I am in the process of fixing up the basement, and the first step is to renovate the staircase down. There is a wall from which I have removed the plaster, and my thoughts are now around the doorway. Check the pictures.
The stairwell has gone from green and brown to having walls painted white, doors painted gray, the stairs themselves painted light gray, the column painted gray, and the brick wall exposed (the electrical panel will be moved, but that'll be at a later stage, probably painting it gray in the meantime). The lighting will become surface-mounted spotlights, and the extremely beautiful linoleum mat will eventually be replaced by black tiles, the same that'll be used in the laundry room.
So here's the question:What should I do with the doorway (and the corresponding door not visible in the picture)? My wish is to remove the frame entirely, but I'm unsure if the bricks will remain in place without something to rest on. Anyone with experience in this? Or should I keep it simple and just paint it gray? I want the floor to continue into the laundry area when it’s laid, so the floor threshold will go regardless.
Any tips on how to make the water pipes look nicer are also gratefully received.
I definitely would not have painted the brick gray. I would rather have plastered or sack-slurred the surface with gray mortar, preferably hydraulic lime mortar which usually has a nice shade and is very suitable for the type of masonry found in your basement.
"Facade: Plaster the house with thin plaster | Do It Yourself" https://gds.se/hus/fasad/fasad-putsa-huset-med-tunnputs
If the wall is not load-bearing, you can remove all the brick above the door opening and let the pipes hang freely in the air.
Just be observant about asbestos in the insulation around the heating pipes. It is usually found mainly in the bends, like a gray powder. Not something to mess with.
Thank you for the response.
I was probably unclear. By painting "it" gray, I mean the frame, of course. The brick should remain as it is (though washed).
The question is what I should do with the frame; Remove or paint it gray?
Your idea about removing the brick above the opening is also interesting, though it will require more adjustments with the roofs (which is already messy as it is). But will definitely keep it in mind.
Good tip about the asbestos there, I hadn't thought of that!
If, for example, you were to plaster the entire surface of the wall smooth or similar, you might consider removing the frame, and plastering a nice corner to create a good transition between the rooms. But if you're not going to do that, I think you'll have a hard time achieving a nice result. Behind the moldings, there is guaranteed to be an end to the brick that isn't completely nice, since they had a door originally.
If, for example, you were to smooth out the entire surface of the wall or something similar, you could consider removing the frame, smoothing out a nice corner, and achieving a good transition between the rooms. But if you're not going to do that, I think you'll have a hard time getting a nice result. Behind the moldings, there is guaranteed to be an end of the brick that is not entirely neat, as they had a door from the beginning.
Or it's a straight and tidy ending because they were going to mount a frame there
Or it could be a straight and tidy finish because they were going to install a frame there
Plus or minus a few cm, it could be cut stone, etc. It's hidden by the frame anyway. Why would the mason spend more time than necessary?
But it only becomes apparent when/if you remove the frame.
Åsa Lund said:
