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Hi guys and gals I’ve got a basement room with an unknown thickness concrete floor (3″-4″) that I want to put carpet on. The room will be used as a spare bedroom. There is some seepage on the floor and I will be sealing with a a paint on sealant. The stud wall will be about a foot away from the slanted foundation walls. The foundation comes up about 3′ on three sides then the cripple walls. About 2′ below grade on 3 sides.
Walls:What kind of insulation, rigid, fibreglass? vapor barrior? (exterior is stucco)
Floor:PT sleepers? vapor barrior?. I was thinking 2×4 pt sleepers with 3/4 ply and then carpet? Use 6 mil plastic or felt underneath and where, what order? Will this create a mold problem? I know it’s a lot of questions and you’ll have some great answers
Thanks for your help.
h
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Painting leaking basement walls with a sealant is about like painting a sealant on the side of the Titanic. You have a water problem that needs to be solved before you consider a finished basement space (especially with carpet). You need to find the source of the water problem first (ie. poor landscape grading away from the house, inadequate or no perimeter drainage system, sometimes even plugged or no rain gutters, etc. etc.) Once you have a dry basement, then you can address the other relatively minor details of wall construction, etc.
*Agree 100% with Jim. You will have water again, and what a nightmare when you discover it coming up through that much material. Talk about a floating floor!I'd not only go to all the trouble to remedy the possible problems Jim mentioned, but would also break out the perimeter of the slabe and run tiling, sloping it into a sump basin and install a good pump. It 's worth it for peace of mind. Otherwise, every big rainstorm or weeklong soaker you'll be worried sick.Can't be too careful with water problems.MD
*Yup, and get an emergency back-up on that sump, whether battery or hydro. Start out right and you'll have a good chance of ending right. best of luck.
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I agree with all of you regarding pools of water. I must have been unclear regarding the water, I'm talking about a slight film in maybe a foot square area after two weeks of heavy rain. I'm primarily interested in the construction details. I think the plastic above the existing concete and below the plywood, is asking for a mold problem being that it will trap and collect any transpiring moisture.
*I solved a moisture problem in an old basement by building a floor with 2x10s and supported them with treated lumber posts. The original floor had a bad slope, and I had the luxury of a 9' ceiling. The finished ceiling height of nearly 8' was fully acceptable to the customer, and the water problem is eliminated, or bypassed. You might have to build a 2 step stairway, or if you are close to the current stairs, and plan it right, build a landing w/ 2 steps down to the rest of the basement.
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BigH -
Why are you mucking about with finished rooms in this basement? From the posts I'm reading you've got water coming in and should spend your time building an ark and gathering animals-
I think you mentioned a film of water (moisture maybe) confined to a finite area. This suggests an infiltration problem in a finite area. Check for positive drainage around the house (ground slopes away), gutters conducting water away from house (make sure water is not running behind gutter at some point) and if there is a sump is the discharge clear and free of leaks. What else- if you have any hose bibs make sure they are not leaking...
If you do all this and still have water, Quit your day job and work on the ark full time. The basement wall sealer only works where there is not a great deal of hydrostatic pressure coming through the block. Water problems are better dealt with from outside in. If you decide to seal the inside of the block plan to use several coats and apply to as dry a wall surface as possible.
It would be a good idea to put down sleepers and sub floor, airflow under sub floor if possible, wouldn't worry about vb., insulate as a normal wall
you did say this little bitty bit of water is after forty days and forty nights didn't you?
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Yeah my non clarified water comment got everybody all fired up. If I quit my day job, I'd probably assign myself Toilet Paper monitor on our low flow toilet. Here's your 3 sheets, next...Ha Ha
That's something Noah didn't have to deal with!
well I'm off to the WEB to find me a hack/tool that uses Mil Surplus 50 cal shells to set those sleepers into that concrete. Seriously thanks for the help and the heads up about perimeter drainage, like I need another project!
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Hi guys and gals I've got a basement room with an unknown thickness concrete floor (3"-4") that I want to put carpet on. The room will be used as a spare bedroom. There is some seepage on the floor and I will be sealing with a a paint on sealant. The stud wall will be about a foot away from the slanted foundation walls. The foundation comes up about 3' on three sides then the cripple walls. About 2' below grade on 3 sides.
Walls:What kind of insulation, rigid, fibreglass? vapor barrior? (exterior is stucco)
Floor:PT sleepers? vapor barrior?. I was thinking 2x4 pt sleepers with 3/4 ply and then carpet? Use 6 mil plastic or felt underneath and where, what order? Will this create a mold problem? I know it's a lot of questions and you'll have some great answers
Thanks for your help.
h
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Try Tapcons (brand name) concrete screws. You can find them in any hardware store. Pretty selfexplanitory application.