I recently bought a home that I'm planning to rent out, but I've discovered that the basement has been improperly finished. Currently, it has 2x1 furring strips against the block foundation with just 1/4 drywall on top. I'm planning to install luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring in the basement, but I'm also considering a proper renovation of the walls later on. I've noticed some old moisture damage on the drywall at the bottoms, and I thought of cutting off the lower 2 feet and adding wainscoting instead. My question is, if I go this route, will I be able to partially remove the flooring in the future to create an extra ~4 inches for 2x4 framing and 2 inches of polyiso insulation? Or should I just bite the bullet and properly finish the basement now? I'm trying to manage costs since this is my first investment property.
2 Answers
I think you could just frame the new walls on top of the LVP since those walls are likely not load-bearing. Sure, you can probably take the flooring up if you need to later on, but that might add unnecessary work. Might be easier to leave it as is for now and just focus on making the walls look good!
{
You're spot on about the floating floor! I had the same discussion with my installer about not putting any heavy structures on it. Just check it out with him for the best solution!