Finishing Poured Concrete Walls

[Steve1578]

I'm closing on my first home next week and I would like to begin finishing the basement right away as a winter project. It has poured concrete walls, no studs or anything like that. I was googling a bit and saw some different methods but was wondering if anyone in here had any advice. I'm not a slouch with tools and DIY but I'm not definitely not a contractor either, so not sure what the best route would be. The basement doesn't have any issues with moisture. The most thorough instructional I saw was to basically glue up some foam board, then attach 1x3's horizontally by drilling holes into them, the board, and the concrete wall, and then use a spike to secure. Then add some vertical boards which act as your studs. Seems like a very thorough way to get the job done, just wondering if there's anything easier and possibly a little less costly.

 

[ford fanatic]

I would frame the walls using 2x4 studs. That way you can make sure they are level and straight. that also leaves you room for a little more insulation and gives you room to run any wiring.

 

[Steve1578]

I would frame the walls using 2x4 studs. That way you can make sure they are level and straight. that also leaves you room for a little more insulation and gives you room to run any wiring.

So you think just forego the foam board and just frame it with 2x4's? This is a naive question, but how will the frame be secure to the concrete wall at that point? Just do the same thing by drilling into the concrete?

 

[ford fanatic]

So you think just forego the foam board and just frame it with 2x4's? This is a naive question, but how will the frame be secure to the concrete wall at that point? Just do the same thing by drilling into the concrete?

The idea is to be free of the concrete wall, get as close as you can to maximize space though. Frame your walls using treated wood for your bottom plate and just run everything 16" on center. No foam, insulate as you would a typical 2x4 wall.

Yes just anchor through the bottom plate, it will also save a lot of time and aggravation hanging furring strips. Thank me later.

 

[Steve1578]

The idea is to be free of the concrete wall, get as close as you can to maximize space though. Frame your walls using treated wood for your bottom plate and just run everything 16" on center. No foam, insulate as you would a typical 2x4 wall.

Yes just anchor through the bottom plate, it will also save a lot of time and aggravation hanging furring strips. Thank me later.

Cool, thanks for the tips!

 

[oldmodman]

Do the walls show any signs of having water leakage problems?
Should be easy to tell if the house is at least four years old. Got to fix any water problems before finishing the walls.

 

[Steve1578]

Do the walls show any signs of having water leakage problems?
Should be easy to tell if the house is at least four years old. Got to fix any water problems before finishing the walls.

The house is 8 years old and is very dry. No sigs of leakage or anything like that. I plan on putting some wrap and sealing it with tape against the wall and seeing if any condensation forms just as a test, but I looked very vigorously for any signs of dampness and couldn't find any.

 

[97ReoCobra]

I would frame the walls using 2x4 studs. That way you can make sure they are level and straight. that also leaves you room for a little more insulation and gives you room to run any wiring.

+1 The last thing I would want to do to a nice dry basement wall is drill a bunch of holes in it. If there's room in the budget I would also coat the walls with a good waterproofing paint first. It would just make me feel better. And when you look/test for moisture be sure to check carefully the seam at the bottom of the wall where it meets the floor. That is a very common place for a leak.

 

[ford fanatic]

I recommend this website to a lot of people wanting to tackle home projects. http://www.diychatroom.com/

It will cover everything you need to know about waterproofing and framing/finishing your basement. You should probably look into a vapor barrier of some sort also.

 

[Steve1578]

+1 The last thing I would want to do to a nice dry basement wall is drill a bunch of holes in it. If there's room in the budget I would also coat the walls with a good waterproofing paint first. It would just make me feel better. And when you look/test for moisture be sure to check carefully the seam at the bottom of the wall where it meets the floor. That is a very common place for a leak.

Thanks for the input! My fathers basement was always flooding, not something I want to deal with, so I was checked pretty good for any signs, but I was thinking of doing a waterproof paint of some kind as well, just for extra assurance.

 

[Steve1578]

I recommend this website to a lot of people wanting to tackle home projects. http://www.diychatroom.com/

It will cover everything you need to know about waterproofing and framing/finishing your basement. You should probably look into a vapor barrier of some sort also.

Was also doing some research on that as well, thanks for the link, I'll be sure to use it!

 

[ford fanatic]

Thanks for the input! My fathers basement was always flooding, not something I want to deal with, so I was checked pretty good for any signs, but I was thinking of doing a waterproof paint of some kind as well, just for extra assurance.

This is what you are going to find at all the big box stores http://www.drylok.com/formulas/drylok-extreme/ , but do some research on that DIY link and you can find something better.

 

[ashleyroachclip]

Any wood that will come in contact with the concrete, must be pressure treated.
As was said, you will fasten the stud walls to the floor, I use red heads .
And then also fasten to the floor joists above as well.

