Hello!
Nice to see that there are others who get hung up on these damp basements
I have a house from '71 with a basement - insulated with 100mm pordrän and platon on the outside. The inside is plastered and the slab is insulated, and on top of that, I have installed a Wirsbo system with a finish on top - now it will be warm underfoot at least.
Anyway, that's not what we were going to discuss - I'm currently working on the plastered walls, against which I will build full walls in gypsum board and also half-walls to run electrical wiring.
Question 1: Steel studs are new to me, and therefore I wonder how on earth to build half-walls, i.e., so-called trunks, in this construction? I know how to frame with a track at the bottom and one at the top, but how do you achieve the spacing from the outer wall, e.g., 30 cm, i.e., how do you get an "overhanging" plane against the outer wall that is attached to the standing wall?
Question 2: How should one approach moisture barriers against the outer basement wall - can you place the moisture barrier on the concrete wall and then tile over this in the shower corner, or will that cause problems with moisture migration in the wall? The same question essentially applies to the floor.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Nice to see that there are others who get hung up on these damp basements
I have a house from '71 with a basement - insulated with 100mm pordrän and platon on the outside. The inside is plastered and the slab is insulated, and on top of that, I have installed a Wirsbo system with a finish on top - now it will be warm underfoot at least.
Anyway, that's not what we were going to discuss - I'm currently working on the plastered walls, against which I will build full walls in gypsum board and also half-walls to run electrical wiring.
Question 1: Steel studs are new to me, and therefore I wonder how on earth to build half-walls, i.e., so-called trunks, in this construction? I know how to frame with a track at the bottom and one at the top, but how do you achieve the spacing from the outer wall, e.g., 30 cm, i.e., how do you get an "overhanging" plane against the outer wall that is attached to the standing wall?
Question 2: How should one approach moisture barriers against the outer basement wall - can you place the moisture barrier on the concrete wall and then tile over this in the shower corner, or will that cause problems with moisture migration in the wall? The same question essentially applies to the floor.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Regarding plastic wrap directly on the basement floor and then laying click flooring on top: DON'T DO IT!!! I'm currently removing linoleum that was loosely laid in my basement, and it definitely smells like mold underneath! It only takes a bit of dust and mites for mold to grow! Especially if it ends up under a plastic wrap that traps moisture. Instead, lay Platon or equivalent under the click flooring.
Regarding drywall directly on the concrete of interior walls in the basement, this is also not a risk-free construction. The interior walls might look fine now, but keep in mind that the conditions change as moisture movement is obstructed. It's very common for moisture to be absorbed even in the interior walls of the basement. It's clearly visible in our basement, among other places.
Everything done in a basement must allow moisture to migrate!
Regarding drywall directly on the concrete of interior walls in the basement, this is also not a risk-free construction. The interior walls might look fine now, but keep in mind that the conditions change as moisture movement is obstructed. It's very common for moisture to be absorbed even in the interior walls of the basement. It's clearly visible in our basement, among other places.
Everything done in a basement must allow moisture to migrate!
Member
· Älvsborg/Göteborg
· 235 posts
If you want laminate flooring, use blue platon... but you can't use click flooring then... because there's a certain "bounce" with the platon mat when you walk on it! So in that case, go for glued laminate... or a thick click floor 12-13mm or similar.Compact_xz-1 said:
I've had it like this now for 7 years (glued laminate on blue platon) and it works great! I've now torn up the floor because I'm going to install underfloor heating, and there were no signs of issues!
Hi!
Interesting thread with many good tips.
I agree with Ivar's basic advice to avoid organic materials altogether in basement constructions.
I just want to add a tip for interior, decent insulation that is moisture-proof.
Build an interior wall with 100 mm leca and attach it to the basement wall. Plaster and paint with silicate paint, kc-paint, or another inorganic paint. The result is better insulation (not as good as foam or mineral wool though) and a wall that still doesn't get damaged by moisture penetration.
For the floor, I will use platon and a floating, loose-laid floor on the platon mat.
Then it's of course important to ensure that drainage and so on are good.
I will be using it myself in a house from '56.
Interesting thread with many good tips.
I agree with Ivar's basic advice to avoid organic materials altogether in basement constructions.
I just want to add a tip for interior, decent insulation that is moisture-proof.
Build an interior wall with 100 mm leca and attach it to the basement wall. Plaster and paint with silicate paint, kc-paint, or another inorganic paint. The result is better insulation (not as good as foam or mineral wool though) and a wall that still doesn't get damaged by moisture penetration.
For the floor, I will use platon and a floating, loose-laid floor on the platon mat.
Then it's of course important to ensure that drainage and so on are good.
I will be using it myself in a house from '56.
Hi, I'm sitting and reading in this excellent forum but I get dizzy when I read this thread :-?. Is there any kind soul who can help me with an answer to my question? (the answer is probably somewhere in the thread already, but I'm so unsure)
We live in a villa from '65 with a basement. We've just redone the drainage and insulated the outside; the foundation is concrete. Now I'm going to renovate a bathroom in the basement with a shower, bath, and sauna, where two of the walls are exterior walls. Can I put up steel studs and drywall and then tile on it, or do I have to tear down all the old plaster and "start over"? I get so many different answers when I ask around; some say you absolutely shouldn't put studs and drywall because the risk of dampness & mold increases in the "void" between the exterior wall and the drywall, while others say it's perfectly fine.
