When painting your basement, it is important to pick the right colour as the colour you choose will set the tone for the room as a whole. In this article, we will provide you with tips on choosing the best paint colours for your basement, as well as various basement colour ideas to help you create the look and atmosphere you want, whether modern, dynamic, relaxing, or bright.

Tips to Choose Basement Paint Colours

  • In small basements with absolutely no natural light, white is the number one option to make the room look bigger and brighter.
  • When testing different paints, adjust the lighting to see how the colours are affected and take note of what lighting works well with what colour for the best results.
  • To make your basement look more modern or dynamic, choose bold accent colours to pair with soft neutrals.
  • If you want a brighter room that still includes a bit of colour, light neutrals or pastel shades are great choices to go with.
  • Be sure to sample the colours you are considering, painting a small portion of your walls, to determine which one is the best colour for basement walls and what pairs well with your existing decor.
  • If your basement is used as a playroom for the kids, it is better to go with bright primary colours for a fun atmosphere, whereas if your basement is something like a home movie theatre, darker colours are better for a more intimate feel.

For additional tips on successfully painting your basement, check out our other blog post here.

Overview

  • Colour Family: Mainly neutrals with a variety of darker colour options
  • Complementary Colours: The colours described below have the ability to work well with a multitude of other colours
  • Pairs Well With: The majority of these basement paint colours will be able to go well with any of your current furniture
  • Mood: Lighter tones create a more relaxing space, brighter colours are better for a youthful, more energetic feel, and darker colours are suited to produce a warm, inviting atmosphere
  • Where to Use: Walls, ceiling, and/or floor

Modern Basement Colour Ideas Decorating

If you need modern basement colour ideas for decorating your space, the combination of these two colours is an ideal choice to create a room that is both soft and edgy, giving it a contemporary look and feel:

  • Light Greige — This colour is the perfect combination of gray and beige. It is a great neutral that can suit all types of basements, and by using a lighter shade like this, you will create a relaxing atmosphere. Indeed, with a light greige you can produce a room that comfortably envelops you without making you feel claustrophobic.
  • Matte Black — Black is fantastic as an accent colour. Whether you are painting the ceiling, window trims, or door frames, or even all three, using black on these areas will help give your basement a clean, modern look. The more matte the paint you use is, the darker it will be once it is dry.
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Basement Paint Colours

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Trying to decide on a paint colour for a basement with no natural light? The following colours are options that are perfect to help brighten your space or can be paired with other lighter colours to enhance your aesthetic, making your basement more comfortable and enjoyable to spend time in:

As a true neutral, a soft or pale gray helps brighten a room without making it seem sterile or stark since the colour has a bit of warmth to it and can easily reflect any natural or artificial lighting around the space.

Perfect for rooms with limited light, light blue shades like a sea foam or pastel blue have the ability to bring a calming, soothing atmosphere to a space. They will both brighten your basement and improve your mood.

Muted greens, like sage or pastel shades, help bring the outside world in by adding an earthy, grounded look and feel to the room. This is especially great in basements that do not have a lot of natural light because you can add some brightness to the room, while also creating the illusion of the nature you are missing.

Using navy blue as an accent colour, either for an entire wall or just trimming, is a good way to add contrast and depth to your basement. It combines beautifully with grays and other neutral colours and can give your space a classic maritime or nautical feel, which will bring a certain joy to the room for those who love the water.

Best Basement Colours

White is an amazingly versatile option for any space. In a basement it does a great job of brightening the room and making it feel more welcoming. There are a wide variety of shades of white that you can choose from, but the following two are some of the overall best paint colours for a basement:

  • Cool White — Perfect for basements with low ceilings or lots of ceiling angles, a cool white will expertly brighten up your space and make the room as a whole seem bigger, especially if it is window-less or lacking in natural light.
  • Off-White (with Yellow Undertones) — An off-white with an undertone like yellow adds a more cozy feel to your basement. As with any other shade of white, it will brighten the space a lot, still keeping to a lighter colour palette while the yellow undertone provides a warmer aesthetic.
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Warm Basement Colours

For a more inviting space, these warm basement colours are great options to paint the walls of your room, adding a lovely depth and coziness that, depending on what you use the space for, might otherwise be missing:

  • Burnished Clay — Clay colours are excellent for dark spaces, such as basements with a lack of natural light, as they make the room brighter. They can also be paired with deeper or darker colours in order for your basement to have a more dynamic appearance.
  • Chocolate Brown — If you use your basement as a media space or perhaps as a lounge bar, a dark chocolate brown is a wonderfully warm colour that helps to create a calming and grounded feeling in the room, great for close quarters.
  • Deep Red — Another good choice if your basement is a media room, deep red is a rich and bold colour that is sure to produce a warm, inviting, and intimate atmosphere for you and your guests, allowing you to be as comfortable as possible.

Popular Basement Paint Colours

These options are a couple of the most popular paint colours for a basement. Whether on their own or paired with other colours, they are excellent choices to help enhance your space, making it turn from a drab and dreary room to bright and cheerful:

  • Soft Beige — A soft beige is another neutral colour that creates a comfortable atmosphere while also making your basement brighter. It can be paired with a wide range of other shades and colours and tends to work well with any kind of decor, so you would not have to worry about the walls not matching your furniture if you decide to go with this colour.
  • Bold Primary Colours (Vibrant Reds, Blues, Yellows) — Primary colours are great for children’s spaces as they give off a youthful energy and liven up any room. So, if your basement is a games room or just a place that your kids frequently hang out in, this is the way to go. Bright colours like these can also help provide a balance between the more subdued elements of your basement such as a concrete floor.

