Re: avoiding mold growth with basement flooring

[Guest guest]

Basement Systems has flooring they can install along with wall

covering.Here's the link for the Elkton, MD office.

_http://www.basementsystems.com/basement_waterproofing/waterproofing_contractor.\

php?entryID=222_

(http://www.basementsystems.com/basement_waterproofing/waterproofing_contractor.\

php?entryID=222)

or _http://www.basementsystemsusa.com/_ (http://www.basementsystemsusa.com/)

They are all over the country. There is a main company phone # but I don't

know it off hand. If you call the Elkton office they can probably give it to

you. Then the main office can put you in touch with a dealer nearest you.

That's what I did but I just can't find the number. Someone in this group, (NC

I

think) used this same company. I called them and they gave me the main number

to call.

Sue

We have an unfinished basement apartment and I am quite allergic to

mold and I have MCS. Does anyone know what would be the best type of

flooring to put down for a besement apartment floor that would keep

mold from growing? I know that there is moisture when you have a cement

floor in a basement. This house is a little over 50 years old. We live

in a dry area but the previous owners did not keep the house very

ventilated and it has taken us a long time to remove all mold or musty

floors and add more windows to create more air. My dilema is that if I

put synthetic material the mold probably will not grow but we will have

all those fumes from formaldehyde etc that I cannot handle and if I put

natural materials that maybe the mold will thrive. I am not sure what

to do since this apartment is right beneath us. Would tile work? Cork?

natural linoleum? any ideas? or perhaps book or resources you could

guide me to? Thanks cathy

**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

[Guest guest]

Where are you located? The best answers to questions like that vary

depending on what the climate is. But in general, you need to insulate

the floors as well as the walls to prevent condensation. Foam is

better than fiberglass. There are some good documents at

buildingscience.com that describe the process..

Its hard to make a basement really livable without a fair amount of

work. But it pays off in a nice, livable space, maybe even one you

could safely rent out.

Water will inevitably condense on a cold concrete slab floor so you

need to insulate the floor as well as the walls.. many people use foam

panels for both and then they lay the floor over the rigid foam.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info. I will check. I live in Eastern WA. so I do not think they

serve here but it is worth checking what they have to say. cathy

[Guest guest]

I live in Eastern Wa. It is dry climate most of the time. We live in a valley so

we tend to be in a cloud in the winter and have rain rather than sunshine like

we have most of the year. The problem with our home is that we have a sprinkler

system that was installed well that covers all the bushes near the house. That

created moisture in the basement walls as well.They hardly had any windows

either. The bushes are tall. We are in the process of cutting all of them down

to have more air circulating and the sun drying the area.

The bigges problem is that I am quite allergic to mold.Even though we have done

a lot of work to reduce it we still havea long way to improve it for my

tolerance. I have Lyme so it is quite common for Lyme people to have MCS

(multiple chemical sensitivities) and mold allergies.That is what my dilema is I

have to get things that do not have chemicals or give off fumes and also things

that do not create a haven for mold. I find this hard to find. I know fiberglass

is a no no for those of us who have these sensitivities although it seems to be

hard on anyone;s body. I do not know much about styrofoam though. I do know that

it is really hard on the enviroment and takes a few hundred years to deteriorate

at least. But I know that we have to pick the worse of the two evils.

I will check it out. Thanks for the info.

cathy