Need ideas for basement walls

I'm close to finishing the bedroom in the basement, next on the list is the home theater. I've wanted a dedicated home theater for years and I expect to be up and running by early summer at the latest. I already have theater seats and the sound system and will build risers for them. I have a pretty good idea about lighting. I just am not sure what to do for the walls. This is in a basement, two walls are poured concrete, the third is existing and is covered with burlap from the previous owner. The 4th will be built using 2-bys and drywall.
I want to do this on the cheap, and for some reason, I just don't feel like going drywall for the other three, it's so much work! I thought about basically making acoustic panels and attaching them to the walls. This would help with acoustics, and provide insulation. I'm not sure of the cost yet, but no fabric is cheap. Even burlap is expensive! Something like this is what I'm thinking about LINK but floor-to-ceiling. So, how would you do your basement if you wanted to save a buck, and make it look decent? I know, it's like asking what car will run the 'ring in 8 minutes, carry 12 people, and get 50 mpg at the same time.
Your suggestions don't have to be home theater specific, just looking for ideas to get my creative juices flowing.

Carpet/carpet-squares on the wall could be cheap/easy if you shop smart.

Homosote.

It's a 1/2" thick sound deadening panel made from compressed recycled newspaper.

It doesn't have anything to do with the gay lifestyle.

How about egg cartons?

http://www.eggcartons.com/Recycled-Fiber-Blank-Gray-Egg-Carton-p/egpgbl-gy-1.htm

About $.30 ea. That's about $.45 per SF.

You can get 'em for free, if you're hungry.

I like the carpet idea, isn't shag/medium pile starting to make a comeback?

I'd be wary of putting anything directly on the concrete, it could pull moisture from it. Furr out the wall with Z channel first (not wood). You can slip foam insulatin in there too, it won't draw water.

Z-channel can condensate too.

Basement waterproofing sealant.

Heavy velvet curtains. Find an old theater being renovated and offer to take the old ones. Velvet folds like that should absorb all the echo from bare concrete and make it look more like a home theater.

KyAllroad wrote: Heavy velvet curtains. Find an old theater being renovated and offer to take the old ones. Velvet folds like that should absorb all the echo from bare concrete and make it look more like a home theater.

As cliche as red velvet curtains are in a home theater, that's exactly what I have in mind. I just hadnt thought about looking into an ond theater...

When we did ours a few years ago, I looked at a LOT of different options. When it came right down to it, 2X4's and drywall (preferably water resistant "greenboard") were still the best option. Sure, it costs a little more and is WAY more work, but the end product is much better. Spend a little extra and insulate everything and add a heat run too. Our basement went from being loud and cold to being the most comfortable room in the house, summer or winter. Its also VERY quiet down there, perfect for a theatre room or just chilling. Anything else it likely to hurt the resale value of your home, if that matters.

SVreX wrote: How about egg cartons? http://www.eggcartons.com/Recycled-Fiber-Blank-Gray-Egg-Carton-p/egpgbl-gy-1.htm About $.30 ea. That's about $.45 per SF. You can get 'em for free, if you're hungry.

I came in here to say this, or the foam equivalent.

The thing with egg crates and most foams is that they do very little to absorb most frequencies.
Still not sure which way to go. I like the idea of z-channel woth foam for insulation and used theater curtains. We'll see.

Just properly finish the basement and use drywall.

yamaha wrote: Just properly finish the basement and use drywall.

It's not that I don't want to properly finish it. If I do drywall, I'll be making some acoustic panels anyway. So I figure, if I'm doing that, maybe just do all acoustic panels because I think it'll be easier, but I'm not sure. I have a feeling thats the way I'm going to go. I think greenboard is only 9 or 10 bucks for a 4X8 sheet. I did the other half of the basement, and I think I just don't want to think about doing drywall again.

drywall work is easy! just pay the man and go back upstairs.

