If you’re going to paint the walls, I would use Drylock paint even if you don’t have a moisture problem. It doesn’t cost much more than regular paint and may benefit you down the road by preventing a problem with moisture from developing. In my basement I used a first coat of the regular white, then for the second coat did white again on the lower 40" or so and above that used blue. Drylock has a couple of standard colors that include a blue that is actually a pretty good sky blue. In fact when I put up the first section of my backdrop, I used the same Drylock blue as the base color.
Second, if you just moved in, I would give it some time before installing carpeting, drywall etc. to see if any problems develop. We just had some water seep in along the floor after a torrential rain, never had water before in the three years we’ve been here. Got it patched up with hydrostatic (or whatever they call it) concrete.
Third, be aware that by installing drywall etc. and “finishing” your basement, you may be increasing the value of the house…and may have to pay higher property taxes.
My layout is in a fully finished basement. Framed, drywalled, floor coverings and supended ceiling. I did this one major reason: Comfort, my theory is if the room is not comfortable you are less likely to want to work down there. As far a the ceiling as a carpenter I always recommend suspended grid ceilings. Remember if you drywall the ceiling you lose access to alot of the mechanicals of the house, pipes, shutoffs, cleanouts, ducts& dampers, phone, tv, computer cables splitters and junction boxes and electrical conduit or wires. You never know what you will need to access in the future. Plastic sheeting on the ceiling IMHO is HUGE NO NO as I think it is a fire hazard.
I can agree with most of this, except, the 1/4 inch plywood floor. Definitely insufficient!
The first, and most important step to a dry basement is getting the water away from the house…necessitating grading around at least 5-6 foot from the house, away from the house. This may look “tacky” in the beginning, but when channeling surface water that far away, and then piping water from downspouts out at least that far, you drastically reduce your chance of seepage into the house. I did this 13 years ago in the so called “sunny south”, where when it rains, it pours, and it’s still working!
I happen to be one of the very few fortunate ones who has a zero moisture problem in my basement. We have very sandy soil where I live whihc sucks if you want things like grass or a garden to grow but is excellent for drainage. That being said I still put up a vapor barrier on the block wall before I put up the stud wall. Something else I was taught a long time a go was never nail into the basement wall. I built the stud walls and secured them to the floor with a nail-gun and tied them into the floor joist. You can use construction adhesive like liquid nails for projects and glue the mailers to the wall but it’s not the preferred way of doing things.for a floor I used pre-made floor panels from Lowes. They are made of OSB with a rubber matting on the underside to grip the concrete. If I recall they were about $4.00/ 2Sq ft.more then I wanted to spend but well worth the cost. It feels liek your standing on a regular floor rather then a concrete floor which will kill your feet. A friend who has a full basement layout 40’x80’ uses industrial floor mats liek the kind you see in a machine shop they are a foot saver thats for sure somethign else you may want to consider.
In my o/p any of those paints advertised for water proofing are just short of snake oil most don’t keep out any more moister then regular paint the one exception is drylock I have no idea whats in it but it does seem to do a nice job.
Wanting to conserve space I choose to leave my concrete walls exposed. I first scraped the concrete walls and then coated them with drywall compound, after sanding and paint the walls looked just like any sheetrock wall. I have one small crack in the foundation that drywall tape will not completely cover, so I am planning to build a mountain over it.
Just came across this reply and I couldn’t agree more with the snap ties issue. I had that happen to me when we built our new home 10 years ago. Water seeped through the top snap tie all along the basement wall. The builder came back and used a two-part epoxy to patch all of the snap tie holes. That solved the problem from the outside. Drylox solved the problem from the inside.
Proper grading also helps. We had our house professionally landscaped. The landscapers destroyed the original grade as it sloped away from the house. leaving a swale against the foundation. Water gathered during every major storm and actually came into the basement over the top of the foundation.
Lastly, do not confuse “waterproofing” with “damp-proofing”. That black asphalt that the builder sprays around the e
Couple of things worth mentioning. My neighbor finished his basement and put a vapor barrier against the inside of his wall and then built the stud wall. He did have a moisture problem and also some water leakage due to a subgrade window well. He had a major mold problem over the years. The basement had to be gutted and treated by the new owners. If you research a vapor barrier installation you will find mixed reviews on it’s installation. I’m in the midwest. IMO if you install it against the poured wall you trap moisture between the wall and the barrier. There is no where for this moisture to go. Thus you will have mold. As in my neighbors situation. My basement is dry. I run a dehumidifier year round, heat and cool my basement during the seasons. I used Zizzner’s drylock on the walls and a water sealant where the floor and walls meet. Built my stud wall,wired, insulated and then put a vapor barrier up. I then hung drywall and primed and then painted. I used ceiling tiles and recessed lighting to finish it off. So all summed up, do you homework for your area and your home. I advise that you use a drylock on the walls, use a hydraulic cement or patch on cracks and holes,a waterproof sealant on the floor/wall area, and get a good dehumidifier that has a hose drain that you can drain into a floor drain. By the way my dehumidifier runs almost non stop in the summer months here. Get an auot restart one too. So if your power is interupted it will restart and run again. Good luck.
