Choice of paint or tiles, moisture barrier in basement laundry room possibly bathtub
Hello!
We want to keep costs as low as possible without risking moisture damage and mold while furnishing 20 sqm in the basement into a laundry room. Just under 2 meters to the ceiling. We might also want to place a sitting bathtub there.
The house/basement is partially above ground with two walls being partly exterior walls and partly underground. The other two walls are interior walls adjacent to a crawl space. If I understand correctly, the house is built on a concrete slab. Some water trickles down from the exposed rock in certain parts of the room...
Currently, the walls are painted with plastic paint that has been there for 20-40 years without flaking. In one place (the interior wall), the plastic paint is flaking, and there is some moisture.
The idea is to possibly lay tiles on the floor and partway up the walls, then either tile or paint the upper part of the walls.
Everyone says different things about whether a moisture barrier is necessary, but there are supposedly breathable barriers? (Mapelastic?).
Someone recommended having it under the bathtub (IF we put one there) but otherwise not having a moisture barrier, and therefore the old cast iron floor drain from the 1940s-50s wouldn’t need to be replaced...
IF we paint, WHAT kind of paint should we use? Is it possible to paint water-repellent wall paint directly over the old plastic paint (if cleaned first? With what? Water? Paint remover?).
Someone said that silicate paint could be used on the old plastic paint because it's so old, but is that really true?
IF tiles are placed on the walls, does the plastic paint need to be sanded off?
We also have an asbestos ceiling. Since we can't afford to remediate it, we might want to paint it. Which paint should be used? Bathroom paint or regular ceiling paint?
Someone mentioned that since I have a slab on grade, which means the floor is in direct contact with the ground where water or ground moisture infiltration may occur, it should not be sealed as normal.
Thankful for advice on the cheapest material choices with the least risk of rot.
Basement girl (without building knowledge)
We want to keep costs as low as possible without risking moisture damage and mold while furnishing 20 sqm in the basement into a laundry room. Just under 2 meters to the ceiling. We might also want to place a sitting bathtub there.
The house/basement is partially above ground with two walls being partly exterior walls and partly underground. The other two walls are interior walls adjacent to a crawl space. If I understand correctly, the house is built on a concrete slab. Some water trickles down from the exposed rock in certain parts of the room...
Currently, the walls are painted with plastic paint that has been there for 20-40 years without flaking. In one place (the interior wall), the plastic paint is flaking, and there is some moisture.
The idea is to possibly lay tiles on the floor and partway up the walls, then either tile or paint the upper part of the walls.
Everyone says different things about whether a moisture barrier is necessary, but there are supposedly breathable barriers? (Mapelastic?).
Someone recommended having it under the bathtub (IF we put one there) but otherwise not having a moisture barrier, and therefore the old cast iron floor drain from the 1940s-50s wouldn’t need to be replaced...
IF we paint, WHAT kind of paint should we use? Is it possible to paint water-repellent wall paint directly over the old plastic paint (if cleaned first? With what? Water? Paint remover?).
Someone said that silicate paint could be used on the old plastic paint because it's so old, but is that really true?
IF tiles are placed on the walls, does the plastic paint need to be sanded off?
We also have an asbestos ceiling. Since we can't afford to remediate it, we might want to paint it. Which paint should be used? Bathroom paint or regular ceiling paint?
Someone mentioned that since I have a slab on grade, which means the floor is in direct contact with the ground where water or ground moisture infiltration may occur, it should not be sealed as normal.
Thankful for advice on the cheapest material choices with the least risk of rot.
Basement girl (without building knowledge)
Water must not penetrate the basement through the floor or wall. The first thing you must do is redo the drainage around the house and waterproof externally. Otherwise, all work in the basement is undone... and with mold damage as a consequence... Eti..
If it is moisture penetration, it's hardly possible to paint (with any paint). I also doubt that there is any waterproofing membrane that can be applied to damp concrete.
It should be possible to lay tiles, if it's not too damp.
Floors and walls must of course be well-ventilated, i.e., no enclosed spaces underneath or behind where air cannot circulate freely.
No organic materials in direct contact with damp surfaces.
What can happen with constant moisture in the foundation slab is that any rebar may rust. It doesn't have to be critical.
If the slab is already constantly (or has been?) soaked from underneath, it probably doesn't matter if you splash water on it from above either.
Heating, ventilation, and possibly dehumidification are certainly important if it's being converted into a "wet room."
The moisture penetration might be due to poor drainage, which can be fixed, but it can also be due to ground moisture combined with the absence of an effective capillary-breaking layer under the footing, in which case there's really not much realistically that can be done about it other than learning to live with it. I would be surprised if most older houses with basements don't have more or less moisture penetration in the footing (which cannot be drained away).
I think I would choose either wet room paint or silicate paint for the ceilings and walls.
It should be possible to lay tiles, if it's not too damp.
Floors and walls must of course be well-ventilated, i.e., no enclosed spaces underneath or behind where air cannot circulate freely.
No organic materials in direct contact with damp surfaces.
What can happen with constant moisture in the foundation slab is that any rebar may rust. It doesn't have to be critical.
If the slab is already constantly (or has been?) soaked from underneath, it probably doesn't matter if you splash water on it from above either.
Heating, ventilation, and possibly dehumidification are certainly important if it's being converted into a "wet room."
The moisture penetration might be due to poor drainage, which can be fixed, but it can also be due to ground moisture combined with the absence of an effective capillary-breaking layer under the footing, in which case there's really not much realistically that can be done about it other than learning to live with it. I would be surprised if most older houses with basements don't have more or less moisture penetration in the footing (which cannot be drained away).
I think I would choose either wet room paint or silicate paint for the ceilings and walls.
If the drainage is placed at a sufficiently moderate depth, it will also remove moisture under the foundation, and then you can do as you please in the basement. Walls and floors must be dry, otherwise nothing will adhere. Eti..
Not at all certain. Without a capillary-breaking layer under floors and walls, ground moisture can rise very high above the drainage level. Several meters in the worst case. I have seen several basements with moisture damage at the bottom of interior walls because the wall is built directly on damp ground without a capillary-breaking layer (as was done in earlier times) and then painted with dense paint (which was done much later). Drainage doesn't help there; you can't drain under the wall. One must furnish/paint so that the moisture can escape and be ventilated away.etiol said:
Tiles without a waterproof layer underneath can actually adhere well even on a damp floor, but you should be careful to choose adhesive and grout that allow moisture to pass through and are not damaged by it.