Drywall / Basement question

[chiefjay]

Thanks for the knowledge all. Very helpful as usual from the Huddle brethren and quick too.

 

I think I might opt for the Bunz route meaning let the next home owner put up walls the way he wants. I'll make it look as pretty as possible; I would hate to screw something up that prevents a sale. Plus putting up walls would mean several more days of my dad being in my basement and while I love the man, he can be very irritating at the same time, especially on large house hold projects.

 

Thanks again everyone.

[ChuckB]

Thanks for the knowledge all.  Very helpful as usual from the Huddle brethren and quick too.

 

I think I might opt for the Bunz route meaning let the next home owner put up walls the way he wants.  I'll make it look as pretty as possible; I would hate to screw something up that prevents a sale.  Plus putting up walls would mean several more days of my dad being in my basement and while I love the man, he can be very irritating at the same time, especially on large house hold projects.

Thanks again everyone.

 

1269366[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you sure we don't have the same dad

[chiefjay]

Are you sure we don't have the same dad

 

1269384[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

It's possible I guess. Brother from another mother?

[SteelBunz]

LOL ChiefJay.....I hear ya. One thing that would make it look good is to clean all the concrete thoroughly...then DryLok the walls. this is the way I went instead of walling the basement. Then I chose a high quality semigloss paint in a very neutral color....and painted it out.

 

Easy to clean......looks fresh and clean. Which is mostly what buyers want to see in a basement. That generally says the rest of the house is well maintained too.

[juanruiz13]

LOL ChiefJay.....I hear ya.  One thing that would make it look good is to clean all the concrete thoroughly...then DryLok the walls.  this is the way I went instead of walling the basement.  Then I chose a high quality semigloss paint in a very neutral color....and painted it out.

 

 

1269409[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

You painted after you DryLoked the concrete?

 

I have to DryLok my basement this summer... Do you ever have to put additional coats over time, maybe due to chipping?

 

 

edit...spelling

Edited January 16, 2006 by juanruiz13

[chiefjay]

LOL ChiefJay.....I hear ya.  One thing that would make it look good is to clean all the concrete thoroughly...then DryLok the walls.  this is the way I went instead of walling the basement.  Then I chose a high quality semigloss paint in a very neutral color....and painted it out.

 

Easy to clean......looks fresh and clean.  Which is mostly what buyers want to see in a basement.  That generally says the rest of the house is well maintained too.

 

1269409[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

So, umm, what are you doing this weekend?

[SteelBunz]

You painted after you DryLoked the concrete?

 

I have to DryLok my basement this summer...  Do you ever have to put additional coats over time, maybe due to chipping?

edit...spelling

 

1269461[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

If you have any chipping Juan.....then you had some prep problems before applying the DryLok. You need to address any water drainage issues first. We had one corner that had a problem....but a downspout outside in that corner was the culprit. So we fixed that drainage....scrubbed, bleached and washed with Muriatic acid on that inside corner....then checked it for a few weeks to see if it was safe to continue.

 

Read the can.....there is some prep of the concrete involved. Fill any holes and cracks with hydraulic cement (or Drylok makes some fillers as well).....make sure there are no loose or crumbling spots in the concrete or it will fail.

 

We also had some old drylok in another part of the basement that was pealing......it was probably 20 years old. The product is only really warrantied for 10 years.....and if it flakes like that.....it all has to be scraped off before doing a new coat anyway. The principle of the stuff is to form a "continuous" film. And they recommend 2 coats. In areas that have been a problem in the past? I'd say brush on a 3rd coat.

 

Ours has been up over 2 years now.....through one very rainy summer and some record flooding after an ice storm 2 Christmases ago. I'm happy to report the drylok is all intact....no effluescing...no staining....no bubbling.....no cracks.

 

You don't have to paint it at all.....it comes in 4 colors.....and can be tinted to any shade you want. I just didn't go that route. I gave the 2 coats of drylok 2 coats of a semigloss to soften the feel of the walls on one side of the basement. The semigloss also bounces more light from the basement glassblock windows.....makes it feel less like a cave. The other side I left just dryloked.

Edited January 16, 2006 by SteelBunz

[SteelBunz]

So, umm, what are you doing this weekend? 

 

1269502[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

LOL......I'm VERY expensive.

 

You can do this Jay.....no biggie.....just prep well and go.

[juanruiz13]

If you have any chipping Juan.....then you had some prep problems before applying the DryLok.  You need to address any water drainage issues first.  We had one corner that had a problem....but a downspout outside in that corner was the culprit.  So we fixed that drainage....scrubbed, bleached and washed with Muriatic acid on that inside corner....then checked it for a few weeks to see if it was safe to continue. 

 

 

1269703[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Very good info here...

[Hat Trick]

Mainly because if you ever have to get back there again it would be a huge pain to deal with.  Water damage to the sheet rock would be a mess to deal with.  And, God forbid, if you ever had to get back there to check out the concrete itself (foundation problems, cracks, leaks, etc.) you'd have zero access. 

