Covering or hiding lally posts in basement?

[NewShockerGuy]

I'm redoing our basement. Patching walls, ripping up steps, balusters, painting walls/ceilings, recessed lighting, ripped up carpet, putting down luxury laminate...etc.

Anywho, while I am prepping my modding/computer room I noticed that there are two lally posts. For whatever reason the previous owner did not enclose them in the wall on one side. He DID do that on the other side, so you don't see them, but in my room you can see half of the post. Now if the walls weren't already up I'd frame it and put up dry wall to cover them properly like how it should have done (Seriously why didn't they just extend the wall 3" wider to do that??). I'm not doing that.

I've taken pictures of the wall, and of my finger against the post to see how much is sticking out for reference. Picture of blue wall is the other side of where the post is and you do not see the post on that side...

Is there a way to trim these or would that look dumb in terms of "fake-ish pillar" type things or what recommendations do you have? Previous owner just painted everything that ugly toupe color, I'm painting that room a grayish color so if I paint the pillars you will still see them just like how it is now.



Thanks much,
-Nigel

 

[NUTTSGT]

You could make some nice "half" boxes and cover them up. Use a nice hardwood like oak and a stain to create some type of trim fixture.

 

[tjpavlov]

I'd be tempted to just cover those walls with like three layers of drywall.
You'd have to redo the door trim though.

 

[txvwnut]

Get some pvc the same diameter as the posts and rip them to the same depth as the metal ones then glue them to the wall evenly spaced so it looks intentional. Or just box them in like stated above, or finish out the wall run some caulk down the gaps and paint the posts the same color as the wall and then wrap the baseboard trim around them. There is also the trend of hanging drapes on a wall.

 

[vavet]

I could be convinced it was plumbing instead of structural supports. Perhaps the OP thought so too.

 

[Tom Sestito]

Paint em and love em. Seriously paint em to look like tree trunks or something.

 

[rharman]

I would just clean them up and paint to match. I'm pretty picky but those would not bother me in a home office.

 

[Bretny]

I think big box stores sell covers for them. That would be an easy trim job too. Looks like you need door trim also.

 

[Jackfre]

Paint it purple and make it a feature.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Paint it purple and make it a feature.

Purple ?

 

[SteveCh]

while I am prepping my modding/computer room I noticed that there are two lally posts.

Not to be flip, but if you're just now noticing them, maybe you don't need to do anything.

 

[yeldogt]

I think the only way to make it work would be to bump out an area equal on each side to match the post further away.

What's the trim in the rest of the room ?

 

[welder4956]

Maybe something like this, split it in half lengthwise. Have to come up with some way to attach to the wall on each side. Just call and tell them what you want to do and see if they can provide something.

https://www.deckexpressions.com/decorative-stone-post-covers-by-deckorators/

 

[The Cobbler]

shelves or wall units with a false back , spaced equally so they're centered with the doors .
don't have to be very deep either

 

[Stuart in MN]

I think I'd just paint them the same color as the wall and call it done. Anything added will just draw attraction to them, if they're wall color they'll tend to disappear visually.

 

[Lynden]

You could remove the drywall between the columns and build out that section of wall hiding the columns. It might look like an architectural treatment. Install wider door jambs and new casings and rehang the doors.

 

[signcrafter]

Lots of options. Take a 1x2 and do a quarter round on one side. Glue and nail these to the wall on each side of the column. Then get another 1x6 or whatever is needed to bridge and cover the columns and put a decorative edge on them with a router. You can build it up however you want like that. Then you can do that every 8 or 10 feet along the wall or whatever measurement will equally space and look good.

I do like the shelf idea someone mentioned.

Another simple idea if you're good at mudding drywall is to just take some 2x2s and nail onto drywall on each side of column and then drywall across the front and on the sides and tape and mud the corners.

Menards sells a column cover that is 6 sided. It comes in two pieces and you glue them together around the column. But for your situation you can just use one of the halves for each column. Just some construction adhesive and stick to the wall. Then stain or paint or whatever. Think it was around 100 bucks last time I bought one. Simple and easy.

 

[paredown]

You could remove the drywall between the columns and build out that section of wall hiding the columns. It might look like an architectural treatment. Install wider door jambs and new casings and rehang the doors.

This.

If you could center that closet door on the bump out section, it would truly look intentional--looks like you could start just to the right of the light switch on the left, and continue just past the second pipe/lally on the right.

I'm always surprised by things like this--it would have been so much easier to get it right first time--use 2x6 studs, do the bump out like we're describing, or some other trick. Trivial really.

Who lays out a partition wall with pipes in the way, and then fusses with the drywall all the way along the edge of the pipe?

If you really don't want to get into the drywall, maybe hide them with shelves for books or?

 

[paredown]

whoops--double post

 

[CombatNinja]

I like how you refuse to bother furring out the wall to make it thicker but you think the original owner should have framed the wall with 2 x 8s. Just fur it out, and redo the door trim. Also an opportunity to do some insulation, not for temps but for sound abatement, something that is nice to have in a home office.

 

[Git]

Bookcase with a hidden door!

 

[MoonRise]

Options:

1 - Leave as is.

2 - Box it with something. Drywall or wood/plastic. Will make it even more visible.

3 - Rip out the drywall on that side of the wall and reframe it and redo the drywall.

4 - Make/buy some sort of shelf or bookcase to partly/mostly/completely hide the columns.

5 - Make part of the wall thicker to hide the columns. Be symmetrical off of the doorway so it looks like a design feature and not an oops. That will involve redoing the door jams because of the thicker wall sections as well.

Your call. And your $$.

 

[Mattlt]

On most of the home remodel shows they would have ripped out the wall and the posts and replaced them with a lam beam by now. LOL

 

[RegeSullivan]

I just box them in with dry wall. If you have more than one be sure to make them consistent in size/depth or they look out of place. Posts in the middle of a room I usually box in just large enough to get an outlet or two in there.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Appreciate all the help. Those doors are the entry way to the room/main room not a closet so trying to recenter them would be a problem. Plus I don't know how to do that.

Looking more at the posts if I did something since they aren't centered it would look even more odd I think. I mocked up certain things and showed my wife and she said well now it's really apparent they are not centered at all.

If the basement wasn't already finished then I would have done it differently so the poles would be hidden on both sides, which I think is what the original owner should have done. They already had to frame so what would have been the difference to make it 3" wider on the inside to then cover with dry wall? Seems like that would have been very nominal in terms of money to do right. Ripping out the dry wall really isn't an option only because I can only imagine how much more work it would be plus making it look good. It already takes me forever to patch/mud/sand to make it look like it was never there and the amount of drywall dust is always silly... doing an entire wall would just be adding way more work I think on top of an already super delayed "get the basement done" type of deal.

So, took the advice and just painted the wall, still have the other side to do but waiting on a cover box to cover that pipe so then it can be painted and flush with the wall.

Appreciate all the help.

-Nigel

 

[619DioFan]

I would just put a bookcase in front of each one. if the gap between the bookcase and the wall bothers you put a fill piece in it.