How Can You Increase the Height of a Low Ceiling in a Basement?

Drop-Ceiling Removal

• 1

  Remove the drop ceiling's tiles. Lift each one up and turn them to pull them down.

• 2

  Pull down the drop ceiling tracking. Unscrew the tracking from the ceiling beams with a drill, then pry and pull down the pieces with a hammer and crowbar.

• 3

  Remove any nails or screws remaining in the ceiling beams with a hammer or a drill.

• 4

  Install the insulation between each ceiling beam. Tack it to the sides of the ceiling beams with a staple gun.

• 5

  Install drywall panels over the overhead floor joists. Enlist the help of others to lift each panel to the ceiling. Screw the drywall sheets into the ceiling beams using 2-1/2-inch screws and a drill. Space the screws 8 to 12 inches apart.

• 6

  Complete the installation of the ceiling with joint compound, paper tape and feathering knives to camouflage the seams and screw holes.

• 7

  Paint the ceiling to match the basement's new wall cover.

Basement Floor Dig-Out

• 8

  Consult an architect and builder to plan your approach to digging out the basement floor to avoid compromising the house's foundational supports and underlying plumbing.

• 9

  Use a jackhammer to break up the basement floor.

• 10

  Remove the broken concrete with a shovel, push it out a basement window, then haul it away in wheelbarrows.

• 11

  Dig up the dirt beneath the basement floor, down to the recommended depth for the correct ceiling height. Haul away the dirt in 5-gallon buckets or something manageable.

• 12

  Level the floor. Smooth out the dirt, compact it with a plate compactor and use a level to check the evenness of the floor.

• 13

  Roll a moisture barrier over the dirt's surface to prevent moisture from seeping into the new concrete structure.

• 14

  Add sand and then a gravel layer over the moisture barrier. Level and tamp them down with the plate compactor.

• 15

  Pour self-leveling concrete to complete the new basement floor. Allow the concrete to flow over the compacted dirt to cover the entire floor.

• 16

  Finish the basement floor with floor paint, tiles, wood, carpet or other flooring material.