finished basement?

[Music Lover]

I would finish the walls a plastic vapor barrier studs and then cover with sheet rock. For the floor, if you are concerned about humidity, I would put a plastic vapor barrier down and lay tongue and group plywood over 2 x 4 studs. You can screw the plywood down onto the studs. The weight of the plywood will keep the studs from moving. After that you can put whatever flooring you want (carpet, ceramic tiles, wood flooring).

If there's a concern about moisture then a plastic barrier will trap the moisture likely possibly to mold. I would use Dricore panels instead as that provides separation and room for air movement to keep things dry.

FYI...my friend put down 2x4's and plywood. It moves in a couple places. Unless the floor is perfectly flat there will be spots where the 2x4's don't touch and there will be up and down movement. That also applies to Dricore panels on an uneven floor. That may or may not be an issue for people.

Another option is to lay down a plastic dimple underlayment and then screw down T&G plywood into the concrete. It's a lot more work but guarantees an air space, stops flexing and maximizes head room.

All these suggestions are made not knowing the circumstances of the OP's basement. It might be perfectly dry with no moisture issues at all, and in that case carpet can work.

 

[finnski1]

I'm just finishing my basement. For insulation I framed 2x4 walls a couple inches away from the outside cement walls and had it spray foamed. It's more expensive but worth it. closed cell spray foam is both an insulation and a vapour barrier and makes a continuous and perfect seal.

^ This. You need to control moisture in walls or you will have mildew /mold issues before you know it. So IMHO either closed cell spray foam or leave a 1 inch air gap between your new work and the concrete walls for moisture to vent, then studs and insulation followed by vapor barrier and finally drywall.

 

[Freedom56]

FYI...my friend put down 2x4's and plywood. It moves in a couple places. Unless the floor is perfectly flat there will be spots where the 2x4's don't touch and there will be up and down movement.

Your friend should have shimmed the studs in areas where the floor is not level. A 7 mil vapor barrier is pretty common for a raised floor and the air gap created by the studs mitigates any mold issues.

A raised subfloor will give you the same level of comfort as your upper floors and gives more flexibility in the type of flooring you can install.

Here is an example:

https://www.rona.ca/en/workshop/diy/install-wood-subfloor-concrete-slab

 

[jazz4cash]

Wrong Youtube link?

Whoops. Yeah wrong link! (Fell down a YouTube rabbit hole). I’ll try again when I get onto a PC.

 

[albireo13]

Having trouble adding pics. I have the files on my computer and it is asking for a web link.

Anyway, one thought we have is to seal and paint the lower half, concrete wall and finish the upper half with drywall. We don't want the basement to look like a living room. It would have a funkier look!

 

[finnski1]

Having trouble adding pics. I have the files on my computer and it is asking for a web link.

Anyway, one thought we have is to seal and paint the lower half, concrete wall and finish the upper half with drywall. We don't want the basement to look like a living room. It would have a funkier look!

Certainly would be the easiest, least expensive and save a tiny bit of sq footage.
If you do go this route use a good water block stain or paint (DRYLOK or equivalent)on the concrete.

 

[albireo13]

I painted the basement in a previous house and it worked out well. I first washed the walls with TSP, and then used several coats of DryLok paint.

The downside to doing this is I am not insulating the concrete walls so would be losing heat. Studding out the concrete walls is an option. It just makes the space that much smaller.

 

[jazz4cash]

Whoops. Yeah wrong link! (Fell down a YouTube rabbit hole). I’ll try again when I get onto a PC.

Let's see if this is better........
https://www.youtube.com/user/BasementFinishingMan/about

 

[pb4uski]

We have a finished walk out basement. Lots of windows and 2 doors to the back yard. Family room, bar, laundry, full bath, home office, exercise room. We spend all day down there. Only go upstairs to eat and sleep. Bar area was our kitchen during kitchen remodel.

Back 1/3 is unfinished for utilities and storage. Tile near the bar and doors, carpet elsewhere. Drywall ceilings. Hvac is gas forced air with ac in ducts in walls and ceilings. Sewage ejector discharges wastewater to septic field.

We had a finished basement in our previous house also. great use of space.

Similiar here... our current summer home has a walkout basement with a family room and two bedrooms... the family room has 5 windows, one bedroom has 4 windows and the other bedroom has one window, but all are very light... towards the back (below grade) we have a utility/laundry room and a bathroom with a spa tub and neither of these rooms have windows. It is mostly guest quarters since we have an entry/kitchen/dining/living great room and ensuite master bedroom on the main floor so we don't spend much time down there other than doing laundry or coming in from the beach.

 

[pb4uski]

I think what I would do is to fasten strapping vertically every 16" to the concrete wall with a ramset tool and install 3/4" thick foamboard to the concrete between the strapping using construction adhesive and foam in any gaps... then add a layer of foamboard (at least 3/4" and fastened with construction adhesive) and then a layer of drywall (fastened to the strapping) with suitably length drywall screws.

Be sure to mark the locations of the center of the strapping on the floor and wall above before covering the strapping!

 

[euro]

That's a "Yeah, but!" I did have a leak that somehow managed to follow a pipe and drip right outside the pan! I watch it now and have a water alarm in the pan. I've considered re-locating but it's gas and with a fairly well occupied garage (tools) I don't care to give up that real estate. I've even considered putting a smart meter on the main supply line that monitors for leaks like Phyne.

