OK. So the final word on basement ceiling paint is acrylic? Is that the same as latex? I have no idea! Also, how does everyone think it would look to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls of my basement? I have an extremely pale butter yellow on the (previously horribly dark and shiny fake paneled) walls now. I'd really love to not paint the walls again, and I think taping them off will lead to huge amounts of paint coming off with the tape since the walls were so shiny and fake in the first place. It seems like this would be a good look that would also make the ceiling disappear, but since no one has mentioned I wasn't sure. If it helps, my basement has several small windows and gets fairly good light at certain times of the day, but needs brightening up.

you are correct....open cell is the cheaper, less R and higher perm (allows more water through) then closed cell. Closed cell will be a added cost, but would probably be worth it in the basement at least. Closed cell, in general, will seal up your entire house better then open cell, as well as add structural rigidity to your 2x4 framing making your house stronger. Open cell does not. Closed cell is not water proof, as it seems your questions are hinting toward. Cellulose is just fine for the attic, and going with more closed cell is a waste of money IMO. An animal can rip apart open cell just as easy as getting into cellulose. Besides, if something gets in there you have bigger issues anyway! Also, your roof is suppose to be water proof....not your insulation. If your roof is failing, you do NOT want a water proof insulation anyway. This traps water and allows wood to rot, thus a possible structural failure in your roof without you really even knowing. You may also be money and r value ahead to practice air sealing your walls with caulk and then using a blown fiberglass or dense packed cellulose in your walls. A side note...spray foams are THE most expensive possible way to insulate a home, and most cases you will never see a ROI compared to dense packed cellulose and blown fiberglass with air sealing especially in your climate. (note, I never mentioned batts).

About a year ago, we finished a basement for one of our clients who was turning it into a family game room. The ceilings were left open, and we sprayed them a really dark flat grey, almost black. Our client chose a blue/grey wall color, and it honestly looked great! All the imperfections of the exposed ceiling beams, pipes, wires, etc... they all faded in to the dark flat paint. The look was modern, contemporary, and not cold at all. Using the neutral tones for the ceiling and walls allowed all the game systems to really pop in the space. [like the pool table, ping pong table... I think there was even an old-style pac man machine, the kind that you'd find in an old arcade]. Well, I hope this helps. Good luck! The Couture Floor Company Our Flooring Blog

A chain curtain was added to separate the storage space. Prime the PVC pipes with Stix primer. Spray & back-roll the raw, unpainted ceiling beams with an acrylic black stain. That will stick to the primed pipes & wires. Spray a 2nd coat of stain or black acrylic paint. You can also brush and roll but that'll take some time.