 

And even if the corners of the sheet rock didn't exactly meet, you could still float and tape the intersection.  No one would ever know that one of the pieces of sheet rock extended another inch or two.

 

1269223[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Yep, those were all obvious reasons. My case was different. The wall that I glued the sheetrock onto is not an exterior basement wall. I have two basements that connect, back to back, one of them is an add on to the original house and when they added on they added a basement as well. So the wall I glued was the previous inner wall for what would have been the back wall of the house. It's not possible for it to have water damage , and if it had any problems I can access the wall from the other side, which is studded of course. I know it's hard to explain, and I thought I would never EVER glue sheetrock to a basement wall, but I managed to somehow some across the one instance in which this was the bestthing to do. It was esentially my only option other than leaving it concrete :doah: and that was not an option. I asked the question to you because I had never heard that under no circumstances should one ever glue sheetrock to a concrete wall. I should have mentioned in was an interior concrete wall, which is very rare. Anyway, there is no way in hell this scares off any potential buyers, like I said it was the right thing to do in an abnormal situation.

[yo mama]

Yep, those were all obvious reasons. My case was different. The wall that I glued the sheetrock onto is not an exterior basement wall. I have two basements that connect, back to back, one of them is an add on to the original house and when they added on they added a basement as well. So the wall I glued was the previous inner wall for what would have been the back wall of the house. It's not possible for it to have water damage , and if it had any problems I can access the wall from the other side, which is studded of course. I know it's hard to explain, and I thought I would never EVER glue sheetrock to a basement wall, but I managed to somehow some across the one instance in which this was the bestthing to do. It was esentially my only option other than leaving it concrete :doah: and that was not an option. I asked the question to you because I had never heard that under no circumstances should one ever glue sheetrock to a concrete wall. I should have mentioned in was an interior concrete wall, which is very rare. Anyway, there is no way in hell this scares off any potential buyers, like I said it was the right thing to do in an abnormal situation. 

1270019[/snapback]

Well, yeah. Knowing that it was an interior basement wall with access on the other side was a minor detail that might have been worth knowing.

[Hat Trick]

Well, yeah.  Knowing that it was an interior basement wall with access on the other side was a minor detail that might have been worth knowing.

1270030[/snapback]

 

Yeah, stupid me.

[Brewer]

Yeah, stupid me.  

 

1270050[/snapback]

 

 

 

Not often that you here that phrase in the tailgate.

[dmarc117]

home depot has a book for us beginning diy's...

 

some decent basic things in it...thinks its 14.95

Edited January 17, 2006 by dmarc117

[Chief Dick]

 

I can honestly say, in this case, I'm not sure of codes in your area..but I think people court disasterous water damage and possibly eventual foundation damage shooting holes into their basement walls.    And all for the sake of a "finished basement" that they cannot advertise as a finished basement for the purposes of resale.  No egress window....then you can't add the basement square footage as living space for the purposes of selling the house.

 

With this method.....use the 16"OC....instead of 24"OC.  Stiffer "freestanding" wall structure.  2x4's are the most likely source....perfect for R-13 insulation if you need it.  But you could explore other dimensions of wood to cut down on the loss of floor space if you wanted to....2X2's IF you can find some very straight ones.

Just my $.02 worth....maybe a structural engineer or architech will be along to help more.

 

1269307[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Not to nitpick or anything, but typically your basement walls are 6" thick, so driving a ramset nail into the wall generally will not cause water damage. Usually your fastener in this situation would be 3", so only 1 1/2" would be going into the wall.

 

And FWIW, you can advertise as a finished basement even without an egress window. You CANNOT advertise as a bedroom without the egress window.

 

And I have used construction adhesive many times to glue sheetrock onto concrete walls. It DOES work, and should last for quite a while. Obviously this is not the preferred method, but it is doable.

 

I also wouldn't use insulation in the basement. The earth serves as a good insulator on it's own: no reason to spend money on it.

 

For this particular situation, the question I would ask is this: "Will spending this money sell the house, or can the house sell without this improvement?"

 

My personal opinion is that your money is better spent on other features:

 

-new landscaping

-paint

-new windows

-upgraded mechanicals

 

Stuff like that will add real value to a sale.

Edited January 17, 2006 by Chief Dick

[Chief Dick]

And another suggestion:

 

You may want to just do a knockdown texture directly on the concrete walls. Some people call it an orange peel texture, but you can spray it on pretty heavy and paint over it. I've done this before, and looks pretty good.

[Chief Dick]

LOL ChiefJay.....I hear ya.  One thing that would make it look good is to clean all the concrete thoroughly...then DryLok the walls.  this is the way I went instead of walling the basement.  Then I chose a high quality semigloss paint in a very neutral color....and painted it out.

 

Easy to clean......looks fresh and clean.  Which is mostly what buyers want to see in a basement.  That generally says the rest of the house is well maintained too.