-J0N

DrBoost wrote: The thing with egg crates and most foams is that they do very little to absorb most frequencies. Still not sure which way to go. I like the idea of z-channel woth foam for insulation and used theater curtains. We'll see.

Umm... you sure??

Egg carton acoustical test

Heavy pile carpet acoustical test

Heavy pile carpet has an absorption rate of NRC= 0.25, but egg cartons are more like NRC= 0.40. They do have an acoustical "hole" in the rate at about 2000-3000 Hz, but even so, remain reasonably close to the carpet.

Neither competes with "real" acoustical spray foam is more like NRC= 0.70- 0.80 (depending on thickness):

Sprayed acoustical foam

Couldn't find any testing on velvet curtains (although my theatrical experience says there is variation based on the weave of the fabric and the depth of the pleats). These curtains are VERY, VERY expensive.

Thanks for the links Rex. I was reading that egg crate and most foams don't absorb frequencies much below 1,000 Hz, so I'll read those links for sure.
RE: jmthunderbirdturbo - I wish I could do that haha. Trying to do this on the GRB (grassroots basements) level for sure. As we know, it's amazing what you can do on the cheap. I just read a thread where a guy was shopping for home theater seats. The ones he could afford didn't seem very high quality, the high-quality ones he wanted he couldn't afford. So he build them. He built all 5 for less than the cost of buying one! Leather and suede power-reclining seats for less than $500 each! Oh, the the mechanisms he used are the same part number as the ones in the uber expensive chairs.

Whatever you do, don't drywall the ceiling. My finished basement is like that, and fixing/repairing/upgrading anything in all of the pipes and wires down there involves cutting at least 2 holes in the ceiling and then having to patch or make a cover panel.

contact a local coffee roaster and see what you can buy used burlap bags that the beans are shipped in for. I pick up large bags that ship 75lb of beans for $1 a piece, I get 18"x 60" of burlap from each one.

Two items to be careful of.

1. Concrete can and will transmit moisture if not properly sealed on the outside. Some interior sealants may work, YMMV. Building code calls for treated wood only when in contact with concrete to prevent rot.

2. Untreated burlap is highly flammable. Try it. If you want to use a fabric, either treat it (you can do this yourself), or buy fabric made to be installed as wall covering.

Good luck!

Thanks guys, lots of good info and ideas here. I hadn't thought about contacting coffee roasters. The room would smell good! And S2, thanks for the comment about the flamability of the burlap. Something I hadn't really thought about.

I'm going to sneak in with a only slightly ot question since I am planning on starting on my basement finishing later this month. Critique my proposed assembly:

Currently I am planning on:

-sheet foam insulation attached to concrete walls, seams taped

-strip of plastic on the floor, pressure treated 2x on top of that anchored to the floor (plastic may be taped to or extend up the foam covered walls)

-2x wall with top and bottom sills assembled on floor then set on top of the pt board and shimmed to fit at the joists on top

-roll insulation and paperless, moisture resistant, or cement wall board sheeting

-ceiling mounted to z-strips on the bottom of the joists with noise dampening wallboard.

There is a ton of different opinions on vapor barrier in basements, and no applicable code requirements or enforcement in my county, so it's kind of wild west out here. My basement is under 10 years old and bone dry, so no issues with moisture so far but I vacillate between typical code expectations for the vapor barrier to keep moisture from the interior and worries about the moisture being trapped behind the walls.

That soinds good to me. It's more than I did and I have no issues (the part of my basement that's done has been done for 7 years)

In reply to oldopelguy:

Good plan.

Trapping moisture in a masonry wall/ floor is a non-issue. Masonry can last completely submerged in water. Use the vapor barrier.

Vapor barrier is to prevent the moisture from entering the insulation, which then holds moisture against the wood components.

Your foam insulation with taped joints is a fine vapor barrier.

My mother's solution to getting inexpensive fabric for curtains and other sewing projects was to watch for "white sales" when store were clearing out bed sheet sets for cheap.