Moldy basement smell

[semipro]

+1 on the Building Science site; a great reference.

I'm in the process of doing almost exactly the same to my basement as CT. Except I'm planning to use fiberglass instead of Roxul and am considering installing a floating floor directly over XPS foam for the floor.

I'd like to find an alternative to Sheetrock but haven't found a good one yet. I'd prefer panels that I could remove and replace.

Have a look at this system

(broken link removed to http://franchising.owenscorning.com/bfs/)

Thanks. They only allow certified contractors to install this system which kills the deal for me.

 

[Jags]

Rustynut, the Blue and Green boards are mold resistant, which means the paper backing is not going to provide food for mold, unlike the regular sheet rock.

Otherwise they are the same, except a little pricier.

Not completely true. The blue board was sold as a plaster or tile backer. The paper used on it is less absorbent of water as to not suck the moisture out of thin coat plaster base. The green board was sold as moisture resistant. Common applications were bathrooms. Green board has all but been discontinued. Tile backer board such as durock is now recommended.

Short answer: You don't want blue board, and green board isn't going to do much for you in a damp environment for the long haul. It has to have the ability to dry out between "wet" sessions (like taking a shower and then the bathroom dries out over a day long period). Its going to be more expensive, but in your situation I would recommend cement board OR regular drywall if you can vapor barrier it well enough.

That is my semi-professional opinion (been in the supply business for years).

 

[rwhite]

By and large basements are prone to stink as the air movement is often times limited. We have the TV room in the basement and that is where there I usually find any number of stinking teenagers. Don't know what it is about teens but they stink. Aside from that I get the stale air smell in the basement. I usually run my furnace fan ( which has intake air vents in the basement) at least once a week for 1/2 day to exchange the air. Summer time I just leave the windows open down there. Make sure that you aren't watering any plants or grass right next to the outside of the house and install gutters if you don't have them. I have an old house and I know there are cracks in the basement foundation that if exposed to to much water will leak. Gutters solved that problem for me.

 

[semipro]

Rustynut, the Blue and Green boards are mold resistant, which means the paper backing is not going to provide food for mold, unlike the regular sheet rock.

Otherwise they are the same, except a little pricier.

Not completely true. The blue board was sold as a plaster or tile backer. The paper used on it is less absorbent of water as to not suck the moisture out of thin coat plaster base. The green board was sold as moisture resistant. Common applications were bathrooms. Green board has all but been discontinued. Tile backer board such as durock is now recommended.

Short answer: You don't want blue board, and green board isn't going to do much for you in a damp environment for the long haul. It has to have the ability to dry out between "wet" sessions (like taking a shower and then the bathroom dries out over a day long period). Its going to be more expensive, but in your situation I would recommend cement board OR regular drywall if you can vapor barrier it well enough.

That is my semi-professional opinion (been in the supply business for years).

+1 on what Jags says with one caveat

You have to be real careful installing a vapor barrier in a basement wall. Water coming through the wall can get trapped by the barrier and cause problems.

Building Science and others recommend building basement walls that breathe.

If you install drywall you need to use a wall board like DensArmor (DensArmour?) that doesn't support mold growth.

 

[vinny11950]

Wow, guys, the info is amazing. It has already corrected some of the incorrect ideas I had about my project.

Jags - thanks for the correction on the wall boards. I will not be using them then, as the summer months easily bring 95% humidity days, day after day, so keeping the moisture down really is a challenge.

Semipro - the DensArmour sounds like a good choice. will have to look into it. probably will just seal the concrete foundation with Drylock, and then insulate with something that I don't have to cover up. Have to talk to the building department about that one. Thanks, though, as I would have never found Densarmour.

Rayg - I would use the Dow Corning Basement finishing system, but like Semipro said, i would have to pay someone to install. I look around Google and people talked about tens of thousands of dollars to install. But it does look nice. I wonder how it holds up in the long run.