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Q. I poured 3 inches of concrete over my concrete basement floor, which
was full of cracks. The new floor has developed cracks that line up with the
old ones. I plan to use the cellar as an animal shelter, so the floor has to
be waterproof. What next? D.R., Halifax A. Concrete is great stuff -- in compression; that is, it can take great weights pressing down on it. But it is poor in tension (forces pressing against its length). So, when you poured the new floor, it followed the contours of the old floor, and since the old floor was cracked because of unevenness in the substructure, the new layer did exactly the same thing. Even if you put in reinforcing bars or mesh, it could have happened the same way. Normally this would not be harmful but to make it waterproof for use as an animal shelter something else must be done. You have these choices: - Put down wire-mesh reinforcing secured to the new concrete, then add an inch or so of mortar. After that sets, put down ceramic tiles with thin-set mortar. A good mason can make that mortar layer smooth, level, and even, so you could use large (12-inch square) tiles. If the mortar bed is not that even, then use smaller tiles, which would be less likely to crack from tension. - Remove the 3 inches of new concrete, secure the wire mesh to the old surface, then mortar and tile as above. - Remove all the concrete and lay a new slab, with reinforcing bars or mesh. Q. My one-piece, steel bulkhead with sides, steps, bottom, and doors at the top is beginning to rust out, and it leaks like a sieve when it rains. What can I do to stop the leaks? CARL DOUHAN, Waltham A. Those steel bulkheads are great when new, but steel does not last very long in such a situation, and even faithful maintenance in keeping it painted will not help much. Make a proper repair by digging it out and replacing it with an all-concrete (except for the doors) bulkhead that can be dropped in the original opening with a minimum of adjustment. If you do this, hope that the connection betweeen the bulkhead and the foundation is tight; that is where most bulkheads leak. A temporary expedient if you leave the steel unit in place is to cut through the steel bottom and dig a hole as big as the area at the bottom of the steps and about 12 inches deep. If the water level underground is not too high, this hole -- a sump, really -- will collect and absorb water as it comes in, and prevent it from flooding the basement floor. If this works, you can postpone replacing the bulkhead. Q. My unfinished basement has fiberglass insulation in the ceiling. I am concerned about invisible shards of glass sloughing off the fiberglass and getting into the air I breathe. What can I put over it to prevent this? And whatever I put up, does it have to come down if and when I install a regular ceiling? BILL MUMFORD, Lakeville A. Staple Tyvek or similar material to the ceiling joists. It is an air stop but not a vapor stop, and while it is not designed to go on a crawl space ceiling, it is what you need there. It will not only help reduce heat loss into the basement, but is white, reflecting what little light there is in the basement. You can keep it up when you finish the ceiling.
FRANK BASHORE, Chelmsford A. Try a paint remover such as Citristrip (it has a citrus base), but make sure it is nonflammable because there are heating units in the basement. Or, rent a grinder from a rental store. Don't use a sanding machine; the concrete dust will ruin it. Then apply a concrete stain, which will resist peeling. Muralo makes one with quite a few colors to choose from, sold in paint stores.
PAUL HOFFMAN, Watertown A. Assuming that your foundation is stone, it is not so much that one is better than the other, because both will be effective in keeping out air and cold, and making the wall a little more weatherproof as well. I would opt for filling the joints with mortar, called repointing. I think it would be less expensive than putting up stucco, which is partly cosmetic and something you may not need. If both jobs cost the same, then go for the stucco. The mason's suggestion to attach wire lath to the wall before stuccoing is great, because the lath will keep the stucco where it belongs, against the wall. All the above applies if the foundation is made of concrete blocks instead of stone.
