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I have a newer home that the builder put a concrete vault in. It is basically the porch that was dug out fully to make a room under it with a steel security door. The concrete porch is the ceiling. There are vents into the room so I can keep circulation in it. I would like to finish it off without taking up much space so I can use it as secure storage. I don't need much insulation, just enough to help keep the temperature somewhat steady as I would like to store some art and guns in there. My plan is to prep the outside walls and ceiling by painting them with DryLoc and then finishing them.

One thought is to do 2x2 walls with foam insulation glued to the concrete and then putting either sheet rock or some kind of paneling over it.

Another thought was some kind of Foam backed OSB and securing it directly to the concrete with the foam against the concrete.

I am pretty much at a loss for what to do on the ceiling.

I am not overly concerned about electrical as I will only need one or two outlets at the most and I could do them as surface mounts.

Any suggestions or ideas?

J. Clay
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A hundred years ago, that would be called a 'root cellar', and considered a great place to keep your potato crop or smoked meats. The temperature will be relatively constant down there because of the ground contact. Insulating will actually reduce that thermal buffering effect given the vents.

Your problem for guns and art is humidity. I'd start by measuring the humidity to see where you stand. A USB hygrometer is an inexpensive tool for plotting humidity over time, and you'll want that even if you go all modern and try to seal the room.

Bryce
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To answer the how should I finish the room question:

I don't see insulation as a major necessity here. The room is surrounded by the ground and there is no better insulation than that. You could insulate the ceiling if you so choose. If you are fine with the concrete walls I would use a multi-poxy. I use this stuff on basement and garage floors. It is very very durable.

The nasty part of this is...well all of it really.

Step 1: Clean it. I use muratic acid, scrub with a push broom, then rinse. You'll want ventilation and a mask.

Step 2: Mix and paint. Again, ventilation and a mask. But now you're done. I usually apply at least two coats on floors, but generally three. You should be able to get away with two on the walls.

It can be tinted to color, it goes on easy and again, its (given proper preparation) never going anywhere.

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James
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