planning to finish a very old basement

[WaIIbanger]

hello all. as many of you will know by my screen name, i have been an avid member of HPT for years. i started lurking here a couple months ago while i was building my poker table. i am really impressed by the man caves you guys have bulit....some of them are unreal!

well, i have recently decided that i am in severe need of a man cave of my own. my wife & i own a pretty nice colonial style home, but it is very old (built in 1940). everything was updated before we bought the home, but the basement has never been touched.

i am still in the very early planning stages of finishing the basement. i plan on doing this project step by step over the next year or so as the budget permits.

so, step 1 is prepping the walls & floor. we've owned the home for 4 years & haven't seen any major water in the basement. after very long downpours, there may be a little moisture on the walls in a couple spots...but nothing like drops of water running down walls or anything like that. i wanted to apply drylock, but the walls and floor have been painted & i've read that drylock can't be applied over paint.

obviously, my question is: how can i prep the walls and floor before framing? i hope i don't have to go to the point of sandblasting the paint off.

i have read that this can expose toxic lead.....and i'm guessing that it's pretty expensive to have all of that paint removed.

i'm sure i am not the first person that's wanted to finish the basement in an old home.

i should also mention that i am not a handyman, but i am pretty good at following directions. i plan on learning as i go with this project.

sorry my first post is so long, but i appreciate any advice and i will return the favor whenever i can.

thanks! :)

[Quads]

Leave the paint. Hang a vapor barrier first, then ramset furring strips and frame / rock right over it.

[Priest]

Leave the paint. Hang a vapor barrier first, then ramset furring strips and frame / rock right over it.

X2
your new best friend
https://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/4a85cc70-dca0-4752-8dce-4ae4873f9fc1_4.jpg

I've done this before in my grandparents old home. The lead paint is only dangerous if you rub on it, eat it, etc.... if it is behind a wall, you wont have any issues.

If there are any areas you will be working in that have old insulation check it to see if it is asbestos.... take appropriate measures. If it isnt asbestos but has mold in it, or has deteriorated to the point that it isnt fluffy any more, replace.

[WaIIbanger]

i'm loving this forum already. thank you. :D

[Quads]

You got picks of your wife?
This is a two way street you know!

Yeah, seriously though, post picks / keep us posted on your progress through the building / planning.

[Irish]

...my wife & i own a pretty nice colonial style home, but it is very old (built in 1940)...

Sheeeet, that ain't old! I have a buddy who's house was built back in the early twenties! He actually had an old kersone lamp in one of his upstairs bedrooms when he moved in... :D

I'm in a similar situation to you, my house was built in 1950 with a cinder block foundation. An alternate to using the plastic vapor barrier is to use the foam insulation directly against the walls and tape the seams in the foam. This provides both a vapor barrier and insulation all at once. Here's a quick step by step (this is what I'm planning on doing when I get around to doing mine):

http://www.homeconstructionimprovement.com/2008/11/how-to-insulate-basement-walls.html

While I know few folks who have used the plastic vapor barrier and had success (you should be OK with minimal moisture, as long as you put the vapor barrier up first and the insulate), it's old school construction and has been known to cause problems from time to time:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/building_america/pdfs/db/35017.pdf

[Quads]

Yes, that's another idea I really like. Two birds with one stone.
If you do the vapor barrier / insulation route, yes, critical that the insulation is on the dry side of the barrier.

[km630]

Sheeeet, that ain't old! I have a buddy who's house was built back in the early twenties! He actually had an old kersone lamp in one of his upstairs bedrooms when he moved in... :D


Sheet, that ain't old! I have a house built in 1890. No kerosene, but we found some wallpaper we think is from the turn of the century -- the 20th, not the 21st.

[Blake]

Sheet, that ain't old! I have a house built in 1890. No kerosene, but we found some wallpaper we think is from the turn of the century -- the 20th, not the 21st.

Definitly some cool old houses over in your area that's for sure.

[pond007]

House I live in is built in 1895. Still had the gas lanterns in each room, or at least the piping to the rooms. Old brick foundation and coal shute to the alley. I've been remodeling the entire house over the past year and a half. I've been deciding on what to do with the basement. Sorry for the threadjack...

[j p frog]

nice part is if you seal it and then build the walls over it, the house will pass inspection without the inspector ever knowing their is lead paint in the house. O/w...plan on removing the lead paint at considerable expense.

[WaIIbanger]

i like the blue insulation idea. so, i can make that my first step? just stick the insulation to the walls, tape & caulk?

as for the idea of composite decking along the bottom....is that necessary or should i just put the pressure treated boards directly on the slab?

[Oz]

9 days and no pics of the basement - or the wifey? WTF?

Get with it buddy.

[WaIIbanger]

9 days and no pics of the basement - or the wifey? WTF?

Get with it buddy.

just imagine plain cinder block walls & a concrete floor.

here's me & the wife partying in ocean city last summer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/rmcagg/russnettie.jpg

[j p frog]

less U and more wifey!

[WaIIbanger]

less U and more wifey!

no problem!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/rmcagg/russnettie1.jpg

[Rounder Wannabe]

no more U . more wifey!

this is what JP meant :) LOL

[sunsetpizza]

Welcome to the mancave!

[zathras]

just imagine plain cinder block walls & a concrete floor.

here's me & the wife partying in ocean city last summer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/rmcagg/russnettie.jpg


OC?- NJ or MD?