Heating mats, paint warm basement

The basement has always been a bit of an anomaly to me. Maybe it's because I'm a Brit, where that place under the ground floor is not much more than a crawl space. It's not even called a basement in Britain, but a cellar -- a dark, dank place packed with dusty bottles of sweet liquors given over many Christmases by old aunties, a grave for unused exercise equipment and broken boxes spilling over with long-forgotten school projects. I know it might sound a bit like your basement, but in Britain no one spends more time down there than it takes to drop off and run.

When I first visited North American homes, I was surprised at the smart-but-unused living rooms and how everyone chose instead to live below ground. This really was the place families wanted to be. But there's a change afoot. In today's brand-new homes you are more likely to find a large open area off the kitchen or even part of the kitchen that accommodates family living, along with a fireplace, the television and comfortable furniture. The basement is more for the tech-type room, with an oversize television and games. I've seen homes that are even putting in a yoga area in the basement.

That's all very cool, but what if you don't have one of these gorgeous new builds? You live in an older home and are stuck with the existing basement. It's still a good-size space for everyone to hang out, but most basements come with cold floors and that dreaded wood paneling on the walls. All these negatives can be rectified with some simple solutions and a wee bit of bravery.

Let's start with the walls. I know there are still some folks out there who think there is nothing wrong with fake wood paneling. (I can pretty much guarantee that it's the man in your life.) When he disappears for the day, it's time to freshen up that basement. Think twice about removing the paneling, as you might get some ugly surprises. If you are not up for a big renovation job, then paint it.

Prime the paneling first to seal in the stain and the knots. Once the primer is dry, apply two coats of classic white or creamy pastel. If you choose to pull down the paneling, you can plaster over any damage.

In my basement shown in the photo here, I applied paintable wallpaper in a thick embossed pattern that hid any defects on the wall. I painted it white, which really opened up the space.

The floor is the biggest issue. My basement floor was so chilly that by December the whole family was wrapped in thick blankets, and by January we'd given up watching the telly altogether -- it was just too cold.

Not this year. I pulled up my old floor and put down large 24-inch ceramic tiles in an alternate pattern of squares and rectangles, very modern. What's warm about ceramic tiles? Before they were laid, I had my friends at Nuheat lay down heating mats. The heating coils are sandwiched within the matting; it's like rolling out an electric blanket. We installed their programmable thermostat, which allows us to adjust the heat when and where we want it. For more details, visit www.nuheat.com, or call 800-778-9276.

This winter we will all be toasty and warm in the basement -- I absolutely love these heated floors!

Debbie Travis is a columnist for King Features Syndicate. E-mail questions to her at house2home@debbietravis.com.