F.C., North Chelmsford A. For starters, don't take out the insulation in the ceiling; it not only helps keep the heat in the basement, but it also may be helping to prevent sound in the basement from transmitting upstairs. But not enough, as you and your wife found out. But there is hope, and those heating ducts are a clue to the transmission of the sound from basement to upstairs. Cover those duct openings and see what happens. If the sound transmission is reduced, you at least know how it is being transferred. Covering the ducts in winter is not the best solution, but perhaps you could close some of them and see what happens. If covering the ducts makes no difference in sound transmission, then you can treat the ceiling this way: Install acoustical resilient channels to the joists, at right angles to the joists. The channels allow the ceiling finish to be separate from the joists. Since sound travels through the solid parts of a ceiling (the joists), separating the finish from the joists will make a big difference. Screw sound-absorbing board on the channels, then add a layer of plasterboard for the finished job. Q.When there is water in the basement, why do you recommend a sump hole 2 feet deep? My sump is only a foot deep, and I have to push the water on the floor into the sump with a broom. Would deepening the sump prevent this flooding? B.B., Pelham, N.H. A. The 24-inch-deep figure is arbitrary; a sump can be any depth, as long as it collects water before that water floods the floor, and, of course, there is a pump ready to pump water out. If your sump is empty and dry when the cellar floods, it means the water on the floor is not getting to the sump; there may be a dip in the floor preventing that. And an empty sump also means that it is not collecting water for some reason; a sump is supposed to act as a relief valve, allowing water under the floor to flow through the sides and bottom of the sump before it floods the floor. If that is happening, the sump may not have any holes in its side or the bottom is not open. A sump, to be effective, has to have open sides or bottom. If your sump is all concrete, solid sides and bottom, it is not collecting any water except from your sweeping broom. So, deepening the sump may or may not help. More important, what you have to do is make sure sides and bottom of the sump are open. If they are not, you have to cut into the concrete sides and bottom; it probably would be easiest to cut out the bottom of that sump. If your sump does have holes in it and is still not collecting water, it is in the wrong place. You can dig a new one elsewhere in the basement and hope for the best. Or, hire a waterproofing company, which can do all that for you for a fee, plus other things to make sure the flooding does not occur.
Water in basement More heavy, steady rain fell early last week, and the same thing happened, especially to houses whose owners put away any pumps they had for the first flood. Many who did not have pumps were out of luck because pumps were virtually sold out after the first bout of heavy rain. Many of us had the same problem last fall, when heavy rains fell for two days running in September. We did not have too many flooded cellars then, because the ground was dry and most of the water soaked into the earth. A week later, in October, came two more days of rain, and, brother, did we have the floods. That is because the ground was saturated from the previous storms and there was no place for the water to go except along the ground, into cellars, streets and other convenient, vulnerable areas. And, to raise the water table, the level of water underground. Why do I always get an inch or two of water? you might say. You thought your basement is designed to stay dry. The walls don't leak, but the water comes in. It's an old story. It has happened before (last fall was a good example) and it will happen again. What is occurring: Heavy, steady rains soak into the ground, quickly or slowly percolating through the earth to the water table, which rises until it reaches the underside of basement floors. When it gets that high, it is under presssure, trying even harder to get into the cellar. The water can rise so high that your house would be floating in a sea, ocean, lake, or pond if it were a boat. Since it is not a boat, and does not float, it just sits there, waiting for the water to come in. And it will, forcing itself into the basement at the weakest point of the foundation: the joint between wall and floor. In a case like this, the homeowner notices the water coming in only at that joint. Another way the water gets in is by running along the ground and down the outside of the foundation, under the wall and through that foundation-floor joint. A common and often successful solution to minor flooding is a sump and pump; sometimes more than one may be needed to handle the water. The sump, a hole in the floor 24 inches square, 24 inches deep, and filled with six inches of crushed stone, acts as a relief valve, relieving the water pressure and filling with water before the water