I have an unfinished basement that has a musty smell. It's not bad but noticeable. I plan on finishing the basement but before I do is there anything I can do to prevent that smell? Would just a vapor barrier stop that smell or should I use some thing on the walls first like a waterproof epoxy paint? I'd rather not use DryLock. It stunk up my whole house for a week the last time I used it and I have a 6 month old baby in the house. Any suggestions?

 

The musty smell is a moisture problem. You either need more ventilation or a dehumidifier [maybe both]
They sell a latex version of drylok, I don't think it's quite as effective as the original oil base version...... but I won't use the oil anymore, not worth the odor

 

Hi Tony, unfortunately that musty smell if a big warning sign and raises the question, should you really try finishing that basement. The problem started when the house was built. That's when the moisture issues should have been addressed.

Your first steps should be to identify the source of the moisture causing the smell. As marksr stated, try a good dehumidifier and see if it improves. Do you have any obvious water seepage or wet spots? If so, those issues need to be corrected before you try to cover them up. If you can dry out the basement then you can consider finishing it. Just don't hide a moisture problem behind a wall as it will only grow and you know what I mean by grow.

Some reading: BSD-103: Understanding Basements — Building Science Information

Bud

 

Thanks for the link. It was very informative. I did have some water issues but they were all fixed. I also routed all my down spouts 15' or more away from the house. So far I have not had any visible water or dampness in the basement. For one problem I had a french drain installed and the smell seemed to be a little stronger after it was installed. A family member did warn me that this would happen and advised me not to get it, but every waterproofing company I called recommended the drain as the only proper solution to the problem. I'll try a dehumidifier and see if that helps. Thanks for the input.