Hi everyone,

We are in the process of doing a mini basement makeover. Nothing huge and we are trying to keep the cost low.

But I am concerned about this.

Our current flooring is 1960s vinyl asbestos tile (house built in 1964). We have never had any obvious water problems (been here almost two years), and neighbors report absolutely no water problems. We are at the top of a hill, so it would seem that drainage would not be an issue. But, there are these weird marks on the tile. Mind you, when I painted i knew we would cover the tile. So some of the marks are paint. But the weird little greenish dots are NOT paint....but something else.

Is this sign of a moisture problem? The house has a sump pump, but I don't think it has ever been plugged in or active since we moved in. The previous owner installed a B-Dry waterproofing system, but she was a widow and elderly (and sick). Her kids and the realtor said she was overly paranoid and felt she needed to install a system. There are other signs of paranoia, like a really good security system (and we live in a very quiet and safe area, and her daughter lived/s down the street).

I honestly don't remember these being on the floor when we bought the house in August 2009, but maybe I wasn't being observant since I knew we would encapsulate the tile with something.

The marks are in different areas, not just a single area. And, some of the tiles are coming up, but they are almost 50 years old, so that may not be a moisture issue. I assume the basement sees a lot more use than it did just with the previous single woman who lived here.

We do keep a dehumidifier going at all times.

Here are the pictures. Thoughts?