I am remodeling the basement of our 1 1/2 year old home located in Central PA. The walls are poured and there has been no signs of moisture or water. The outside of the foundation was coated with black tar. I have been told to paint the interior walls with Dryloc before framing the walls. Is this necessary? I realize it will not actually stop leaks,but does it help with condensation? What about the bottom plate of the walls? Are regular 2x4s ok or would an aluminum bottom plate be better? (In case there ever is water). Any vapor barrier info would be appreciated too. Thanks in advance.
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Hi,
poured walls....
they coated outside with black tar,ok, but this does NOT mean the walls were 'Waterproofed'...they may have 'damproofed'....there is a difference!
http://www.askthebuilder.com/NH058_-_Waterproofing_Foundations.shtml
....Read first couple paragraphs ok? And then the 5th para "To permanently stop water & water vapor from entering your foundation walls, you need to Waterproof them. Damprrofing is an inexpensive way to meet the lowest minimum standard of the building code"....."Don`t CONFUSE waterproofing with damproofing, not for a moment"
Also, the Backfilling process is Very important, see 6th,7th para`s http://www.yodergroup.com/concrete.asp
Winston, look REAL close at your poured walls, if there are 'rod holes' they will usually be about knee high AND shoulder high from the bsmt floor. You `n others want to make certain EACH rod hole is totally packed/sealed 'Before' doing remodeling!
IMO, no way any paint will help with excessive humidity/condensation or water entering etc. One will need to either correctly stop any water intrusion or deal directly with excessive humidity, Paint doesn`t do either. yeah, some claim this `n that...if it makes you/others feel better then paint away.
Also imo, do Not put plastic up against basement walls. This can cause condensation `n mold....check those rod holes!
