Good Morning all you early birds….I am prepping a basement remodel and was curious as to what the common practice was on a vapor barrier in the basement, even though I am uneasy about one in a basement. This basement does not have a history of flooding or wall seepage and has previously had “dry”, unmoldy carpet. Thanks, and a good holiday to you all….
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nh...
Before replying, I have to add my disclaimer that I'm not a professional, but here's what I did in a similar situation nearly 10 years ago and it has worked well for me, no sight of moisture.
After prepping the block walls, I applied Dryloc to all exterior walls. I put 2x4 walls inside the block walls, with plastic going about to the level of the outside soil. It ran under the bottom PT plate, and up the inside about a foot or so thinking that if water did get in, it wouldn't wick up the wood trashing the drywall and insulation. In retrospect, I'm not sure I'd run the plastic up the outside of the interior wall, since I have a space between the interior wall an exterior wall, I don't think it's doing anything except making a pocket in each wall cavity, but everything I've done this far has worked well. In addition, make sure the gutters, and outside grading are correct. BTW -- while your at it make sure the sill is sealed.
Happy holidays to you as well!
Rip
I put no vapor barrier in my basement. The moister can migrate in and out.
You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
Thanks, Marv...Those were my sentiments as well....
Tape 2-foot square pieces of clear plastic to the floor and walls in several places. Cover with a couple of layers of newspaper or lean cardboard against them or some such to cut down airflow and keep them a hair cooler than the ambient air. Check them after 2-3 days to see how much condensation has collected on the back side of the plastic.
I don't know that there's any rule of thumb, but this will at least give you a feel for how much moisture is coming in.
I don't use VB's in basement jobs, it makes more sense to let the moisture pass through the walls and flooring (use permeable insulation and finishing products) and let the HVAC take care of the extra humidity.
Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
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