Hi everyone.
I am in the process of remodeling my walkout basement. half of it is done or substantially complete. Now I am starting on the side of the room below grade.
My question stems from evidence of moisture in the wall. before I removed the old paneling and drywall. I noticed a musty smell and what appeared to be mildew on the paneling.
I stripped the old paneling and drywall and found what appeared to be a homeowner framed wall, in that the bottom plate is not pressure treated and not secured at all to the concrete floor. the top plate is not fastened to the joists above, and the wall can be easily pulled loose and out of place. I think it is just nailied in a couple places on the sides. When I examined the insulation carefully, I found one section near the floor to be damp. However I have never seen any water on the floor and the block is not damp now.
The existing wall section was as follows, drywall, 2 by studs tight to the concrete block wall and the stud bays are filled with foil faced fiberglass batt insulation.
Question, I am going to reframe the wall and drylock behind it. How should I insulate it? 1) Should I leave an air space between the block and the studding, and reinsulate with fiberglass? 2) Should I use a ridgid foam between the studs and the block? 3) What is the best insulation and vapor barier combination to use here? Any advice would be appreciated as I am kind of stumped and don’t want to compromise the good job I have been doing with an oversight here.
Thanks all,
Webby
Edited 7/20/2007 10:37 pm ET by webby
Replies
I can't give you a good answer, but there was an FHB article "The No Mold Basement" or something, several months ago. I'd do a search, or it may be possible to purchase the article on the site.
"I wanna be a race car passenger. You know, the guy that bugs the driver. Say, man, can I stick my feet out the window? Do we have to keep going in circles? Mind if I turn on the radio? Boy, you really like Tide."
Thanks, I've got the article, but I was kind of hoping someone could advise me whether I can reuse my existing insulation or should I go with a diferent insulation and vapor barrier.
Webby
Don't use fiberglass in the basement. Either use spray foam or rigid. See the BSC website for a lot of good info like this:http://www.buildingscienceconsulting.com/resources/foundations/Understanding_Foundations.pdf