Hi, I want to frame a basement wall and I was wondering how I could do it so that the studs are against the concrete foundation.
Right now there is builder's insulation on the top half of the wall. The insulation is directly on the wall and then there is the poly holding it in place. At first I was just going to frame over the insulation with the studs pressed against the insulation. Then I thought it might be better to remove the insulation, put the studs up and then put the insulation back between the studs. There are a few existing studs from the builder as support for the stairs and they are wrapped in what looks like tar paper. I have a roll of asphalt fabric and I was wondering if this would work as well.
What would be the best way to go about doing this with the framing against the wall?
Can you post a pic? your description makes it sound like there is more involved than a standard foundation wall. the plastic/tar paper sounds suspicious as well...
Is there a wood stud wall behind that insulation or is it against concrete? If it's against concrete, I would suggest removing the plastic as this will trap moisture coming through the concrete and provide a place for mold growth.
The stud looks to be wrapped to provide an isolation from the concrete. You should put either a plastic strip, foam strip, or rubber strip between the wood and concrete. Then you can power fasten the wood to the concrete.
No, there are no studs behind the insulation. That second picture where I pulled down part of the insulation is basically how it is with the poly vapor barrier holding the insulation directly against the concrete.
Sorry I don't quite understand, what do you mean when you say remove the plastic? Do you mean remove the insulation, put up the studs, and then put the insulation between the studs?
Would asphalt underlayment fabric work as a membrane to isolate the wood from the concrete?
Asphaltic underlayment can be used to isolate the wood from the concrete. plastic or foam sill seal is best though.
Yes, I would recommend to take down the plastic. If the insulation is held up by that plastic, then take it down too. I personally don't like batt. insulation in basement spaces as they are notorius for harboring mold if installed incorrectly, which yours is.
The best method for insulation is rigid foam against the concrete wall and then studs over that too which you can apply drywall. If insulation isn't desired then you can erect the studs directly against the concrete providing you put an isolation strip as mentioned in the first paragraph.
Please do a search on this forum about basement insulation to verify my statements against the use of vapor barriers, especially when they are at the interior of fiberglass batt. insulation.
When you frame basement walls ALWAYS keep the studs at least 1 inch from the concrete. You need air flow behind all the studs and insulation.
Fiber glass batts can NEVER touch concrete so make sure you don't push the batts tight to the concrete. Sill gasket under the bottom plate and vapor barrier the warm side of the wall
When you frame basement walls ALWAYS keep the studs at least 1 inch from the concrete. You need air flow behind all the studs and insulation.
Fiber glass batts can NEVER touch concrete so make sure you don't push the batts tight to the concrete. Sill gasket under the bottom plate and vapor barrier the warm side of the wall
As long as the wood has a proper bond break (plastic, etc) it can be against the concrete, though I won't say that a 1" is bad either. Spot on with the fiberglass batts not touching concrete. A vapor barrier on the warm side is intended mainly for the wood living area, basements are much different animals as they have moisture from all angles, not just from warm interior air.
From your pics, it appears you may be in Canada? Insulation basement Code there may require you to insulate the above-grade portion exactly as shown. Vapor barriers depend on location in Canada, notice the foam board had less problems. Use the Index at the front on “Basements”: ftp://ftp.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/chic-ccdh...ngual/Vapour_Permeance_Volume_1_Web_sept5.pdf
Gary
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