I have a question about the basement article, okay a couple. My house sits on a concrete block foundation. After a heavy rain you see dampness forming at the base of the foundation wall, but no running water.
What about the drains in the floor? My basement floor slopes quite steeply around them. Would you do the foam, then the plywood layers and then floor leveling compound?(no carpet) I would assume I would need to leave access to the drains?
Is this a common practice, or should it be a common practice. When reading this article it seems to make sense. Or are their pitfalls/drawbacks with this technique versus other ways.
Thanks
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Hey, your basement sounds like mine...the better half's been getting after me (the professional builder) to get it finished so the rug rats have a place to play during the long snowy Buffalo winters...been mulling over the various options...somehow, even a realy nice epoxy paint job & some area rugs on the slab doesn't add up to "nice".....but I always have the next basement flood in the back of my mind...looked at Dri-core some, but couldn't see how to level it at that steep slope by the floor drain (maybe some sleepers?)....if you went the route described in the article you could probably "scribe" the foam to the floor with a hot knife (though it would be slow & painstaking to get it right), but then what would you do with the drain itself?....but all in all something in me shys away from a wood floor in any basement....anyway keep posting, maybe you'll give me or someone else some inspiration.....
Thanks for your posting, same with my wife.
My daughter is now two and her toys are slowly taking over the living room, okay the house really.
I have reposted this in the general discussion area to see if I get any other posting
Thanks again
I'll preface this by saying I wouldn't feel too comfortable messing with a basement that shows active signs of moisture...but again, there's a world of difference in how much moisture is too much moisture.
But if the drain hasn't been used in some time due to actively flowing water, you could feel safe in forming a collar around the drain then pour self-leveling around that to bring the down-slope up to level with the rest of the slab.
That'd level the area around the drain while still leaving the drain open. While it'd be open to water draining down the drain, you might want to use sreening or hardware cloth to prevent anything from crawling up out of the drain and making a home in the foam layer.
I wouldn't try to bond the leveling compound to the existing slab...maybe put down a sheet of 6-mil poly as a bond breaker before you do the pour.
If you had concerns about liquid water under the foam, you could use a mesh-type product on your slab, then the poly over that, then the self-leveling compound over the poly.
Again...not my area of expertise...but an idea or option to ponder until Mr. Andy shows up and tells you the REAL right way to do it.
I'd say Mr. Mongo's got it about right. I would have real hesitation though, about finishing a basement that was visibly damp. I'd want to check the grade, the gutters, and any serviceable drains to see if the dampness could be made to go away. After a year of no dampness, I might then finish the basement.
AndyAndy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig