best type of wall to use in a basement

[duke62]

can anyone tell me what is the best type of walls to use for a basement.i dont want to use green board because it is not resistant to molds even though people market it as such.and i was thinking of mold tough sheet rock by usg which is a little more pricey and the only reviews i see on it either is a review from the manufacturer.and i also read as all organic material it is not 100 percent and can be subject to mold.so im looking for a non organic material that would look nice in a basement.i will not use owens corning system i found that out to late and i already have the steel studs up..thanks

 

[Sumbub]

Did you do any research into Hardibacker Board? That material should mold and water resistant.

 

[TimberTDI]

Jim,

How far below grade is the basement? How humid is the basement that you are worried about mold? Did you apply a sealer to the concrete before putting up studs, like dri-loc?

You should go in this order:

• Paint the concrete with UGL Dry LOC
• Put up your studs and insulation
• Put a vapor barrier over the studs (plastic sheeting works fine)
• Screw your sheetrock, regular sheetrock works fine
• Prime the walls with a good primer containing a fungicide Zinsser's perma-white is a really good one.
• Paint walls the colors of your wife's choice

 

[autoponicz]

you can use hardibacker on the bottom half of the wall and use sheetrock on the top half....this will help protect the walls...if theres any floods...added to what timber suggests is a good idea too...

 

[TimberTDI]

Hardiebacker they sell in HD should only be used if you are going to tile. Otherwise go to a lumber supplier (maybe HD can special order) and see if they can order you HardieBacker 500 (it comes in 4x8 too). Again I would just go with regular stuff and a quality paint.

http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/products_backerboard_halfInch.shtml

 

[duke62]

i cant use dry loc due to the fact the old owners painted the foundation wall about ten times.i would have to get some nasty paint thinner to remove.instead i used tyvek against the basement wall and used steel studs.i was afraid to put up a sheeving on the studes cause i am afraid of vapor getting trapped in between.i already had sheet rock up and i needed to replace bottom of piece of drywall due to a minor flood.as i started removing i noticed what looked to be white mold forming.so i am going to need to remove all existing sheet rock.i am aroud 5 ft below grade.the mistake i think i made was making the drywall touch the foundation floor instead of leaving a gap.im not worried about wall u can see more of what behind.i am so depressed right now i cant even believe what the hell is going on.i might have to eat the 5 grand i spent on the basement and just rip it all down.