Great candidate for a tankless WH solution!

 

[W2R]

We don't have basements in New Orleans due to our completely flat terrain and high water table. From my perspective, reading this thread is mind boggling. I'd like to help, but instead I'll wish you the best of luck. Let us know how it goes!

 

[travelover]

I painted the basement in a previous house and it worked out well. I first washed the walls with TSP, and then used several coats of DryLok paint.

The downside to doing this is I am not insulating the concrete walls so would be losing heat. Studding out the concrete walls is an option. It just makes the space that much smaller.

I think it makes sense not to have the drywall come all the way to the floor as even a little water in the basement will wick up the wall.

 

[Ronstar]

I think it makes sense not to have the drywall come all the way to the floor as even a little water in the basement will wick up the wall.

Drywall doesn't normally go all the way to the floor in above ground room installs also. Precut studs are 92-5/8". 3 plates are 4-1/2". So subfloor to bottom of ceiling joists is 97-1/8" for rooms that are said to have 8' ceilings. Since drywall sheets are 4'x8', and butted to to the underside of ceiling drywall installed first, the bottom of the wall drywall is approx 1/2" above the subfloor.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Having trouble adding pics. I have the files on my computer and it is asking for a web link.

Anyway, one thought we have is to seal and paint the lower half, concrete wall and finish the upper half with drywall. We don't want the basement to look like a living room. It would have a funkier look!

Hit "Go Advanced," and then use "Manage attachments."

 

[travelover]

Drywall doesn't normally go all the way to the floor in above ground room installs also. Precut studs are 92-5/8". 3 plates are 4-1/2". So subfloor to bottom of ceiling joists is 97-1/8" for rooms that are said to have 8' ceilings. Since drywall sheets are 4'x8', and butted to to the underside of ceiling drywall installed first, the bottom of the wall drywall is approx 1/2" above the subfloor.

Yea, but it is easy to get more than a half inch of water in a basement. I think about a foot clearance would be a better precaution.

 

[Ronstar]

Yea, but it is easy to get more than a half inch of water in a basement. I think about a foot clearance would be a better precaution.

I agree, but I'm not sure what would be a better alternative surface for the bottom foot of wall.

I lived in a basement apartment at one time. Came home from work to find 6" of water in the apartment. Some kind of water leak. Owner had everything fixed - new carpeting, new baseboard trim. I can't remember if he replaced the bottom drywall.

My new insurance guy and I were talking about flooded basements. He mentioned that insurance rates are less for finished basements if they have doors for the water to get out.

 

[Music Lover]

Yea, but it is easy to get more than a half inch of water in a basement. I think about a foot clearance would be a better precaution.

But then how do you finish the bottom foot to look consistent?

My basement drywall is an inch or so above the floor so obviously the baseboards will cover it. If it does get wet I'll just cut off the bottom foot or so, dry it out, and add new drywall.

 

[pb4uski]

What you could do is to rip the dry wall to be 1/2" below the height of the baseboard and then fill the void between the floor and the bottom of the drywall with pine filler strip that is the same thickness as the drywall... so one the baseboard is applied it looks "normal" and if you get water in the basement that is below the drywall at worst all you need to do is replace the flooring, baseboard and filler strip.

If you use 4" high baseboard that would give you room for over 3" of water before causing any problem with the drywall wicking water. I'll concede that I didn't do that in our walkout basement but any water from the inside would just run out the door. If the water infiltration was from the outside then we woudl have a problem, but we could sandbag the only door opening to prevent that.

 

[Music Lover]

If you use 4" high baseboard that would give you room for over 3" of water before causing any problem with the drywall wicking water. I'll concede that I didn't do that in our walkout basement but any water from the inside would just run out the door. If the water infiltration was from the outside then we woudl have a problem, but we could sandbag the only door opening to prevent that.

Up here we all have floor drains to drain any water. I guess floor drains are not common in some areas if the only way to get rid of water is through a door?

 

[Ronstar]

Up here we all have floor drains to drain any water. I guess floor drains are not common in some areas if the only way to get rid of water is through a door?

I think floor drains are common regardless of whether the basement has outside doors.
We have 2 floor drains with a walk out basement. One near the washer in case it starts leaking. One near the furnace to discharge condensation and handle any water heater leaks.

Our floor drains are connected to a sewage ejector that pumps the water into wastewater piping about 7’ above the basement floor. These floor drains would drain the basement as long as the sewage ejector is working.

 

[pb4uski]

No, I also have a floor drain in the utility room and if the issue were a water leak it would more likely than not be in that room.

 

[Music Lover]

Our floor drains are connected to a sewage ejector that pumps the water into wastewater piping about 7’ above the basement floor. These floor drains would drain the basement as long as the sewage ejector is working.

We're in a cold climate so our drain lines are beneath the basement floor to stay under the frost table.

 

[Ronstar]

We're in a cold climate so our drain lines are beneath the basement floor to stay under the frost table.

You probably are on a deep city sanitary sewer. I’m on a septic tank and the sewer line from my house to the tank is about a foot deep.

 

[Ronstar]

Just got my YoLink water leak sensor system from Amazon. Setup the base unit and connected it to my router via Ethernet. (Something about system not being able to access 5.0 MHz WiFi)

Put sensors near well pressure tank, under kitchen sink, in water heater pan, and near floor drain by water softener.

Hopefully this system works if I get a leak. I may check it out in the shower.