has a chance to flood the floor. You can buy plastic inserts for sumps; they are perforated on their sides, preventing erosion of earth that could occur on a dirt-sided hole. And the pump pumps it away as it rises. The water level is sometimes so high that it fills the sump to overflowing, more than the pump can handle, and floods the floor despite the continuous pumping of water. If that happens, a bigger pump, or two sumps and two pumps might handle the extra water. Pumps are hooked up to a garden hose or a PVC pipe so water can be discharged to the street or at least 10 feet from the house. Anything less, and the water will just flow back into the cellar. For a chronic problem, it would be wise to leave the pump in place. Most pumps will come on automatically when the water rises and stop when the water recedes; others need to be turned on and off. It's interesting how water works. It does things that most of us, except maybe hydraulic engineers, cannot conceive of. The handyman had water in his basement two weeks ago, and his son got a pump to do its duty. Water down, the pump was disconnected and put away. A week later, the rains came again, so the handyman checked the basement on the second evening and found no water when the rain stopped. He went to bed that night and awoke the next morning with two inches of water in the cellar. Unusual? Not when you think about it. The water continued to seep into the ground long after it stopped raining. Result: the post-rain flood. In extreme floods, a more extreme measure must be taken. And that extreme measure is to have a French drain installed. A perforated pipe is installed under the floor, along the interior perimeter of the foundation. A French drain is most often connected to a sump and pump. The perforated pipe intercepts the water under the floor before it floods the floor, and delivers it to the sump and the pump. A French drain can cost $3,000 and more, but generally the installer will guarantee a dry basement. It's better to install a sump and pump first; a sump can be installed by the homeowner for a small sum, and the pump is quite inexpensive. Then if the sump and pump don't do the job, then install the French drain, best done by a professional. If you already have a sump and pump, at least that will reduce the cost of a French drain. A sump, pump, and French drain are the main weapons against flooding from a high water table. If you know the water is coming down the outside of the foundation and flooding the basement, there are several ways you can divert it or prevent it. If your yard slopes down toward the house, you must realize that this is a perfect conduit for water to flow down the foundation. So, regrade the soil outdoors, if you can, so that it is level, or slopes down, away from the house. Be careful about this, however; because you need to leave at least 8 inches of foundation exposed from the bottom of the siding to the ground. Make sure your downspouts discharge at least 10 feet from the house. Anything less and the water will just go back down the foundation. Sometimes a concrete apron around the house will divert water from the foundation. It is 6 inches deep and extends 18 to 24 inches from the house, and is slightly sloped, allowing water to run over it a little farther from the house, enough, it is hoped, to keep from going down the foundation. You need common sense and logic, and a knowledge of what water does and can do, to fight the flooding basement. Sometimes water will come in through the foundation wall, adding to your woes. This most often happens with fieldstone foundations. Uncracked concrete foundations do not leak. You can prevent some leaks in a fieldstone foundation by repointing: chipping out old mortar to the full width and depth of the joints, and installing new mortar. Make sure this new mortar is heavily compacted; otherwise it will fail. Repoint both indoors and out if you can; outside repointing requires excavation, which is a lot of work. When they see water coming through the joint between wall and floor, some homeowners try to fill it with hydraulic cement. This rarely works, and is hardly worth the effort. Chipping out a wide, deep groove in that joint, then filling it with hydraulic cement, has a better chance of keeping out water, but not much if it is under pressure. It is virtually impossible to stop water under pressure by plugging anything inside the foundaiton. One more trick. If there are extensive leaks in a fieldstone foundation, one way to possibly waterproof the foundation is to inject a material into the ground next to the foundation. Companies do this, for a fee, and it can be expensive, but it also can work, leak-proofing the foundation. Some owners opt to do one wall, where most leaking occurs. This could work, but sometimes water will just find its way through another wall, and the whole process must be done again. It's another weapon against water, which moves in mysterious ways. Q. I am finishing my basement. What would be a good ceiling -- a dropped ceiling or sheetrock? P.B., Tewskbury A. Both are