 

1269409[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Good suggestion here also.

[Chief Dick]

LOL ChiefJay.....I hear ya.  One thing that would make it look good is to clean all the concrete thoroughly...then DryLok the walls.  this is the way I went instead of walling the basement.  Then I chose a high quality semigloss paint in a very neutral color....and painted it out.

 

Easy to clean......looks fresh and clean.  Which is mostly what buyers want to see in a basement.  That generally says the rest of the house is well maintained too.

 

1269409[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

And if you decide to do this and don't carpet the floors, make sure you get some of the gray, oil-based floor pain and paint the floors.

 

Really spruces up a basement.

Edited January 17, 2006 by Chief Dick

[theeohiostate]

If your selling then just acid wash the foundation walls and use the "stain" paint sealer. Throw down some cheap carpet. No sense in wasting the money on Rock/mud/lumber/paint/insulation and trim if your wanting to sell right away.

 

To do it professional, DO NOT USE FIRRING STRIPS!! Your drywall will show the true flaws of the foundation and look like an ocean wave. Hold 3.5" framed wall away from foundation 1.5" to allow for air breather of insulation that should be installed on all exterior basement foundation walls. Rock/mud/paint and trim. This cost about $800 material for 500 sq feet if done yourself ,throw in another $1000 to sub it out, more if you need some outlets or ceiling lights installed.

 

 

I've finished dozen of basements and baths over the years when business is slow, so hope that helps.

Edited January 17, 2006 by theeohiostate

[ChuckB]

 

Here's a link to the Hometime site with help on drywall and I'm sure you could find something about framing or anything else you need if you search on it.

[SteelBunz]

And FWIW, you can advertise as a finished basement even without an egress window. You CANNOT advertise as a bedroom without the egress window.

 

1270566[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Actually...my wording was off a little there, CD. Around here......you could advertise it as being "finished", but without an egress window or second exit....you cannot add the basement square footage as "living space"...bedroom or no bedroom. They are pretty sticky around here about that.

 

I know....sort of wacky......but I don't write the rules......LOL. And they may be radically different throughout the country.

 

Floor paint is an excellent suggestion for a quick finish. There are some "new" DIY epoxy coatings that are pretty darn nice. They use it for basements and garages mostly. Quikrete makes one, but there are others out there. Google it.

[Chief Dick]

Actually...my wording was off a little there, CD.   Around here......you could advertise it as being "finished", but without an egress window or second exit....you cannot add the basement square footage as "living space"...bedroom or no bedroom.  They are pretty sticky around here about that. 

 

  Quikrete makes one, but there are others out there.  Google it.

 

1270775[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Makes sense.

[Dr. Sacrebleu]

First off, chiefjay, you are a despicable animal!

Second off this is yet another example of why this is the best website out there period!

 

I live in a neighborhood that is gentrifying faster than you can say realatorsareascum. And every dipwad with a place to rent out or sell does the Polish special where they slap a fresh coat of paint over the moulding, water damaged walls, and polyurethane the hell out of the floor without sanding it first, and then doubles the rent or sale price.

Which of course if you are buying you have to redo all this stuff. You know like the donkey who glues sheetrock to the concrete walls.

 

There are many ways to jack the price of your house without doing shody carpentry. Thanks to Bunz for walking CJay off the bridge

[Hugh B Tool]

seal the concrete very well, if you don't want to frame it out gorilla glue or industrial liquid nails will serve the purpose to adhere drywall(though I would go with at least greenboard) for years to come

[chiefjay]

First off, chiefjay, you are a despicable animal!  

Second off this is yet another example of why this is the best website out there period!

 

I live in a neighborhood that is gentrifying faster than you can say realatorsareascum.  And every dipwad with a place to rent out or sell does the Polish special where they slap a fresh coat of paint over the moulding, water damaged walls, and polyurethane the hell out of the floor without sanding it first, and then doubles the rent or sale price.

Which of course if you are buying you have to redo all this stuff.  You know like the donkey who glues sheetrock to the concrete walls.

 

There are many ways to jack the price of your house without doing shody carpentry.  Thanks to Bunz for walking CJay off the bridge

 

1271601[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Sorry dude but that's exactly why I came to the huddle so I didn't do anything stupid. It was definately a stupid idea I'll admit that but thanks to Bunz and everyone else I have purchased the Dry Lok, Myriatic (sp?) acid, and cement patching (can't remember the name off hand) and will do this the right way.

 

As I discussed earlier in this thread, I was raised by my father who like to short cut some stuff but also will take forever on the smallest project in order to "do it right".

 

In the end I think what I will do will have integrity and will give the new homeowner the option of framing out and drywalling around the finished part of the basement but I am guessing the will stick with what I do.

 

Or maybe I inhaled a bunch of lead paint and god knows what else when I was scraping the walls that I was delerious when I posted this thread.