My dad told me to always put a vapor barrier behind drywall in my basement and I'm glad I listened

I was finishing my basement in my Michigan house last fall and almost skipped the plastic sheeting. A buddy said it was a waste of time and money, just paint the concrete with drylock and call it a day. My dad, who built houses for 40 years, told me point blank, 'If you don't put up that 6 mil poly, you'll have mold in two years.' I spent the extra $150 and a full day stapling it up. This spring, we had a ton of rain and the ground got soaked. When I pulled off a piece of trim to fix something, the back of the drywall was bone dry. My buddy's basement? He's dealing with damp spots and a musty smell. Why do so many online guides make this step seem optional?

3 comments

3 Comments

troy4941mo ago

Wait, is it really that big of a deal everywhere though? I get it in a wet climate like Michigan, but what about a dry basement in Arizona? Feels like a one-size-fits-all rule online. Maybe those guides call it optional because it depends on your local ground and climate. Still, for a couple hundred bucks, I guess it's cheap insurance if you're not sure.

price.tara1mo ago

Dry basement in Arizona" is what got me. The ground itself can hold a ton of moisture even if the air is dry. I saw a slab crack in Phoenix from vapor coming up through the concrete, no liquid water in sight. It ruins flooring and can cause mold.

patriciap5219d ago

My uncle in Tucson skipped the vapor barrier to save cash. He spent triple that replacing warped hardwood floors two years later. Sometimes the cheap fix is the expensive one.