I completely agree. Our house has a full daylight walkout basement and when we had it built 5 years ago I had the below-grade portion of the poured concrete foundation water-proofed with a product called Wall-Guard which is a 100% rubber polymer material which has a lifetime warranty. The company is located in Smithville, OH at 330-669-2552. It is applied to the new foundation in two coats. Before the second coat is completely dry, a thin layer of foam board insulation (approximately 1/4" thick) is applied to the sticky surface of the second coat to protect the membrane from rocks and debris when the foundation is backfilled. It is best applied to a new foundation and the foundation surface down to the footers must be clean of mud and other loose debris. My wife and I spent part of a day with stiff brooms cleaning the foundation in preparation for the application. The application cost was about $1.60/square foot 5 years ago. It can also be applied to concrete block foundations as well. There are other similar waterproofing products available. Do a Google search.
We live in the Eastern Panhandle of WV and during the summer months, June thru Sept. I run a dehumidifier (70pts/24 hours) continuously to keep the humidity level in the basement at or below 55%. Be advised that this dehumidifier only removes approximately 36pts/24 hours under our conditions at 72 degrees F. It does the job and the basement is very comfortable. The basement is air conditioned but the AC doesn’t run enough to dehumidify the air completely. I recently bought this GE 70pts/24 hour dehumidifier and it has been running continuously since 8/7/09 and has not pooped out yet. It replaced a Sears Kenmore unit that failed after three years of this level of operation. If you’re in the market for a dehumidifier, do some research at the Amazon or Sears websites before you buy. My research led me to believe that most of the currently
Bob, I went through my last Kenmore in less than 5 yrs. Trying an LG this time. It makes some rattling noises periodically. Both were about 180-230$ There is a website you can go to and find out who makes the Kenmores. Probably LG…they make everything. I agree that one needs to research for a reliable product or they will be paying for a new one in a few years.
I have a small crack that the builder says he will have them seal with some kind of epoxy that he says will join the crack and actually strengthen the concrete, he said it was a c drying crack that he would fix for cosmetic reasons any thoughts?
I would never put plastic on the floor and cover it with foam. Our water table is too high, and in wet seasons it comes through the floor [in the center of the room, not around the edge]. I had to pull up the plastic, clean up the mildew, and go to a removable plastic tile and install a dehumidifier. After a long soaking rain, I have had to lift the removable snap-together tile and dry the floor with a fan, but that is possible except under the layout legs. I had some wall problems early on that two coats of Drylox took care of. I have a Frigidaire dehumidifier [$230] which research said was the quietest model, and it does keep any musty smell away. I also installed a drop ceiling and it has made a world of difference in the dust level. Just lift the tile to get to wiring when needed. The problem with getting advice on the forum is that conditions vary so much around the world. Check with a local contractor or building supply source. What is good in Arizona or Southern California may not work in New England.
We built our house in 1999, with the basement planned for a workshop and railroad. Our snap ties were sealed on the exterior of the concrete with silicone sealer, prior to backfilling. We got the “damp proof” black stuff, too, but we chose to site the house on a knoll with very good drainage. We, too, had professional landscapers destroy our carefully graded backfill, so I had to sink an extra drain out there, which solved a minor ponding problem near the foundation.
The first step in preparing the basement was the radon test. We built on New England shale (with lots of quartz), with the striations facing upward (visualize a sliced loaf of bread), so we found plenty of radon. I am not convinced of the epidemiology of the radon issue, but I decided to err on the side of caution. The remediation was a simple hole in on edge of the floor slab, and a suction pipe with a vacuum pump that works 24-7. The radon tested OK, and as a result, the basement seemed drier.
Which brings me to the main point: our basement is nice and dry There are several vertical shrinkage cracks in the concrete walls, most plugged with caulk by the radon crew, but no water is seen anywhere, even during the worst rains. We have had leaks from upstairs, through the framed walls, but these were repaired when I tracked down the source (kitchen exhaust fan hood inadequately shielded).
I have a dehumidifier that runs all summer, but it never kicks on when the heat is on. It drains into the central AC condensation tank, which has an automatic pump which lifts the water up and out through a 1" plastic pipe which dumps outside in a flower bed. The hydrangeas love it. The dehumidifier is by White-Westinghouse and has worked great for 9 years, so far. The humidity gauge shows no more than 55% humidity, usually 50% in the summer, 25% in the winter.
I prepped the walls in the layout area by drilling blind holes and inserting lea
I would be a little concerned about using the blue foam board as the ceiling in the train room. I believe building codes require that it be covered with a fire-resistant material such as drywall board when it’s used in a wall or ceiling application. If you’re not expecting to have a fire or a visit from a building inspector, it’s probably fine to use it uncovered. However, you may have to be prepared to tear it down when you sell your house before it will pass a building inspection. You might want to check with your local building code office.
Thanks for the tip on the blue foam board. If I ever sell this house, the whole model railroad (L girders galore) will have to come out! The ceiling would probably take 20 minutes to pull down.
Another thing to remember about basement ceilings is that they usually have a ton of electrical boxes between the floor joists. Electrical codes require that these remain accessible without tearing out parts of the structure, which is also nice for future repairs or upgrades. Nailing foam to the joists doesn’t impede access as badly as an all-out drywall job would, but a suspended ceiling would be better, and it would satisfy code. Because the panels can be easily slipped out for access, it doesn’t count as removing structure, which is also a nicely practical feature when you want to work on something above it.
It doesn’t have to be spaced very far below the joists, especially if you use the fiberglass tiles.