How to Finish a Basement Properly

[@hanseich]

Looks very interesting. I like that the drywall is integrated and the electrical channels are included. Are the cables embedded deep enough? How do you go about hanging anything on these walls? Also, what about condensation behind the EPS? How can it dry out?

[@tpnllc]

how do you recommend to finish the ceiling? thank you

[@JesusRodriguez-ov7tb]

What are the names to these products and where can I purchase them????

[@bajingobandit]

what happens in a flood situation? Do you cut the panels a few inches above the flood line or do you need to replace all the panels? Same with the sub floor do you need to replace it?

[@iplumridge6606]

Now that's a basement ANYONE would be proud of and so functional as well. Great ideas/hints/tips.

[@Rae0241]

Where can you find these items? Or do you have to make them?

[@Mrskaree27]

Where do you purchase this product? What is it called?

[@LanceMcGrew]

DRICore 7/8" x 2' x 2' Subfloor Panel Model Number: 1243100 | Menards® SKU: 1243100

[@chasemetzger8696]

Doing the leg work. Well done, Lance.

[@briangodfrey1569]

What do you do around windows etc do you cut these pannels to fit?

[@sinofprideescanor6619]

Thank you Your a good man for freely sharing this information

[@iamdj2and2]

im definitely using this product

[@pierjuneau8089]

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely need this video when we move to our new house.

[@truthserum438]

where do I buy these?

[@juliav8824]

What if you live in a desert climate with no humidity?

[@wtigerdangel4498]

How do you finish the ceiling? What materials do you suggest?

[@frankbiz]

Sounds good, what is it, how much does it cost, can I get it locally?

[@Tummypony56]

I recently used a product called In-So-Fast paneling system and have noticed a more evenly heated or cooled environment in the basement and the air quality is much cleaner. I won't finish another basement with old traditional methods.

[@baileylineroad]

Hi Josh, Yes, I know what you mean. Panel systems for basement finishing make a big difference. It's amazing to me how long tradition causes people to keep finishing basements in the bad old way, but I guess old ideas die hard. Where abouts do you live? Is it a cold climate? Bye for now and thanks for watching! Steve

[@Tummypony56]

Thanks Steve. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado and the temperature swings can be rather drastic. Besides taking on projects around the house, I work as a full time stone mason and part time residential draftsman. Its not much of a website but some of my design work can be seen at deadwooddrafting.com. Thanks again.

[@bmylesk]

*****'''It's amazing to me how long tradition causes people to keep finishing basements in the bad old way, but I guess old ideas die hard.'' Well said Steve :-)

[@bmylesk]

God bless your talent and skills Steve. I'm looking at about 2 years out to finish my basement (saving money and slowly drafting, (amateur here) Thanks for the advise. Will have to start pricing, researching more on this project.

[@baileylineroad]

Good Morning Braden K! Great to hear from you again. Thanks for your note. If you need any help figuring things out, just let me know. Do you get my newsletter? I put it out weekly and it includes lots of information you might find useful (or just interesting). Anyone can sign up at stevemaxwell.ca. Take care, and thanks for watching! Steve

[@bmylesk]

I do and the mold tips were awesome! Have a Merry Christmas.

[@Taoufikkhamouli]

Is there providers in the US for these walls?

[@thousandnations1soul450]

What if you have infllor heating through out your basement ..

[@RetroFrito]

Question: At the start of the video you talked about moisture and fiberglass insulation not being a good mix. What about moisture and the OSB on the Dricore products?

[@nc4501]

I think the moisture usually seeps in from the outside walls and the ground into the basement. Since the Dricore has the plastic cover on the bottom, it will prevent the moisture from touching the OSB.

[@saharasimpson4350]

How much is this process per sqft Where do you get the rubber Matt’s and the wall panels from

[@Piranha42]

What are you have insulation on the outside of your basement wall could you also add this to the inside without a problem

[@_KeepingitReal]

Steve, I've wanted to finish my basement for 10 years now. The previous owners installed a drop ceiling and stopped there. Where can I order the floor and wall components that you show on this video? Also, if I use the wall system you demonstrate, will it support mounting a 50" flat screen? Finally, what do I do with the wall that has the basement windows (I would need shorter panels or cut them to fit).

