Hello.
I have a 70s-style basement room, currently clad with wooden studs directly against concrete, insulation, and then tongue-and-groove wood walls outside. The room is located on a slope, with half the wall below ground. I started tearing down to remove the insulation (drained a year ago and installed isodrän boards externally) to check how badly the studs were affected by moisture.
Now it turns out that the wood behind the wall which is mostly underground is completely healthy, so my question is whether I should still remove all the wooden studs in the room and replace them with new ones, with an air gap in between, or just leave it as is, according to the principle "if it has worked for almost 40 years, then..."
I will also acoustically treat the room since it will be a small recording studio. So I'll add new insulation (but with an air gap from the walls) and then a couple of layers of drywall on top. I will also leave openings at the bottom and top for some air circulation behind... But as I said, what should I do with the existing studs?
Thankful for any answers.
Best regards,
Magnus
I have a 70s-style basement room, currently clad with wooden studs directly against concrete, insulation, and then tongue-and-groove wood walls outside. The room is located on a slope, with half the wall below ground. I started tearing down to remove the insulation (drained a year ago and installed isodrän boards externally) to check how badly the studs were affected by moisture.
Now it turns out that the wood behind the wall which is mostly underground is completely healthy, so my question is whether I should still remove all the wooden studs in the room and replace them with new ones, with an air gap in between, or just leave it as is, according to the principle "if it has worked for almost 40 years, then..."
I will also acoustically treat the room since it will be a small recording studio. So I'll add new insulation (but with an air gap from the walls) and then a couple of layers of drywall on top. I will also leave openings at the bottom and top for some air circulation behind... But as I said, what should I do with the existing studs?
Thankful for any answers.
Best regards,
Magnus
How much work is it to do it properly?
Your reasoning is reasonable, it should work, but if you get the drainage wrong and a little extra moisture ingress in the slab, you might have problems.
Think about which solution will allow you to sleep best over the next 5 years.
If you do it right, you won't give a thought to the renovation. If I had been a bit sloppy, it would have worried me now and then in the coming years.
Your reasoning is reasonable, it should work, but if you get the drainage wrong and a little extra moisture ingress in the slab, you might have problems.
Think about which solution will allow you to sleep best over the next 5 years.
If you do it right, you won't give a thought to the renovation. If I had been a bit sloppy, it would have worried me now and then in the coming years.
Thanks for the response
yes, it's really "just" the framing of the walls that differs in work. The existing studs are nailed with some coarse nail, straight through the stud and into the concrete... stuck like heck :/ But, as you say, it would be really sad if it turns out in three years that there are issues with moisture and other things...
Now to the next question... If I'm going to frame with wood studs, what smart solutions are there for fastening to the concrete wall? I've seen those aluminum strips that are attached to the floor and ceiling, but since I want the wall relatively free from the floor, the solution is to attach the inner wall to the concrete... So there's good airflow between the concrete and the inner wall...
yes, it's really "just" the framing of the walls that differs in work. The existing studs are nailed with some coarse nail, straight through the stud and into the concrete... stuck like heck :/ But, as you say, it would be really sad if it turns out in three years that there are issues with moisture and other things...
Now to the next question... If I'm going to frame with wood studs, what smart solutions are there for fastening to the concrete wall? I've seen those aluminum strips that are attached to the floor and ceiling, but since I want the wall relatively free from the floor, the solution is to attach the inner wall to the concrete... So there's good airflow between the concrete and the inner wall...
Click here to reply