good, but a dropped ceiling is easier to put up if you do it yourself. And a dropped ceiling allows access to pipes and wires in the basement, in case you need to work on them or, heaven forbid, a pipe freezes. You can insulate the ceiling first, then hang the ceiling finish. And you can buy a grid system that does not drop the ceiling more than an inch or so, so you will be losing little ceiling height. And, here is another idea for a dropped ceiling, one that you can also do yourself. Nail 1-by-4-inch pieces of wood along the length of each joist, then drop in ceiling panels or prepainted panels of Homasote. You can paint the 1-by-4s the same color as the ceiling panels or stain them for an interesting contrast. This technique reduces the ceiling height by all of three-quarters of an inch. Q. How can I cover the ceiling in my basement, which is unfinished, to keep insulation from falling on my head? Something inexpensive, if possible. G.M., Pembroke, Mass. A. Inexpensive I agree with, since the basement is not living space. I suggest stapling Tyvek to the bottom of the joists. This will not only keep the insulation in its place, safely, but being white, will reflect what light you have in the basement. Tyvek is a sheet material normally used under clapboards and shingles, and it allows water vapor to pass through it but is an air stop. Being an air stop is a bonus, because it will reduce the loss of heat from the house through the floor into the basement. If you put up polyethylene plastic, it would stop water vapor, and you could trap water vapor in the insulation, where it could condense -- not a good thing. What side up? Good question, but I don't think it matters; the water vapor goes through the material in either direction. Tyvek has printing on it, so I would put the printing side up. Q. My cellar has a sump and a pump; they work well enough when the sump fills with water, but the basement is always damp. I plan to put a new layer of concrete on the floor. Should I put down a vapor barrier under it to keep moisture from coming up through the floor? J.H., Belmont A. If you put a layer of concrete on the existing concrete, it is a good idea to put a vapor barrier (4- or 6-mil polyethylene) on the old floor first. But you don't have to do that to cure the dampness. Simply ventilate that basemnent from April to October by opening windows; screen and secure them if necessary. If you have windows on opposite walls, all the better, because you will get cross-ventilation, allowing the water vapor that comes up through the concrete floor to dissipate, and to escape. In July and August, when it is so humid that ventilation does little good, you can close the windows and use a dehumifidifier. The windows must be closed because dehumidifiers must work in still air. Another way to boost that air circulation is to put a floor fan on the floor in the basement; this will stir up the bottom layers of air and get rid of more moisture. Do this after opening the windows; it is not a substitute for opening windows. Q. The basement ceiling of an additon I had built was filled with insulation kept in place with hanger wires. The basement is not used for living space, but there is a washer and dryer there. What can I put on the ceiling not only to keep the insulation from falling down but to provide light? And, to keep costs down? CYNTHIA HRONES, Needham A. Tyvek to your rescue. It comes in rolls, and is white, so while it does not actually add light, it will refect light already there, which will make the basement lighter. Staple it tightly to the bottoms of the joists. Tyvek is a woven polymer normally used under siding (wood clapboards and shingles); it stops the passage of air but allows water vapor to go through it. It's expensive, as rolled material goes, but a sight less than plasterboard or other solid ceiling material. Q. My basement walls were covered with plywood many years ago. Now the plywood is buckling and looks terrible. My husband wants to take it off and put on a new wall finish. The old plywood is nailed to short strapping boards fastened to the wall; some of the strapping is horizontal, some is vertical. I read somewhere that I can put foam insulation between the strapping, cover it with polyethylene and finish off with paneling. Would this work? A.C., Brookline A. It will work, but if you use plywood paneling, it is likely to buckle in the future, just as the old did. I suggest, instead, to put three-quarter-inch-thick foam insulation between the strapping, then apply more strapping horizontally, 24 inches apart. Fill the spaces beteeen the second set of strapping with more foam, then apply the polyethylene, then vertical board paneling three-quarters of an inch thick. The reason for the horizontal strapping is to create a good nailing surface for the vertical boards. Q. My basement has a dirt floor, and the hot-air heat distributes this musty odor all over the house. How can I prevent that? SUSAN MURRAY, Concord, N.H. A. Ventilate, for starters. A closed heating system is not really closed, and picks up odor from