[@baileylineroad]

daveminn7 Good Morning Dave! The panels I showed in my video come from a Canadian company called DRIcore (dricore.com) I think they sell across North America but a quick note to them will confirm. As for your windows, yes, you'd cut the panels to fit. They cut easily with a handsaw. When it comes to your 50" TV, the panels would probably do the job, but "probably" isn't something I feel comfortable with. If it were my situation I'd work some wood framing into the area where you plan to mount your TV. Either that or go with some kind of ceiling mount that supports the TV from above. Does this make sense? I hope so. Please let me know. Can I get your opinion on something? I'm planning a series of online video tutorial courses for homeowners. These would be hosted on Udemy. I'm thinking that a course of basement finishing would be popular and appreciated. As someone looking to finish their basement, would you pay, say $30 or $40 for an in-depth video course showing all the details and product references I recommend on finishing a basement? Bye for now, Dave! Just let me know if I can help in any other way. Steve P.S. It's about -8ºF at my place on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada this morning. How about where you are?

[@mellybean593]

Thanks for the video. I've heard of the subfloor option but never knew about the wall options :)

[@MrMRWJD]

Can you tell me what brand subflooring and wall panels are in the video? Thanks!

[@robertnewman4105]

Thank you for sharing your basement finishing ideas. I've got a house very similar to the house I grew up in, with a full walkout basement. I'm wanting to eventually finish the basement with a couple different rooms so I don't get caught in the perpetual storage trap with all that sq footage. I'll keep this in mind as I'm looking at options.

[@FirearmHobbyist]

of course you neglected to talk about price

[@JohnR84]

The wall system is essentially the same material cost as older conventional construction material methods it replaces. This wall system cuts construction time and labour cost. I priced this out and used it in my own basement. Nominal cost 30 per linear foot. Would do it again. Great product and method. Now if only I could find a quality MagO floor similar. I dislike the idea of OSB on floors even if OSB has insulation or a plastic floor facing membrane c/w raised air pockets for the odd water leak over a basement floor surface. Prob. w/MagO is they all come from far across the sea, not made with high enough quality controls...

[@tburns4757]

@@JohnR84 dricore insul armor no osb

[@nrfa6229]

How much is it per 4x8 of the wall paneling? I already know the price of the 2x2 flooring system. I'm about ready to do the framing step, so please reply back asap. Thanks Steve.

[@Rie_thefemalehustler]

This do make sense.

[@cheesehead6710]

Now show us the installation process

[@scottgommer]

The floor panels should not be up against the concrete wall like you show in the video. IF water ever does penetrate your foundation, it will run down the wall and out onto the osb floor.

[@4Fecta]

Thanks for the info!

[@NickWelch]

Taped and painted drywall acts as a vapor barrier? That is unusual. Did you mean air barrier instead?

[@manitoulinmeats540]

Hi Nick, Actually, it is "vapor barrier" that I meant. Taped and painted drywall is actually pretty good at stopping the passage of airborne water vapour. This is especially true when you use a vapour barrier-type primer. Taped and painted drywall is a good air barrier as well, but it retards the passage of vapour, too. Bye for now and thanks for watching! Steve

[@NickWelch]

A vapor barrier is defined as having 0.1 perm or less. Drywall is 50 perms; extremely permeable. Normal latex paint is on the order of 5 perms, still quite permeable. "Vapor barrier" paint is about 0.5 perms, definitely a stronger vapor retarder than regular paint, but still not a vapor barrier in modern parlance. A vapor barrier is not desirable in a basement anyway, especially on the interior face of the wallboard, as it could trap moisture in the OSB on those panels, risking rot. You seem like a thoughtful guy so I encourage you to make a clearer distinction between air and vapor barriers, because most people are horribly confused about them already. Modern building science is pretty clear that you really do not want a vapor barrier in a basement wall at all. The vapor retardance of the EPS foam is plenty alone. However, an air barrier is crucial in this location, and unfortunately these wall panels do not seem to provide this at the top and bottom joints without taking further action to seal those seams behind the panels. The untreated 2x2 at the bottom is also likely to rot. Were you compensated by Dricore in any way? I don't understand how such a thoughtful and experienced builder would not see these issues.

