General Question, moisture, framing.

15 years ago

Hello everyone,

I plan on framing up the basement and rocking it.Here is what I have already done.

1.Have a dehumidifier(doesnt turn on much even when set to run on lowest humidity levels)

2 Ripped the old furring strips, panel, double rocked dividing wall(which had a black mold),

3.Patched holes and cracks from nails etc..

4.drylocked the block walls

Here is my plan. Tell me what you think.

I am gonna frame along the block an inch out roughly with treated 2x2, just to make the project easier with any imperfections with the block and keeping things square. Put some sort of plastic/vapor barrier between the framing and block(suggestions?)Also something between bottom plate and concrete floor. Insulate between the 2x2's. Rock with water/mold resistant drywall. Install some sort of raised flooring? for carpet or some sort of carpet squares I dont know yet.

How does that sound? My concern is I have some yellow showing through some drylock(water?)in a few small places. The mold that was in the middle partition wall, not sure why that came to be, we have only had water once in 20 yrs and it wasnt severe. Have gutters, and slope of landscaping is improved. Hopefully I am on the right track with this. Its a whole basement I am doing, ideas of fireplace, small bedroom, bathroom etc. A bit overwhelming when you can only afford a little at a time but still having to keep an idea of bigger picture.

Comments (4)

hunter41162
Original Author
15 years ago
Another thought is this. Since I will be building the wall laying down anyway, What if I were to staple vapor barrier to backside of 2x2 framing. Put wall up. Then try and fit some thin type of insulation between 2x2s. This would leave an inch of air space, nothing touching the walls, and I believe I would have air flow from the ceiling between the floor joists.?????????
rmlsll
15 years ago
I started out with the same type of logic you're using, but after poring over the questions and comments in this forum, I'm not sure you are on the right track with the vapor barrier. You should probably check out buildingscience.com for a lot of really well thought out advice on basement finishing and moisture problems. They changed my mind on several issues. A lot depends on where you are located geographically.
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pjb999
15 years ago
Vapour barrier must be on the warm side of the wall, ie directly under the drywall. Sprayfoam might be a better alternative, it acts as its own moisture/air barrier - I'm talking about the commercially applied stuff.

If you desire you can probably put fibreglass insulation in as well, but the sprayfoam r value is really good, making it probably unnecessary.

You may want to pretreat the concrete with moisture proofing as well as repairing any cracks etc.

Also a good idea to address the cause of the moisture, whether you need to improve the drainage outside etc. Do you have gutters on the house? If no, you need them, if yes, does the downspout divert the water far enough away?
brickeyee
15 years ago
"I am gonna frame along the block an inch out roughly with treated 2x2, just to make the project easier with any imperfections with the block and keeping things square."

Do not forget you have to fit electrical boxes in the wall.