By adding support to your upper floors, basement poles, or lally columns, serve an important function and are a necessary part of any home with a basement.  Unfortunately, they are often an eyesore and have to be considered when carrying out basement renovations.  If you’re planning on renovating your basement, or are looking for ways to make your lally columns more appealing, we’re here to give you a number of different basement pole cover ideas.  

1) Paint

The easiest way to cover your lally columns is to simply paint them.  If the rounded look of the columns fit with your scheme, then painting them to match your walls is a breeze.  Adding a base to the bottom and a collar to the top of the column is a great way to mask how the columns are attached and give you greater design flexibility.

2) Pole-Wrap

Another simple way to cover a lally column is to use a product called Pole-Wrap.  This can be purchased in most home improvement stores and will often come combined with a collar and base trim.  Outside of the Pole-Wrap, the only tools you will need are a mitre saw (or circular saw), a tape measure, tape, and construction adhesive. For more information about Pole-Wrap or to purchase, click here.

3) Rope Wrap

Wrapping your lally columns with sisal rope is also an easy D.I.Y project.  To make this look you will need sisal rope, industrial glue (E6000 is a good choice), a screw gun with screws, and a rubber mallet.  Depending on the look you want, use sisal rope that is ½ an inch or ⅜ of an inch in diameter.  Here’s a how-to article that will tell you how to do it.

4) PVC Column Wrap

PVC Column Wraps are a little more involved than the previous two methods, but still relatively easy with the right tools and a bit of patience.  PVC Column Wraps also give you a greater variety of design options. They often come prepackaged with a base, collar, cleats, and installation instructions.  PVC is a durable material and can be painted any color you desire.

5) Box it Up

If you are into more extensive D.I.Y. or if you are hiring a contractor, you can build boxes around your lally columns.  This method will give you the greatest variety in design choices. You can build a box that just covers the pole, or make the box larger for a wider column.   You can sand and stain the wood, or hang drywall and trim around the column to achieve your desired look.  Learn how to build the boxes above, click here.

6) Frame Around It

If your plan includes a complete basement renovation, frame around your lally columns for the greatest number of design options.  You can size the frames around each column to make them as big and you want. This is also a great way to hide columns within a full wall.  Just frame the wall on each side of the column and hide the support behind the drywall when you hang it. Go here for more information about framing walls in your basement.

7) Simple Elegance

These lally columns were wrapped with PVC Column Wraps and give you an idea of their finished look.  The wraps are naturally white, providing a nice contrast to the primary colors used for the walls of this basement playroom.  Notice how the frames of the storage shelves are also white, which ties the look together. To find prefabricated shelves that will achieve this look, click here.

8) Rustic Wrap

This look can be pulled off several ways.  Home improvement stores sell faux wood beams.  Designed the same way as the PVC Column Wraps, they can be installed around your lally columns in the same method.  Another option is to build a box around your column out of vintage wood. Add faux iron banding, which is made of rubber, to complete the rustic look.  For a great article on how the owner achieved this look, click here.

9) A Touch of Nature

You can add a natural look to your basement by wrapping your lally column in a large log or a tree.  You can find prefabricated designs that are installed the same way as PVC or faux wood beams. If your renovation budget is significantly bigger, you can have your contractor saw a log in half and hollow it out to fit around the column.  You can also purchase logs that are already hollowed out, from several places online.

10) Brick or Stone Wrap

As you can see, column wraps come in a variety of styles and fashions. Here, the owner has decided to go with faux stone wraps which match the stone accent wall in the background. The wooden floors complete the look, giving this basement entertainment area a modern look that is warm and inviting. You can check out some of the many styles of faux stone wraps here.

11) Mix and Match

Here’s an idea that combines two looks.  These lally columns have been enclosed it two larger frame boxes.  The top halves are faced with drywall and angled into the ceiling which creates a nice arch effect.  The lower halves are faced with faux brick and stained wood trim to divide the look. This effect can be matched with wainscoting along the walls to give your design uniformity. Here’s an article that will teach you some great tips about hanging drywall.

12) Pole-Wrap with Shelf

Adding a shelf to your lally column is a great design choice to add versatility to your look. There are a few shelf designs that can be integrated with Pole-Wrap. Square or round, your shelf can be used as an end table for a couch or recliner.  With just a few more steps, these shelves are just as easy to install as Pole-Wrap.  Click here to purchase a shelf designed to work with Pole-Wrap

13) Bar Table

If you are thinking of converting your basement into a man cave bar, then turn those lally columns into a bar table. Here, the owner has boxed in two columns and matched the wood panelling on the ceiling cross beams. The table is connected between two columns.  Note the light fixtures attached to the columns. This is another possible design choice allowed when framing and boxing your lally columns.  For DIY instructions on how to mount a table around a post, click here.

14) Iron Banding

Another great idea for a basement bar, is to hide the lally columns in your bar design and use Iron Banding to accent it.  You can incorporate two columns which frame the bar and gives the space clear definition. The use of the angled support beams and faux iron banding give this space a rustic quality. The choice of wrought iron bar stools nicely tie in with the iron banding. Check out this link to order flexible iron banding online.

15) Half Shelf

If you want to separate areas of your basement while keeping an open floor plan, then build a half shelf connecting the lally column to an outer wall.  You can leave the shelves open and add baskets to store things and still give your shelves a uniform look. This open design provides access from both sides of the shelf, allowing greater flexibility in the way they can be used.  For a handy video on framing a half wall in your basement, check this out.

16) Art Deco Bookcase

You can hide lally columns in the perpendicular supports of a full shelf to make a bookcase.  You can decide how wide you want your bookcase by hiding one column and allowing the other side to be free standing, or you can hide two columns inside either side of the bookcase.  Connect the shelves to both supports, or hang one side from the ceiling to copy this art deco look.  For an article on how to suspend shelves from the ceiling, click here.

17) Gas Fireplace

Another unique place to hide lally columns is within the wall of a gas fireplace. Here again, you can use the wall to hide one or two columns, depending on how much space you have for your design.  You can go with a full wall or a half wall. Another design choice is whether you want to accent the gas fireplace by covering it with wood paneling, or match it to the other walls.  Click here to learn how the homeowner created this look.

As you can see, there are many smart ways to hide your lally columns or incorporate them into the design of your new basement.  Whether you choose to cover them, box them up in a frame, or incorporate them into a half wall or a bar, your options are limitless. Hopefully, these 17 basement pole cover ideas have given you a great starting point.

Do you have an idea that we forgot?  Would you like to expand on any of the ideas we have mentioned?  Then leave a comment below to let us know!