for a solid barrier.
2. Plywood under the drywall can also work great—it's a more accessible way to achieve that hard feel similar to plaster, plus it’s really common in Europe.
For sure! Also, an OSB paneling with drywall on top would work wonders. You could put almost anything up and just patch it when needed.
Plywood under drywall is definitely a solid option! My parents used to have a bar that had it, and it was super durable.
Durock cement board is another material you might want to consider. It's about 1/2 inch thick, really tough, and it’s usually used in bathrooms. You can get it in 3x5 sheets for about $10 each. It seems to be quite similar to what you have in your home currently.
Thanks for the suggestion! I think that’s similar to what’s already in the walls of my house.
If you end up using plywood with drywall, you might want to think about how tough it can be—if your tenant hurts themselves, they might struggle to pay rent, so maybe letting them punch a few holes isn't the worst?