Perplexed...
We live in a villa from '65 with a basement. We've just redone the drainage and insulated the outside; the foundation is concrete. Now I'm going to renovate a bathroom in the basement with a shower, bath, and sauna, where two of the walls are exterior walls. Can I put up steel studs and drywall and then tile on it, or do I have to tear down all the old plaster and "start over"? I get so many different answers when I ask around; some say you absolutely shouldn't put studs and drywall because the risk of dampness & mold increases in the "void" between the exterior wall and the drywall, while others say it's perfectly fine.
Perplexed...
You should lay the tiles and klinker directly on the concrete, possibly after sanding off any sealed paint first. You should not have a moisture barrier except possibly in the shower corner so that moisture from the foundation can dry out into the room through the grout. That moisture transport is likely greater than the one from the shower room down into the foundation.
Yep, it was dense paint in my basement. Some cheap plastic paint. Sanding/scraping off all the paint felt daunting since the previous owner had painted almost the entire basement that way. I taped and sealed all the cracks and holes and blasted one room at a time. Divorce was almost a fact after that... It probably doesn't matter how you do it; the blasting sand sneaks in between no matter how well you seal. Tiled afterward, it turned out great. At least it feels that way.
If, like me, you have a masonry exterior wall made of leca that you're planning to plaster in the spring. The wall is above ground. What should I use as insulation on the inside? The room is small, so steel studs 3 inches with 50iso aren't much. Is it okay to, for example, glue polystyrene 50mm onto the leca and then use 45 steel studs?
also a small job in a small room in the basement dating back to 1938.... that someone else started. One of the interior walls was covered with drywall on wooden studs for about 4 years. The drywall/wood construction itself held up well and still looks like a good base for tiles, but the wall under the drywall has severe plaster damage near the floor, indicating moisture from the ground causing this. The wall will be partially tiled, but I won’t take the risk.... the drywall and wooden studs are already on their way to the landfill. It will be replastered with lime plaster as it was originally, and then tiles and paint will follow.
I've read the thread and can't understand WHY so many necessarily want to put drywall in a masonry basement? Why aren't plastered walls accepted in a living area? Does it have to be sheets of all kinds just because you can use the basement as living space? Or is it easier to mount studs, screw, tape, spackle, sand, prime, paint/wallpaper drywall than to just plaster and paint twice?
Amazing how much money and work it costs with all those ventilated and insulated wall constructions. It's wiser to make the wall thicker with an extra wall of cinder blocks as someone in the thread suggested... and I agree.
If you hire a carpenter to renovate a basement, you get everything except a simple, safe, and long-lasting solution that's easy to repair if there's a bit more moisture in some corner. Ask a mason instead, and you'll get better suggestions for how to create nice wall surfaces in all those basement rooms that need fixing. Removing plaster from a spot damaged by moisture and replastering is quickly done. Plus, you can see clearly and early when something is happening. That's my reasoning when I choose plaster over drywall.
Many basement walls appear dry as long as they aren't enclosed or painted with dense paint. If you do, it's just a matter of time.... anywhere from 2 to 20 years until the problem arises. Usually, you only discover it when the house is up for sale and the buyer inspects every nook and cranny with a moisture meter in hand. What good does it do that Platon and steel studs were so right in 2007?
Think again before converting a stone/concrete basement wall into a complicated ventilated insulated risk variant like a framed drywall.
I've already made my choice and am replastering
... long saga again ....
gaia
I've read the thread and can't understand WHY so many necessarily want to put drywall in a masonry basement? Why aren't plastered walls accepted in a living area? Does it have to be sheets of all kinds just because you can use the basement as living space? Or is it easier to mount studs, screw, tape, spackle, sand, prime, paint/wallpaper drywall than to just plaster and paint twice?
Amazing how much money and work it costs with all those ventilated and insulated wall constructions. It's wiser to make the wall thicker with an extra wall of cinder blocks as someone in the thread suggested... and I agree.
If you hire a carpenter to renovate a basement, you get everything except a simple, safe, and long-lasting solution that's easy to repair if there's a bit more moisture in some corner. Ask a mason instead, and you'll get better suggestions for how to create nice wall surfaces in all those basement rooms that need fixing. Removing plaster from a spot damaged by moisture and replastering is quickly done. Plus, you can see clearly and early when something is happening. That's my reasoning when I choose plaster over drywall.
Many basement walls appear dry as long as they aren't enclosed or painted with dense paint. If you do, it's just a matter of time.... anywhere from 2 to 20 years until the problem arises. Usually, you only discover it when the house is up for sale and the buyer inspects every nook and cranny with a moisture meter in hand
. What good does it do that Platon and steel studs were so right in 2007?Think again before converting a stone/concrete basement wall into a complicated ventilated insulated risk variant like a framed drywall.
I've already made my choice and am replastering
... long saga again ....
gaia
Just feel like I have to write in this interesting thread.