Red heads are an expansion bolt , you drill a hole in the concrete, the appropriate size, drilling through the bottom plate into the floor, drive the red head into the plate and concrete, and tighten the nut .

There are also a number of other fasteners designed to fasten into concrete, some better than others.
The other method I use is a blue colored concrete lag.
It also requires a pilot hole before driving the bolt into place.

Good luck with your new found basement space.

 

[97ReoCobra]

~There are also a number of other fasteners designed to fasten into concrete, some better than others.
The other method I use is a blue colored concrete lag.
It also requires a pilot hole before driving the bolt into place.

Good luck with your new found basement space.

Tapcon. They work pretty good.

 

[zporta]

All good suggestions on here

As said before i would frame a typical 2x4 wall with a treated bottom plate. make sure you snap a line along the walls being framed before throwing the walls up. Though your foundation wall may look straight they tend to have some wave in them. Just make sure you are far enough off the wall to clear the entire run. I usually just hand nail my walls with concrete cut nails or shoot them with my ramset nail gun. Then plumb the wall and secure to the joists above. and make sure to insulate well.

Furring strips are miserable and when dealing with that many studs its near impossible to create a perfectly straight wall.

 

[ford fanatic]

All good suggestions on here

As said before i would frame a typical 2x4 wall with a treated bottom plate. make sure you snap a line along the walls being framed before throwing the walls up. Though your foundation wall may look straight they tend to have some wave in them. Just make sure you are far enough off the wall to clear the entire run. I usually just hand nail my walls with concrete cut nails or shoot them with my ramset nail gun. Then plumb the wall and secure to the joists above. and make sure to insulate well.

Furring strips are miserable and when dealing with that many studs its near impossible to create a perfectly straight wall.

Yes! This is my weapon of choice if I have a lot of anchors to do http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ramset-Hammer-Shot-0-22-Caliber-Single-Shot-Tool-00022/100091715

 

[railroad]

All good suggestions on here

As said before i would frame a typical 2x4 wall with a treated bottom plate. make sure you snap a line along the walls being framed before throwing the walls up. Though your foundation wall may look straight they tend to have some wave in them. Just make sure you are far enough off the wall to clear the entire run. I usually just hand nail my walls with concrete cut nails or shoot them with my ramset nail gun. Then plumb the wall and secure to the joists above. and make sure to insulate well.

Furring strips are miserable and when dealing with that many studs its near impossible to create a perfectly straight wall.

This is your best advise. Paint the concrete walls with Uglu or what ever it is called to address possible moisture and build the walls. The above method allows room for full size electrical, phone, cat5 and cable boxes. Some builders put a strip of felt between the wall plate board and floor.

 

[Blk91stang]

Just got done doing all of this and went with the following.:

Drylok walls, Fasten 2" XPS Foam Board to walls with Tapcoms with fender washers via Rotary Hammer, Tape all seams with Frost King Tape, Spray Foamed gaps, and built wall away from concrete block foundation to avoid plumbing via pressure treated footer. I fastened that with a ramset but had some issues with brittle concrete in some spots.

I'd stay away from a "vapor barrier" and pink fiberglass insulation and let your walls breathe with climate changes. Stick with XPS Foam Board to avoid any potential of mold. I also built a wet bar, full bath, and jackhammered the floor out for a sewage ejector pump system. I have a ton of pics and info on all this. Feel free to Pm. Added some pics of the bathroom and bar just to give you ideas.

 

[ford fanatic]

Just got done doing all of this and went with the following.:

Drylok walls, Fasten 2" XPS Foam Board to walls with Tapcoms with fender washers via Rotary Hammer, Tape all seams with Frost King Tape, Spray Foamed gaps, and built wall away from concrete block foundation to avoid plumbing via pressure treated footer. I fastened that with a ramset but had some issues with brittle concrete in some spots.

I'd stay away from a "vapor barrier" and pink fiberglass insulation and let your walls breathe with climate changes. Stick with XPS Foam Board to avoid any potential of mold. I also built a wet bar, full bath, and jackhammered the floor out for a sewage ejector pump system. I have a ton of pics and info on all this. Feel free to PM

Nice work. Did you do your floor before you put up drywall? Any plans to finish the ceiling?

I did an injector pump for the finished basement in my mothers house years ago, definitely worth the extra work.

 

[Blk91stang]

Thanks! Yes, I did the floor first only because I didn't have a game plan at the beginning. I figured if I just floored it all, I'd get a better visual and cutout where I wanted to locate walls or rooms, plus not lose interest in the project.

The sewage ejector setup was worth the insane effort instead of the up flush. I just wouldn't have been happy with it and spending what they want for them.