Replies

1. 
   davidmason | Apr 03, 2001 08:00pm | #1

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   Rich you might need a vapor barrier behind your drywall.just a thought. Dave

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   Luka_ | Apr 03, 2001 08:34pm | #2

   *I was thinking the same thing. I'll make a suggestion, and if it's a stupid one, I'm sure that someone here will say so. LOLIf you are planning to put paneling up over the drywall again, or if your wainscoating covers all of the replaced drywall, put plastic on the studs/firring strips before the drywall as a full vapor barrier. Let it drape out on the floor at the bottom by at least a foot. Once the drywall is in place, then fold the bottom end of the plastic up against the outside of the drywall and staple in place. Now put your paneling on.It would probably be a good idea to keep the drywall a half inch or so off the floor anyway. If you can, cut the bottoms of the studs/firring strips up about a half inch or so as well. (If they are attatched to a concrete wall.) If they are a standard stud wall, (with top and bottom plate), there is nothing much you can do about the wood being in contact with the floor, aside from taking the whole thing down and starting over.

1. 
   piffin_ | Apr 04, 2001 05:31am | #3

   *Yes, keep an inch of leeway at the bottm. You'll cover it with baseboard.Nix the idea of the double plastic. If water ever gets there from humidity, condensation, leaks etc. it'll be trapped.Ply wood or other material will mildew and mold just the same as SR.

1. 
   Luka_ | Apr 04, 2001 06:17am | #4

   *Aha. I didn't think of that. Good catch, Piffin.

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   Pete_Draganic | Apr 04, 2001 06:50am | #5

   *Plastic on interior side of studs or furring. If furring, consider leaving top end open for ventilation (in other words, do not obstruct top end). If studs, leave airspace behind entire assembly to aid in ventilation. you can do this by using 1/4" shims between wall studs and block wall.use greenboard (moisture resistant drywall). Try an alternative to wood base molding or try leaving all wall finishes 1/4" off the floor to allow air flow, adn a path for water to seep out in case of another mishap.Paint drywall before paneling over it to seal the surface from moisture. even try back-painting it. If you are replacing wood, use treated lumber at floor contact points.These are just things off of the top of my head. Use what you feel applies to your situation.Hope it helps,Pete

2. 
   Rich_Regan | Apr 04, 2001 07:20am | #6

   *Thanks all for the great input. The studs allready have a plastic vapor barrier on both sides with fiberglass in between. The fiberglass seems to be in great shape. What do you think of this idea: drywall the top of the wall, but where the wainscotting will be, just put some 1/2" furring strips?

3. 
   Pete_Draganic | Apr 04, 2001 07:28am | #7

   *The fiberglass is good you say? Are you sure it doesn't wick moisture when things get wet? This is a place where rigid insulation would do best. (rigid insulation is like styrofoam/styrene products). Your fiberglass could be holding moisture in place long enough to promote the mold growth. The black mold will then remain with or without large amounts of moisture.So often I wish that I could see these things before I comment on them.Adding the furring between the drywall and paneling is probably not a good idea. You will lose the rigidity that the drywall backing provides. The primary reason for the airspace is to allow moisture to escape and this should be between the wall and the block, where the moisture enters.Be sure that your interior plastic is seamless and without holes. Use tape at any seams and over any holes.Pete

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   The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Apr 04, 2001 03:45pm | #8

   *You all are reading this different than I...The water is wicking up from the wet floor. I would keep all building products up from the floor. I would not have drywall in a cellar that is that humid and has that many water events on the floor.The sandwiching of drywall to the panelling is the worst thing you can do...the strapping would be much better with no drywall as you say...near the stream where only the dryiest of dry cellars are finished...the rest are not.aj

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   Pete_Draganic | Apr 04, 2001 06:09pm | #9

   *Great point AJ. I sometimes assume that people are going to go their set route and try to advise what I feel is best in that situation without taking into consideration other better traveled avenues. I definitely agree that the mositure issue should be the first one addressed. I was so busy thinking, that I forgot to think.Pete

2. 
   Rich_Regan | Apr 04, 2001 06:09pm | #10

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   In the basement, I have panelling over drywall. I pulled the panelling off and most of the drywall has black mold starting at the bottom and extending anywhere from 1' - 3' high. I noticed that all the drywall is touching the floor. Occasionally some water gets on the floor, usually by my mistakes. (i.e. gutters got clogged with leaves, water overflowed during a heavy storm, went into basement.) Otherwise, the basement is dry, just a little humid in the summer, which I can control with a dehumidifier. I'm concerned about this mold being in my house so I'm ripping out all the stained drywall. My question is, should raising the drywall an inch or so off the floor and using a dehumidifier keep new drywall from getting moldy? Or should I use something else, like plywood or durrock? I plan to cover it with wainscotting.