Finishing Basement Walls: Furring Strips vs Stud Wall

Homeowners who would like to expand the living area of their home often consider finishing basement walls as a means to providing this extra space. Many of these homeowners who have experience in Do-It-Yourself projects, will prefer to do some of this work, rather than pay for others to do it. If you are among those who would like to do some of their basement finishing, you might be looking at the advantages and disadvantages of installing furring strips on your basement walls, versus installing wall studs. If so, you will be interested in the information you'll find below.

Cost Differences

When weighing relative costs for installing furring strips and wall studs, you'll need to look at only material costs, since you won't be paying others for installation  As you might imagine, material costs for 2x4 wall studs will be significantly higher than for 1 inch furring strips. This not just because of vertical lumber you'll need, but because when installing wall studs you also will need to pay for material for floor and ceiling plates. 

Insulation

Insulation space  between furring strips and a concrete exterior wall is one inch, at best. This doesn't leave enough space for much insulation. Insulation space in using studs will be nearly 4 times greater than with furring strips.

Plumb Walls

Since you'll be attaching furring strips directly to concrete walls that might not be perfectly plumb, you'll need to use shims to plumb the furring strips. This will add time and cost to your installation. Studs, however, can be plumbed with less time and expense.

Wall Covering

In considering the use of furring strips vs. wall studs you'll need to consider the type of wall covering you'll want. With furring strips, you're virtually limited to using paneling that you can glue onto the strips. You could attach drywall with drywall screws driven into the furring strips, but remember, these strips will be glued onto the concrete. If any of them become unglued, or if they warp, there will be little you can do to correct the problems. In using wall studs, you'll be able to attach virtually any type of wall covering.

Cabling and Power Outlets

If you plan to install power outlets or cabling for power, computers, or telephones, you can dismiss the use of furring strips. In using wall studs you'll have almost 4 inches of wood through which you can drill holes to run your cable. With one-inch furring strips you won't be able to run cable through them. In addition, flush electrical boxes for your receptacles require almost 4 inches of space. If you want any kind of cabling on a wall with furring strips, you'll need to run the cable through surface channel strips. And, you'll need to use surface mount receptacles.

Attaching to Adjacent Walls

Any plans to connect other interior walls to your concrete wall will require that you have stable vertical pieces to which you can attach ceiling plates. In attaching furring strips to your concrete wall, you'll need to also attach 2x4 pieces you can attach your ceiling plates to.