Finishing a Basement - Part 1 - Basement Insulation & Damp Proofing

This is one of THE best video series for finishing your basement. Meticulous and perfect execution. If you want to a bomb proof basement that will stand the test of time, follow this guys series.

Super informative. This is by far one of the better vids with reasonable explanations. Covers everything! Caulk. Adhesives, tapes, foams, etc.

This is unbelievably helpful. I’ve been looking at Fine Homebuilding, This Old House, Matt Risinger, and a bunch of others who have all shown various parts of what you’ve done here. I was trying to piece it all together for a comprehensive plan, then came across your video. Awesome to see you’ve basically done just that and figured it out for me!

Great video ! Thanks for making and sharing it !

thanks for the explanation, the detail about the foot or more of concrete above allowing to dry was crucial to my knowledge

Great video bud. Very well put together.

Looks good... and love the concise, detailed explanations. Starting to work on a similar project myself.. after the digout is done :-/ 100% agree on the advice not to use liquid-applied coatings. I just ground off ~500 sq/ft of the stuff which had completely failed (thanks previous homeowner!) Couple ideas for others watching this and looking for possible improvements: 1. Consider using EPS rather than XPS - it is much more environmentally friendly as no HFCs are involved in the mfg process. In addition, EPS will not retain moisture as long as XPS after being exposed (and you know it will be sooner or later.) And finally, while EPS has slightly lower R value, the two will most likely be identical in a few years after all the blowing agents have leached out of the XPS. Polyiso would have an even better R value, but is not a good option where moisture is a concern. 2. A thin layer of gardening/landscape fabric (weed barrier) under the dimple mat will prevent the 'clicking' noise of the mat hitting the concrete when stepped on, which a lot of people seem to complain about. (Or looks like maybe superseal carries a combo product?) 3. You could use 6 mil (or higher if worried about durability) poly under the stair supports so you don't have to worry about 'springiness' of the dimples. Another option would be products used for sill plate sealing/isolation, or butyl / epdm membranes. 4. Insulate behind your waste pipes if possible - looks like there could be a thermal bridge situation.

im inspired... thanks for the tips! i been wanting to finish half of my basement... i just need to get some water proofing done...research has been a pain. a lot of different companies and they all do things a little different and telll you how the other companies are wrong.

Amazing video, step by step in detail. Just subscribed your channel. Thank you

Great attention to detail. Do your homework, take your time .the best contractor is yourself. Believe me .

Great video, I'm doing a basement DIY with a stone/boulder foundation in Mass and this might be one of best vids I have seen...I need part 2 before I start my project. My plan so far is to go with rigid foam as my moisture barrier, gluing and sealing it as best as possible to my boulder walls. I'll put that product you used on my concrete floor, frame up the wall and use Roxul for insulation. Since I will be plastering my walls, I may use durock on the first 6' from floor just in case of flooding.

Boy are you meticulous. Thank you ever so much for the heads up on Super Seal. Just what I was looking for. Plan is to install vinyl plank over concrete slab at ground level. Am in central Florida.

Great video!

I just got done stripping the old walls out of my basement, which were furring strips directly nailed to the foundation concrete, with 3/4 inch EPS foam sheets in between them. The furring strips were a bit moldy in some spots, and a couple of the nail holes leak water. I'm hoping to patch up the concrete, than install foam board like you have here. Some people say to have the foam totally air-tight, even on the bottom of the wall. Since future leaks are inevitable no matter what, it seems like it would be better to not have the bottom be sealed up? I plan on building a steel stud wall in front of the foam, with sill sealer between the bottom plate and the floor. Another thing I can't get a straight answer on is whether or not to paint the concrete with sealer before installing the foam. Isn't that going to trap water behind the foam too? And it looks like the mold was growing on the sealer paint, so it seems kinda pointless.

This is VERY helpful, thank you! I’d like to do this as well. The on,y difference is that I have a floating slab. How should I handle the vapor/moisture insulation on the floor if I have a floating slab instead?

Thank you so much 😀😀😀😀

If your walls sweat humidity or water, then don't you need to apply horizontal lines with the adhesive only vertical or put dots.

Built a kid’s playhouse under the staircase, with a small counter . Looks cool

The diple may seems like a good idea. The water wont make it to your sump unless the floor is perfectly sloped to the basket. Likely you have some areas of high and low throughout.

This is a good video, I would add though, you should tape the back of the joints on the pink rigid foam panels or the water will seep into the joint and up to the tape on the front, then leak down; then the water is on top of the dimple mat. Also, the dimple mat under the stair/landing structure should be reinforced or be a few layers, because over time, tiny vibration and movement of those pieces of wood will rip a hole in something that thin and weak. Good info overall