Basement wall framing and insulation
I have seen conflicting opinions on the use of plastic sheathing as a vapor barrier between the stud wall and the concrete block along basement walls. My method of construction was 4 mil plastic then stud walls with pressure treated sole plate, followed by kraft faced insulation and then blue board(moisture resistant) drywall. I have been told that I should not have used kraft faced paper in conjunction with the plastic as it will trap moisture in the insulation. I have most of the drywall up and have been advised to slit the kraft paper to allow breathing prior to the drywall completion. I have not had any visible moisture problems in this basement. Any thoughts? Thanks .
Joe
Replies
Most authorities recommend unfaced insulation, slitting the face, or using foam in that situation. But I don't think there's enough of a potential problem there to merit tearing off drywall that's already up.
The majority opinion seemed to be that I needed to remove the plastic, so I did. I Was able to pull nearly all of it out without taking down much of the dry wall and batt insulation. Thanks for your input.
Joe
If the moisture is trapped between the masonry and the plastic, what's going to mold?
I live in Ohio and the terms "blue board"and "green board "seem to be used interchangably. I used M/R board because it is a basement and more suseptible to moisture. The major opinion was that I should remove the plastic , so I did. It cost me most of a day but seems to comply with the current thinking on this issue. Thanks for your input.
Joe