Framing exterior basement wall, foam gaskets and poly?

5/3/2018 at 8:42:50 PM

You can just use regular 2x4 on top of a sill gasket, pressure treated on top of sill gasket is top notch, any wood directly on the floor whether it be pressure treated or not will absorb moisture over the years

5/3/2018 at 9:12:35 PM

Hi. I wouldnt use pressure treated inside the house. They tend to off gas and warp. A normal 2x4 on 6mill vapour barrier is best.

5/3/2018 at 9:46:54 PM

Standard minimum practice is 6 mil poly under bottom plate and tar paper on foundation walls. No need for both poly and gasket, technically either can be used. I prefer not too use pressure treated wood indoors, if you want that added protection buy blue wood.

5/3/2018 at 10:13:05 PM

Thanks, never used blue wood. Option I didn't consider.

5/3/2018 at 10:13:59 PM

Thanks, never used blue wood. Option I didn't consider.

5/3/2018 at 10:24:09 PM

Hi Ed, a standard Spruce 2 by 4 with 6 mil poly is all that is needed plain and simple. You could use blue Lumber but it is unnecessary. Tar paper on the concrete walls below frost line is always good. One more tip for you Ed when you frame your walls on the floor and lift them up make sure you measure along the entire wall area and find your shortest distance and take three eighths of an inch off of that so when you left it up it'll fit then you shims and screw it into the floor joists from the underside of the top plate way faster and easier and better.

5/3/2018 at 11:07:01 PM

I recommend using regular lumber. I would put a poly under the bottom plate. You can get a 12 inch wide roll called starter poly. That would be all that is needed under the bottom plate. I recommend using tyvek on the concrete before the walls fo up. It can be stapled to the sill plate on top of the concrete. It will act as a air barrier and a moister barrier. You still need to insulate and vapour barrier on the studs. Hope this helps.

5/4/2018 at 12:12:54 AM

Yeah, let's keep pressure treated wood out for outside.

I prefer using sill gasket which was specifically designed for that purpose. It does also offer slightly better insulation than vap. Barrier.

Best wishes

5/6/2018 at 7:03:03 AM

Thanks for all your advice!

Cheers

Ed