ᐅ Drywall Construction for Storage or Hobby Room – Tips

Hello everyone,

Two years ago, we moved into our house, including the basement.

In the basement, we created a large room, which at the moment and in the future is divided into:

One side hobby room
One side storage/pantry room

I would like to visually separate both areas. I want to do this properly and am thinking of using drywall with gypsum board panels.

Now to my questions, or rather, I would like to get some advice here:

1. Does drywall make the most sense in terms of price/performance here?
2. I would ideally like to install panels on both sides, but without insulation – does that make sense? It’s meant purely as a visual separation.
3. Regarding the door opening: Obviously, a passage is needed, but it does not have to be a hinged door – maybe a sliding option could work, or possibly just leaving it open, since the doorway area is a nice feature visually and it could also be practical to keep the passage permanently open. Of course, planning a door makes sense for the future, but maybe someone has another idea?
4. I am open to suggestions or tips to keep everything as cost-effective as possible.

Thank you very much!!

Prager91 schrieb:
1. Does drywall make the most sense here in terms of price/performance?

Only a curtain or something similar would be cheaper. The question is what exactly you want to achieve. Visually, a curtain would be sufficient—though not very attractive—and more affordable.

Prager91 schrieb:
2. I would ideally cover both sides, but without insulation—does that make sense? It’s meant purely as a visual divider.

Why cover both sides if you want to keep costs as low as possible?

Prager91 schrieb:
3. Regarding the door opening: of course, there should be a passage, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a hinged door—maybe a sliding option could work, or it could simply be left “open,” since the doorway is an attractive feature visually and it is quite practical if the passage is permanently open. Sure, planning a door makes sense for the future, but maybe someone else has an idea?

Cheapest option: door frame without a door Most expensive option: sliding door In between: a standard door, but then you’ll also need the corresponding drywall elements for doors I wouldn’t focus too much on the budget—actually, I’d double-layer the drywall and add second-choice insulation in between (mineral wool 160mm (6.3 inches) thick costs about €5.5/sqm new, or you can look for used materials on classifieds sites). Better to have it than not. If the budget allows for a door, get one—used options are fine too. Do you have underfloor heating? Then you cannot simply screw into the floor.

nordanney schrieb:

Just a curtain or something similar would be cheaper. The question is what exactly you want to achieve. Visually, a curtain would be enough—although not very attractive—and more affordable.

So why double-board both sides if you want to keep costs as low as possible?

Cheapest option: door frame without a door
Most expensive option: sliding door
In between: a regular door. But then you’ll also need the appropriate drywall door components.

I wouldn’t necessarily focus too much on the budget and would actually double-board and use second-choice insulation in between (mineral wool 160mm (6.3 inches) costs about €5.50 per square meter new, or you could look for it on classified ads or similar). It’s better to have it than not.
If the budget allows for a door, go for a door—also from classified ads or similar.

Do you have underfloor heating? If so, you can’t just screw into the floor.

Yes, I think I will board one side on both sides and insulate with mineral wool—this should be sufficient for this area.

I could also design a door frame so that I can install a door later, right? For now, I’ll plan the door dimensions and just leave it open. If it bothers me later, I’ll add a door.

We don’t have underfloor heating, so screwing into the floor is relatively straightforward.

I consider double-layer drywalling to be somewhat overkill (unless soundproofing is a significant concern) – if your goal is to save labor time, you can achieve a similar effect by using gypsum fiberboard or higher-quality drywall panels in a single layer. I would recommend including mineral wool insulation regardless.

Also, consider shelves that may be mounted on the wall. You can install a wooden bracket behind the drywall at the appropriate height relatively inexpensively, allowing you to safely support heavier loads later on.

The door opening should be properly constructed – I would definitely suggest using steel stud profiles (usually UA profiles), as they offer flexibility regarding the door leaf weight and other factors. It is also advisable to adhere to a standard rough opening size (but always calculate using the finished wall thickness, including the drywall!), to avoid potentially more expensive custom door manufacturing.

If you want the door to have an “open” look, you might consider a (solid) glass door.

Harakiri schrieb:

I see double drywalling as a bit of overkill (unless soundproofing is a significant concern) – if you want to save labor time, you can achieve a similar effect by using gypsum fiber boards or higher-quality drywall panels in a single layer. I would definitely recommend installing mineral wool insulation regardless.

Also, consider possible shelves that might be mounted on the wall later. You can cost-effectively install a wooden bracket at the appropriate height behind the wall to safely support heavier loads in the future.

The door opening should be done properly – I would definitely use metal studs (e.g., UA-profiles) so you have flexibility regarding the door leaf weight and so on. It’s also a good idea to stick to standard rough opening dimensions (but always calculate with the finished wall thickness including drywall!) to avoid potentially more expensive custom-made doors.

If you want the door to look “open,” you might consider a (fully) glass door.

Thanks for the information!

I can attach 25kg (55 lbs) loads to a single gypsum fiber board, right?

So smaller shelves are definitely doable—this would save me some work. I’m not planning anything heavy here anyway.

Since it seems rather unclear how things will be in the future or that they might change again, I could also imagine a solution using shelves that can easily be moved or rearranged. These can be closed on one side or used as needed. I wouldn’t like a door frame without a door planned for later, because it just looks like a door frame without a door. There are also those inexpensive folding doors, but well...

I once had a similar situation, and in a room with a rather low ceiling, I screwed a beam to the floor and another to the ceiling. Then I reinforced as needed in between and covered both sides with wood. For a basement room, I could also imagine using OSB boards, and you can basically just place and screw a thicker panel directly in without much substructure.

If sound insulation is important, you would still need a door. If not, in my opinion, you don’t really need any insulation in between.

Another option to consider would be to mill a groove into the floor and ceiling beams and then simply slide boards into it. I also actually like the idea of a heavy curtain or some kind of stretched material, or something movable, especially since there still seems to be some uncertainty about how the space will be used.