We tore out the framework we had when we bought the house, the fool who built the den had put Platonmatta on the wall, then framed it with regular 45*75 wood studs, put in mineral wool in various layers and small pieces. Then he attached drywall, which he wallpapered. When the inspector was here, he almost had heart palpitations. We tore away a bit of the wall in a spot where it wasn't visible, and the drywall was dark on the inside. It also smelled quite a bit.
Anyway, the basement is half below ground, drained in '96, no insulation outside, just cold asphalt against the foundation below ground.
So we tore everything out as mentioned, then I plastered with gypsum plaster, broomed it with a mason's brush, then painted. On the floor, we've laid a Platon and floating masonite, + a carpet. Man, it’s warm on the floor now.
Later on, when finances allow, we'll insulate the foundation outside with Isodrän. Feels a bit like double work though, he could have put in something like that when he drained anyway...
We tore out the framework we had when we bought the house, the fool who built the den had put Platonmatta on the wall, then framed it with regular 45*75 wood studs, put in mineral wool in various layers and small pieces. Then he attached drywall, which he wallpapered. When the inspector was here, he almost had heart palpitations. We tore away a bit of the wall in a spot where it wasn't visible, and the drywall was dark on the inside. It also smelled quite a bit.
Anyway, the basement is half below ground, drained in '96, no insulation outside, just cold asphalt against the foundation below ground.
So we tore everything out as mentioned, then I plastered with gypsum plaster, broomed it with a mason's brush, then painted. On the floor, we've laid a Platon and floating masonite, + a carpet. Man, it’s warm on the floor now.
Later on, when finances allow, we'll insulate the foundation outside with Isodrän. Feels a bit like double work though, he could have put in something like that when he drained anyway...
Tool enthusiast
· Rosersberg
· 82 posts
Very interesting thread...
It's fortunate to find advice just when you need it most. In our house, built in '56 with a basement underground, we were planning to lay tiles in the laundry room. When we removed the laundry tubs, etc., a few tiles fell off, and the plaster crumbled into powder form. Long story short, all the tiles are now removed, and there were large dark mold-smelling spots behind, which is strange since there is nothing organic...
I was here to see if we should drywall the walls, but after reading the thread, it seems the best approach is to replaster the wall and retile. External drainage lining will be installed this summer, which is probably needed despite the dry sand.
Another question regarding the laundry room, according to current moisture barrier regulations, floors must have a moisture barrier when there is a floor drain, which is the case here. This somewhat contradicts what is stated above about allowing moisture to rise through the floor, or is it that the regulations do not apply to concrete floors in basements that are on the ground?
It's fortunate to find advice just when you need it most. In our house, built in '56 with a basement underground, we were planning to lay tiles in the laundry room. When we removed the laundry tubs, etc., a few tiles fell off, and the plaster crumbled into powder form. Long story short, all the tiles are now removed, and there were large dark mold-smelling spots behind, which is strange since there is nothing organic...
I was here to see if we should drywall the walls, but after reading the thread, it seems the best approach is to replaster the wall and retile. External drainage lining will be installed this summer, which is probably needed despite the dry sand.
Another question regarding the laundry room, according to current moisture barrier regulations, floors must have a moisture barrier when there is a floor drain, which is the case here. This somewhat contradicts what is stated above about allowing moisture to rise through the floor, or is it that the regulations do not apply to concrete floors in basements that are on the ground?
Hello everyone.
I would not recommend any of these alternatives.
We had huge problems with how to solve the basement wall problem.
I spent days of work finding something that seemed good.
When you called the manufacturers of Platon mats, there was only one option in the whole world.
When you called Gullfiber, they thought Platon was a disaster. Only Gullfiber works.
It continued like this for a long time until I went to Svenskbyggkänst to ask. (Note) that they are not tied to any brand or company.
They recommended spraying polyurethane foam on all the walls.
The foam bonds with the wall and becomes a unit = No cold interior wall, no moisture.
I would be careful about ventilation behind the wall unless there is an air inlet near the floor and an air outlet at the ceiling.
I would not recommend any of these alternatives.
We had huge problems with how to solve the basement wall problem.
I spent days of work finding something that seemed good.
When you called the manufacturers of Platon mats, there was only one option in the whole world.
When you called Gullfiber, they thought Platon was a disaster. Only Gullfiber works.
It continued like this for a long time until I went to Svenskbyggkänst to ask. (Note) that they are not tied to any brand or company.
They recommended spraying polyurethane foam on all the walls.
The foam bonds with the wall and becomes a unit = No cold interior wall, no moisture.
I would be careful about ventilation behind the wall unless there is an air inlet near the floor and an air outlet at the ceiling.
Quite a few inspectors might get heart palpitations from PUR foam in about 10 years....mästarsnickarn said:
I agree with Gaia's simple wise observation - if you have plastered walls in a basement, continue with that. A mason can make such a wall quite nice, then use lime-based breathable paint on top of it. It's when you start framing, putting up drywall, etc., that the problems begin. Where do you think there are worse mold problems, a plastered basement from '39 or a drywalled rec room from '79 with strange glues under the carpet, etc., given the same exterior construction....
/Alko