[@baileylineroad]

Nick Welch Good Morning Nick! Actually, it's a little more complex than this. While I would never recommend that builders rely only on taped and painted drywall as a vapour barrier, just as a point of interest it doesn't do a bad job according to the numbers. According to the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), a perm rating of 1 is considered acceptable as a residential vapour barrier. One coat of vapour retarder latex paint delivers 0.45, so we're good there. On the NAIMA website listed below, they state that "latex or enamel paint qualify as Class III vapour retarders". I wouldn't rely on it, but it is listed. The issue also comes down to climate and who likely vapour is to penetrate walls and condense. Here where I live, we always get -30ºF and colder weather, so we do need vapour barriers with some types of basement wall construction, if only because the top of the walls are above ground and pretty cold on the outside. Anyway, here's that link: www.naima.org/insulation-knowledge-base/residential-home-insulation/insulation-and-vapor-retarders.html Bye for now, Nick. Steve P.S. Where abouts do you live?

[@NickWelch]

Taped and painted drywall simply is not a vapor barrier. It is 50 times more permeable than a vapor barrier. A perm rating of 1 is the cutoff between a class II and III vapor retarder. It is also not a vapor barrier. The link you posted is actually correct and uses the terminology correctly, but your paraphrasing of it erroneously uses the term "vapor barrier" where NAIMA did not. Read up: www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-106-understanding-vapor-barriers Just because you're in a cold climate does not mean you need a vapor barrier, although cold climate building codes (particularly in Canada) have an anachronistic and misguided obsession with vapor barriers. A vapor retarder is all that is required, and invites fewer moisture problems, and guess what? That EPS+drywall+latex paint wall you demonstrated is a vapor retarder, not a vapor barrier. So you (partially) did the right thing even though you described it in a confusing and incorrect way. Air leakage is by far the more important source of condensation-related problems, and establishing a tight air barrier is important in all walls, but especially in a basement wall, where warm indoor air touching cold concrete will generate condensation. The focus in a basement wall should be on the air barrier first, vapor retarder second... a vapor barrier is not relevant. The wall you demonstrated has an incomplete air barrier with gaps at the top and bottom. It is susceptible to convective loops which will generate condensation on the concrete and the untreated wood in contact with it, not to mention any ground moisture coming inward through the concrete. P.S. By asking for my location, I suspect you are trying to reduce my description of modern building science to some sort of regional anecdote, but it is not, so I see no relevance to stating my location. What I'm talking about is not climate-specific, except where otherwise noted.

[@baileylineroad]

Nick Welch Thanks for taking the time to comment Mike. Bye, Steve

[@BreathBeets]

Is there a price comparison between the Traditional method vs the DryCore system?

[@macrapidito1]

Joseph is not the price comparison, is about performance comparison. The beauty about this system rely in the condensation, moisture and mold handling. There is always a gap for air to Breath Between wall/floor. With this system.

[@JFabric500]

But there is a cost difference....About 30 more than traditional. When it comes to quality some people don’t care about the cost because there is a piece of mind involved. The cost is still dramatically more.

[@WilliamAndersontheparatrooper]

Great idea and certainly food for thought.

[@CC-jy4gr]

hes a hustla baby!!!

[@starrcrafttheartofhomemade3208]

This is brilliant! Thank you!

[@djdanb5362]

You did not mention price, off gasing from OSB board and glues in the product, potential mold on drywall (mold will grow on anything organic, paper backing on drywall), subfloors will hide any water seepage problems that should be addressed asap, and once water hits OSB......it's finished. You will have to rip out the entire floor. I suggest to my clients stay away from subfloors, they hide problems down the road that you want to see and fix asap. They might be more comfortable but thats not always the best choice. I personally like the floating vinyl plank for a basement floor. It may be a little harder and colder on the feet but its 100% water proof. It's also personal preferance.

[@gasmanrm]

the floor panels are way too expensive considering its cheap osb with plastic on the bottom. if the price was a buck a square ft I might consider them,if the floor was uneven they would be a disaster to install,most basement floors in new subdivisions are a mess making this product useless. earlier you were recommending a similar product with blue foam on the bottom,what happened to that item?

