I'm in the middle of finishing my basement, and we're dealing with a bit of a dilemma. The ceilings are only 7 feet high, and my wife wants a drywall ceiling to give it that finished look. The catch? There's an HVAC duct that runs right through the center, measuring about 4 feet wide, leaving only 6'3" of headroom underneath. Since we're both under 5'9", we don't mind sacrificing a bit of height, but my brother-in-law is 6'2" and would appreciate the extra space. We were thinking about drywalling the ceiling on either side of the ductwork and painting the duct black to save about a few inches instead of drywalling below it. We've seen examples of both exposed ceilings and drywalled ones individually, but finding a good mix of the two is tough. Anyone out there have similar setups or advice on what looks best?
4 Answers
I consolidated all my ductwork into a separate laundry/storage room that I left unfinished. I removed a cold air return from above and added a return duct at the basement floor, which allowed about 60% of the basement to have flat ceilings. It might be worth considering that route if you're looking for a cleaner ceiling finish.
I dealt with a similar situation in my own basement. I ended up building soffits to cover the ducts. It wasn't too difficult, and visually, it really helped in making the space look more finished. Just keep in mind that it does reduce ceiling height a bit more, but it makes a difference in aesthetics!
I opted to drywall over the ducts too, and while it does drop the ceiling height a bit in that section, it passed inspection. We used strapping to frame it and save some headroom. We left one oddly shaped duct exposed and painted it white, which added a nice touch. Honestly, if I had more time, I would have replaced the rectangular ducts with round ones for more clearance and easier air flow.
Speaking from experience, painting the ductwork black is a practical choice. Once you drywall, any later repairs will be a hassle because you'll have to cut through it to access the ducts. Trust me, I find myself needing to check those ducts regularly for fixes, and cutting drywall just adds work. Keeping the ducts exposed might save you a lot of trouble in the long run!
Totally agree! I had to take out some drywall just to fix a loose duct, and it was such a pain to patch it back up.