Re: Basement Finishing Question - Dampness related

Russell wrote:
Right now my basement has some inexpensive foam-backed indoor/outdoor
pile carpet rolled out, some drywall interior walls but that's it.
Joists and insulation are exposed, with hanging 48" fluorescent shop
lights here and there; exterior walls are concrete block painted (on
the inside) with UGL waterproofer (the rough white cementious stuff).

We never get standing water in the basement, and we run a dehumidifier
down there. But we do get some mildew or mold in some spots where the
cinder block wall meets the poured floor. Periodically I clean it up
wtih bleach and paint over it again with the waterproofer. It lasts
about 6-12 months and I do it again.

Does this present a problem if I wanted to have some drywall put in to
finish off the basement walls? The mildew would then be behind the
wall, so I'm guessing it would, and that's why I haven't done
anything yet. Is there some solution (dessicant?) short of digging
out the foundation of the exterior wall? (which isn't entirely
possible thanks to a deck, sunroom, and septic tank extending beyond
the footprint of the house).
I would also like to avoid a French drain; we have no standing water
inside. I'm just afraid if we do nothing we'd have a huge mold problem
behind the drywall. Maybe there's no simple or inexpensive solution -
but I wanted to check to get other opinions. Thanks,

Russell

For starters; are all down spouts piped away from your home and is the
ground graded away from the home in all directions for at least ten feet?

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit



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