How To Choose Basement Paint Colours

When choosing basement colours, it’s important to consider how much light, artificial or otherwise, is present in the space. Many basements have few windows or really small windows, making the space naturally dark. In this case, you’ll want to stick with lighter, neutral colours. Meanwhile, some basements are above grade or have walkouts and light isn’t an issue, so you’ll have more colours to choose from without making your space look too cramped. 

To help you decide what colour to use, you should also think about how you’ll be using your newly renovated basement. Is it a place to hang out with friends and shoot some pool? Is it a relaxing hideaway for movie time at the end of a long day? This will help you determine an appropriate colour scheme. 

Also, consider the surface type of your basement walls. If you’ve decided to leave some exposed brick or concrete as part of your basement’s aesthetic, you will need to buy special paint that you wouldn’t use on typical drywall. No matter what surface you’re painting on, consider buying paint with built-in waterproof properties to discourage the growth of mould and mildew.

Best Basement Wall Colours

If your basement lacks natural light, opt for bright greys, whites or light browns. Sticking with these hues will make your basement look bigger and brighter than it is.

But don’t take our word for it, if there are a few colours you love, it’s a good idea to purchase some sample sizes and test them out on different walls in your basement.

Observe them throughout the day to see how the colours look in different types of light. 

Best Basement Colours For A Bright Space

If you happen to have a bright basement, it’s easy to have fun with your colour choices.

Using dark colours in shades of grey, blue or red can add a sense of fun and personality.

Again, these colours generally work best in basements with high ceilings and lots of natural light.

Hire The Pros!

Hopefully, these basement colour ideas will inspire your renovation, but the paint is just part of what could be a design overhaul for your new favourite space at home!

The renovation experts at Moose Basements can transform any basement into a comfy living room, rec room, movie theatre, workshop, man cave and more.

Contact the basement renovation pros at Moose Basements today for your free, no-obligation estimate.

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FAQs

What is the best colour to paint the basement floor?

Most people tend to choose gray to paint their basement floor because it can go with a lot of other colours, and though it is a great colour, it is not always the best basement paint colour for your particular space. Ultimately, any colour you want will work, but if your basement is a media space, a dark neutral would work best; if it is a game room, choose a bright primary colour; and if it is a home gym, a pale neutral is the best option.

What is the best colour to paint basement walls?

Overall, the best colour to paint basement walls is really whatever colour you want, but depending on how you use your basement, there are different colours that are better suited for it than others. Darker shades work well for media spaces, brighter primary colours work great for children’s spaces, and a pale neutral tends to work for anything which is why it is so often people’s top choice.

What is the best colour to paint a basement with concrete walls?

When painting concrete walls, white is oftentimes the most used colour and can be considered the best as it does a great job of brightening up the room a lot. Other brightening colour options include soft shades of gray or beige – you can even go with a greige if you feel so bold – as well as pale or pastel greens, blues, and yellows. You can also enhance the coziness of the room by going the opposite direction and choosing a darker colour like navy blue or chocolate brown.

What is the best neutral paint colour for basements?

The best neutral paint colour for basements is a light greige, a combination of gray and beige. While either gray or beige work well, greige is able to fit virtually any type of basement and is perfect for creating a relaxing atmosphere that fully envelops you when you enter the room.

Should basement paint be light or dark?

This depends entirely on your basement and what you use it for. If your basement does not have a lot, or any, natural light, you should choose light paint colours, such as whites, neutrals, or pastels, to help make the space brighter. If your basement is a media space or a simple lounge area or bar, dark paint colours, like chocolate brown or deep red, make for a more intimate setting, creating a warmer ambience in the room.

What is the best paint colour for the basement ceiling?

White has traditionally been the best paint colour for the basement ceiling as it is extremely easy to match with other colours. It also brightens the room and can make it seem a lot more spacious. For some added drama and a more modern look, you could go the opposite way, though, and paint your ceiling black, which would also add more depth and comfort to the room.

What is the best paint colour for a basement with no natural light?

For a basement with no natural light, lighter colours such as pale gray, muted green, or light blue are great options that will help the space look brighter. A cool white or off-white with yellow undertones are also wonderful choices for rooms with no natural light as they too possess a brightening effect and have the bonus of making spaces seem bigger than they actually are.

Should I paint my basement walls and ceiling the same colour?

You certainly can paint your basement walls and ceiling the same colour, but you do not have to; it is really a personal preference. Painting the two the same colour is a faster and cheaper option. It can also make the ceiling look higher and creates a consistent look for the space. However, it can conversely make the room feel smaller depending on the colour used. If you are using a bold and/or bright colour, painting it on both the walls and ceiling can sometimes come across as too much or over-the-top.

Is eggshell finish good for my basement?

Yes, an eggshell finish is good for basements. It has the ability to reflect light, providing a bit more brightness to the room, and can subsequently make your paint colours look brighter. As well, it is very easy to clean, has the ability to hide any surface flaws, concealing bumps in the wall, and is resistant to scuffs, scratches, and any other signs of wear and tear.

What sheen is the best for basement walls?

A glossy sheen is typically best for basement walls. With a glossy sheen, your paint colour will be enhanced and the room will seem brighter as the sheen reflects light. It is also highly durable and tends to be better at resisting moisture and stains than other options, making it easier to clean without worrying about damaging the paint or having the colour degrade over time.

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