Sep 30 2015 by matthew stock.
Gap between floor and wall in basement.
Don t seal the gap between basement wall and floor to keep out water.
You see in the early stages of building a home the basement is constructed first excavated to the desired depth.
The gap goes around the entire outside walls of the basement.
Well at least i think that is how its suppose to work.
You can seal these joints but you must ensure that the seal does.
Typically this will be cracks in your foundation.
One of the most common places to find water in a residential basement is in a puddle right next to the wall.
I m 17 and recently moved into my basement got tired of tiny room upstairs.
However it will eventually fail in one of two ways.
The water being blocked by the sealant will find another gap in your foundation to enter the home.
That is if the studs are going to touch the concrete wall.
Most jurisdictions require a 4 mil plastic sheet vapor barrier for basement walls against concrete.
In the short term a sealant applied along this gap between your basement floor and wall may prevent leakage.
So there is enough gap for air to flow.
They re will be a 1 gap at the bottom between the dry wall and concrete.
I noticed there is a gap about a 1 2 inch width from the floor to the wall.
This is a floating slab or floating floor.
The gaps go to a back corner and is suppose to drain into the sub pump.
This gap is called a cove joint and the reason there is a gap between the wall and the floor is simply because of the way that the foundation of the home got poured.
First time remodelers often make the mistake of letting drywall rest on the floor while attaching it to the vertical wall studs with screws rather than pushing the board up as high as possible to.
Occasionally as the concrete settles the joint may widen causing leaks or serving as an entrance for insect infestations.
After the concrete floor sets the board is removed a clean even gap is left between the basement wall and floor.
I am planning on constructing a wall in my basement by attaching 2x3 studs directly onto concrete and then dry wall on top.
Some areas have very expansive soil.
Or you can leave a 4 inch gap between the studs and concrete wall and probably get away with it.