the basement. A concrete floor is best to stop the odor, in addition to ventilation. Short of that, put down polyethylene and continue venting. Q. Is there a simple cure for a dirt floor in the basement; something to settle the dirt? DODIE CAPTIVA, Boston A. The best way is to smooth out the dirt, put down 6 inches of crushed stone, then a layer of plastic, then 4 inches of concrete. It's expensive, but it will prevent moisture from coming up through the ground, and will be neat. A less expensive way: Smooth out the dirt and make soil cement, a combination of Portland cement, soil, and water. Mix cement with earth to a depth of 4 inches, add water, and mix again. Tamp the soil cement to compact it, smooth out, and cover with plastic to let it cure properly. The ratio of cement to earth is 1 to 10. The result will be hard and durable. Q. My basement once had vinyl tiles on the concrete floor. Some were 8 to 12 inches square, and half got curled and peeled right off. I got all the tiles up, but the adhesive has remained; two thirds is black, one third is creamy colored, where some of the full 12-inch tiles were. All the tiles are up. Where do we go from here? FRED BRUSTMAN, Newton A. OK, the smaller tiles were put down with a black tar emulsion, which was the state of the art 30 years ago. This black mastic was designed to stay wet and sticky, holding its grip on the tiles, which were usually vinyl-asbestos or asphalt. The creamy adhesive is designed to harden, and hold vinyl tiles. It is probably very brittle. The tar emulsion also may have hardened, but either adhesive is easier to remove when it is hard and brittle. These hard adhesives can be scraped up; not by hand scraping but with a long-handled scraper so you can put your back into it. Applying heat will help remove the adhesive. Just thinking about taking up all that mastic is enough to make you quit. But if it is all hard, you may not have to take it up. The tar emulsion will harden, eventually, and if it already has hardened, and neither adhesive is very thick, you can put down wall-to-wall indoor-outdoor carpeting. If the black stuff is stubborn and still soft, you could try dissolving it with a lot of paint thinner. Use lots of ventilation when you work with paint thinner. Putting a fan in the window, exhausting out, won't hurt. You will make a terrible mess, but if the black is dissolved, you can wipe it up with dry cloths. Dispose of black, tarry cloths carefully by burning them. Q. I am redoing a dry basement. The windows in one of the rooms are steel, set in concrete. I'd like to take out the steel sash and put in wood replacement sash. Is this possible or desirable? What about security on those windows? The previous owners closed in a section under the basement stairs. I would like to remove those enclosing boards, but are they structural? G.L., Acton A. If you can take out the steel sash, the part that moves, you can replace it with a wood sash, and in my opinion it is a good idea. Not only does the wood look better, but it will insulate better, preventing condensation of moisture on the window frame, which you will definitely get with steel frames. If the steel frame remaining sticks out a bit, you could install 2-by-6-inch or 2-by-8 or even larger boards as a frame filling the opening that would cover the steel, adding to the good looks of such windows. For security, install burglar bars, which are steel bars set in a frame that can be screwed to the inside of the new window. Most of these bars can be released quickly in case of an emergency. They are sold at building supply stores and some window companies, including Hadco of South Boston. Removing the boards under the stairs should not affect the stairs, because the sheathing, whatever is enclosing the space, is not structural. The stringers on basement stairs usually hold up by themselves. Sometimes there is a post directly under each stringers, about midway down the run. If you run into these posts, directly under the stringer, leave them in place. Q. I am rehabbing a dry basement with four rooms and a French drain. What is a good way to put up dry wall (plasterboard) walls: On 1 x 3 strapping or a 2 x 4 stud wall? Should there be a vapor barrier? GREG LITTLE, Acton A. The strapping will be less expensive but tricky to install. Strapping can be applied to the concrete wall with construction adhesive and/or gunned into the wall with concrete nails. The concrete walls may not be plunb or even, so you may have to shim out the strapping with scraps of wood to make sure the dry wall is plumb (vertical) and level (horizontal). That can be tedious, and would interfere with gluing but not with nailing the strapping. Fill between the strapping with 3/4-inch Styrofoam or Thermax insulation. The latter has a vapor barrier on its face, so you don't have to add one. The Styrofoam needs a vapor barrier on the room side of the strapping. This insulation will give an R value of 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 -- not much, but you don't need much below grade. A stud wall with fiberglass insulation