Hello.

We are currently re-doing one of the rooms in our basement. It originally had wood paneling attached to furring stips attached directly to the concrete block foundation and an old drop ceiling.

We want to sheetrock the whole basement and were told by a few people we should use a 'vapor barrier' before attaching the sheetrock to the furring strips on the walls.

What does this 'vapor barrier' consist of and does this sound feasible? Since the room is only 20 x 14 we don't want to lose space due to framing out the walls with metal/wooden studs and insulation.

Thanks in advance.

Augustwest

 

Did you notice any signs of rot/mold/mildew when you ripped off the paneling ?

With the original setup, was the room too warm/cold/noisey ?

To me, the answers to those questions would dictate wether I go through the extra hassle of putting 2X4s with insulation and vapor barrier or get by with just a vapor barrier behind the drywall.

 

Thanks for the quick response.

No sign of mold or wet stains when the panels were removed.

Being the basement it's usually cool in the summer and is warmed in the winter with cast iron baseboards along the 20' wall. Noise hasn't been a problem but we are using R-13 on the ceiling to cut down sound to the rest of the house.

What type of vapor barrier should i be looking for at HD to use on top of furring strips behind sheetrock? Is it just plastic? Let me know.

Thanks again.

AW