[@rychei5393]

I like the floor, but that wall doesn't seem very strong

[@manschel2009]

nicely done vid.

[@kichigaisensei]

Code requires conduit where I live. I don't think this will work.

[@moodooo851]

very nice thanx

[@christianandmarcgaming950]

The picture of his basement looks just like mine

[@briantetley4087]

Those wall panels are $75 each and only 2' x 8'...Holy smokes.

[@robertnewman4105]

seems high. Almost makes you wonder maybe get a sheet of foam insulation and attatch it to a board and put it up same install method and use that for around half the price!

[@kolochodelrio1234]

You are still using drywall and mdf. No difference

[@johnmorrison9758]

after watching many videos about wood sub floors for basements, I have come to the conclusion that I will never put wood there. There is a laundry room and a hot water heater and a furnace with water drains for the air conditioner and those things can leak, and once water gets into that wood subfloor, you have a nightmare.

[@skeetersden]

lots of good info, no basement in this house

[@pvtyeppy25q]

He forgot to mention this option is 25x more pricey and it using the same system just premaid to charge morw

[@Beaujetto]

wish i would have seen this before my daddy did my basement....so sad

[@Beaujetto]

@Joe Kinchicken No I did not leather my dad..i mean wtf? you want to be my big daddy? lmao I have been known to get what i want out of men not related to me.

[@Ervin1ma]

you Got a God Damn subscriber!

[@h3lio5]

Cool idea, but building codes are king. I couldn't get a permit for that where I live.

[@baileylineroad]

Hi Helios, I've never heard of a code problem with this kind of approach. What would the difficulty be? Just curious. Bye for now, Steve

[@suivoh]

r value of 16 is way too little. this is a way to do a cheap looking result using a product that skips corners. wow. that's all i can say. wow.

[@baileylineroad]

suivoh Good Morning Suivoh! Thanks for your note. I've spent the last 26 years monitoring building materials and practices, and I've never seen any other system that delivers more insulation in basement walls than this one. Most offer less and still meets building code requirements where I live in the frozen north of Canada. So, if the system I explained here offers "way too little" insulation, please explain how it exceeds code requirements. And if there's a system that performs better than what I've discovered here, please point me towards it. Thanks for watching! Drop by for a visit sometime at stevemaxwell.ca. I offer lots more good stuff there. You might not always agree with it, but I take my work seriously and do the best I can. Bye for now, Steve

[@user-wm1cm1nc3o]

there almost done with my basement and im watching this when im 8 years old

[@charleswalker6109]

Commercial

[@pjmtts]

Pity the fool who gets stuck removing that crap after a flood.

[@robertnewman4105]

if it drains in, it will eventually drain back out!

[@kathymiller4017]

These look like trailer walls to me. That is a fail for me.

[@akmix89]

Yeah this stupid old method are better... 1st step in doing a basement is waterproof your foundation from outside and inside install and sump with trench system round your basement and vapor seal your walls and u can drylock your walls before u install vapor seal... step 2 before installing studs leave 2in space between your foundation walls and then drywall you’ll have no problems ... it’s all about waterproof your house and and how your water drains you’ll always some kind of humidity in basement is all about how u control it ... in house Dehumidifier all basements need even if u do your basement like this you are still going threw short cut by not fixing the real problem

[@TheMichaelshifflette]

You are using the newest stuff on the market. It's almost like you're selling....

[@broncosbreaks]

These don’t sound expensive at all…

[@kwsbike]

this is an ad

[@gamerclownz2783]

This is a nice product but the cost is outrageous, ripoff in broad daylight. There are so many other ways to do it right for so much cheaper. This guys is just trying to sell a product, its not an honest review or video.

[@durhamresident4984]

Never spend money finishing below grade , it’s a cellar not a place for living

[@corlisboittnott5332]

That is a good idea. For the Satan mouth God name is Jesus Christ

[@corlisboittnott5332]

I like the way yall. Did the floor for Satan mouth God Has A Name and Son. Is Jesus Christ

[@corlisboittnott5332]

The one with the dirt mouth you best. Go to God. Our Lord Jesus Christ. To save you