Should concrete walls in the basement be plastered, or can you use drywall?

[peter.linkan]

I have a recreation room in the basement with concrete walls. They are now framed with paneling from the 60s, which will be torn down.

We were thinking of plastering the walls but are first checking if there are alternatives. Can you put drywall on the walls in the basement?

We plastered another room in the basement, but it's so porous. If you bump into it with something hard or sharp, the plaster falls off. That's why we're considering whether to plaster or if there are alternatives.

 

[ricebridge]

Yes, it is not easy to get plaster to adhere to a bare concrete wall, especially in a basement where there is always a bit of moisture coming from outside. If you're not going to drain and insulate the exterior basement wall first, I wouldn't recommend it, even if you use a plaster mesh.

It's better to frame with steel studs—not wood!!—and put up drywall, preferably with construction plastic between the drywall and the studs.

 

[Tage97]

Yeah, it's not easy to get plaster to stick to a bare concrete wall, especially in a basement where there's always some moisture from outside. If you're not going to re-drain and insulate the outer basement wall first, I wouldn't recommend it, even if you use plaster mesh.

It's better to frame with steel studs—not wood!!—and put up drywall, preferably with a moisture barrier between the drywall and the studs.

Can you have drywall directly on tiles? 😊 or do you still need steel studs?