will provide an R factor of 11 to 13, which will help retain heat, and is easily made plumb and level. Such a wall also needs a vapor barrier on the room side. Q. My husband insulated the basement ceiling, and now wants to put some covering on it. Can he use plastic? JOAN DILLINGHAM, Burlington A. He can use plastic, but not polyethylene, which is a vapor barrier, particularly if the insulation he put up has a vapor barrier, touching the floor above. Use, instead, Tyvek or Typar, an air stop but a barrier that allows water vapor to go through it. The stuff is white, so will reflect light, and will also help keep the insulation from falling down or releasing glass fibers into the basement, something you want to avoid. A ceiling finish can be applied over the Tyvek or Typar. Q. I'm fixing up my basement, the whole bit, setting up a stud wall, insulating it with the vapor barrier facing the room, and putting up plasterboard. The only problem is that I have to set the stud wall six inches away from the foundation because there are 4-inch sewer drain pipes running horizontally but slanting along three walls. I am concerned that the six-inch air space between wall and foundation will cause water vapor to condense in that space into water. Then I'd be in big trouble. Is there any kind of a sensible solution? ERIC ZULAK, Duxbury A. Whew! That's a doozie of a problem, and your concern about that air space causing condensation is a legitimate one. It's simply fixed but not easily done; that is, what you have to do is not complicated, but the work is fussy and time-consuming, and more expensive than a standard stud wall. I suggest this: Make the stud wall of 2 x 6s instead of 2 x 4s, and notch the studs so they can be set against the wall with the drain pipe running through each stud. Make the notch so that solid wood is behind the pipe; that makes each stud harder to install, but necessary for the wall to stand up properly. With studs in place, nail or screw steel strapping over the open end of the notch; this will restore the strength of the stud, which does not have to be great because it is holding up only itself and the plasterboard. It's a standard procedure to reinforce notched studs. Then install 6-inch fiberglass insulation with the vapor barrier facing the room, then plasterboard. Is this over-building and over-insulating? Yes, but it will work for your situation. You could do the same with a 2 x 4 stud wall, but you'd have to build two separate walls, one above the slanting pipe, the other below it. Then connect the two walls with steel strapping. Such an arrangement is not as sturdy as the 2 x 6 wall and is harder to build. One more idea: If there are at least two inches between pipe and wall, glue on 1 x 3 strapping vertically every 24 inches, insert 3/4-inch Styrofoam between the strapping, and apply 1/2-inch plasterboard. This will be behind the pipes, which will show. But you can paint them in psychodelic colors and make them a part of the decor. After all, it is a basement, and pipes are a common part of basements. Q. I am finishing off my basement that has 7 1/2 feet of headroom from floor to the ceiling joists. Can I use metal studs instead of wood? They are less expensive, for one thing. As for a ceiling, dropped versus drywall? And for the floor of the entry, 7 by 13 feet, ceramic tile versus vinyl tiles on rough concrete? TOM HUME, Framingham A. Metal studs are OK, except they transfer heat and cold readily. But that is OK below grade, because the temperature does not get below 55 degrees most of the time, so a minumum of insulation is required. As for the ceiling, a dropped ceiling is more expensive than dry wall, but will allow access to wires, plumbing, and other things between the joists. Because of the limited height of the ceiling, it is best to install a ceiling that does not go much below the joists; such systems are called no-clearance ceilings and are sold in building supply stores. For the floor, ceramic tile is best, in the handyman's opinion; vinyl tiles are OK but will follow the roughness of the concrete floor. Q. I am moving into a brand new house. Should I seal and waterproof the concrete floor in the basement and garage? RALPH ZACCHEO, Salem, N.H. A. In the basement, why bother? It will do no good except to make the floor a little more easily cleaned. It will also need resealing once a year or so; well, perhaps a little longer between sealings because the floor is protected from the weather, but that resealing is an unnecessary maintenance chore. The garage is another matter. It will not hurt to seal it, making it easier to clean and also making it resistant to oils and grease and other automotive contaminants. Q. The set-tubs in my basement have small leaks, at the bottom of the sinks where they drain out. How can I fix them myself? ELLIE CRONIN, Melrose A. Since the leaks are at the drains, dismantle the drains and drain covers and install plumber's putty in the openings before putting them back. And don't put them back too tightly.
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