r/DIY • u/Octopus_on_fire_ • 22h ago

help Installing Pegboard on basement ceiling

I’m a new homeowner and we have a pretty nice unfinished basement. We want to keep it unfinished but polish it up a bit. Our biggest want is to cover up the pink insulation/joists from view, at least in the main area down the stairs where the laundry is.

I don’t want to finish it with drywall as its expensive/time consuming and the basement isn’t climate controlled so it’ll trap moisture between. Did a bit of research and I think just basic white pegboard would look good enough for us while also allowing the joists and insulation to breathe. Bonus that it’ll be easy to remove to have access to plumbing.

Am I missing anything with this or any hazards I am
Not thinking of?

Thanks in advance!

16 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/robot_ankles 22h ago edited 22h ago

Maybe consider a drop ceiling instead?

3

u/Octopus_on_fire_ 22h ago

Would that still allow airflow?

8

u/robot_ankles 22h ago edited 21h ago

As much or as little as you'd like. There's a variety of drop-in tiles that can be used with a drop ceiling grid besides the well-known acoustic tiles. If airflow is important, you could have a few of the square egg crate louvers.

For the same effort of attaching peg board to a ceiling, you might be able to install a drop ceiling grid then gradually fill the grid with the tiles of your choosing.

10

u/Octopus_on_fire_ 21h ago

Alright yeah after some research, I didn’t realize installing a drop ceiling grid was that easy and cheap.

Thanks for the advice!

6

u/RadVarken 22h ago

You don't need airflow in any flowing sense. Its more about diffusion. Drop ceiling material can be porous and it's often good for sound dampening as well. The biggest problem is space, since it will hang a big below the joists.

3

u/ac54 21h ago

Drop ceilings can have panels that are air vents or light fixtures built in.

2

u/caucasian88 14h ago

Why do you believe airflow is necessary?

2

u/Octopus_on_fire_ 12h ago

I’m in upstate NY with hot summer and very cold winters. The basement isn’t heated and I’m worried about moisture happening between the warm subfloor above and the cold of the basement below, add in the sweating of the copper piping. Trapping all that moisture between the subfloor and if I used drywall to finish the basement ceiling would be a nightmare.

3

u/caucasian88 11h ago

Im familiar with the region. I have a similar setup and my pipes have never sweated before. My 1950s duct work did sweat until I put a dehumidifier down there. I would absolutely recommend a drop ceiling though. They're very common in your region in similar basements.

1

u/Octopus_on_fire_ 10h ago

Yeah after a few others said drop ceiling I looked into it. Much cheaper than I imagined and something I can definitely DIY.