Carpet over concrete in basement

[DKAudio]

I want to put carpet over the concrete in the basement. I don't think mosture is a big issue down there but still an concerned. The house was built in 1954 and I assume the basement was done in the 70s (judging by the style). I pulled up the old green carpet and noticed a musty smell. The concrete beneath is green and comes up with a mop and water. I checked all my local stores and none of them carry a vapor barrier pading. Not sure what to do at this point. I taped a piece of plastic down to see if mosture builds up underneath. How long should I leave it?

I already have the carpet, it is a normal living room type plush. Did not buy any padding yet. Did see DryLock at Home Depot but am not sure if the exsisting paint will limit its performance.

Suggestions?

[HayZee518]

the untouched surface of concrete is like a sponge and is porous like a sponge. It is a magnet towards moisture. when dry or appears dry, it dusts up, the limestone leeches to the surface. If it's laid directly on the dirt or sand it will absorb ground water and even if it appears dry it is really wet. I would put several coats of a good silicone sealer on raw concrete before I put anything else down on it i.e. a carpet pad and carpet.

[DKAudio]

That's what I was thinking. When I was at home depot I asked if they had a roll on waterproofer. Checked in flooring and paints and no one had a clue what I was talking about...frustrating.

Anyways do you know a brand and name that would work and be available at Home Depot?

Would the green paint (or whatever it is) effect it from doing its job or could I just roll the silicone waterproofer on top of that?

Thanks

[HayZee518]

try using a cup wheel on a small grinder and get some of the paint off. I looked for concrete sealers and found two places. Manufactured by the Behr Co - Low Luster Sealer - available at Home Depot and Super Seal lsepoxies, Rowlett TX. The super seal they said is low toxicity water soluble during application.

[tom_matthews]

There are also plywood subfloor systems with a plastic underlayment layer on the panels. I've layed such a subfloor on concrete - it was from a company called dri-core and it turned out very nice, dry, comfortable and warm, once carpet was installed on top. the plastic layer insulates and blocks moisture. the subfloor panels just interlock with T&G joints. The drawback of course is the high cost of the subfloor material and the shipping.

[DKAudio]

Yeah, I don't have much to spend at all.

Yesterday I went down there and there were 3 puddles about 2-3 sq ft in seperate locations. The weird part was it didn't look like normal concrete seapage(sp?) the water was around 1/8" thick, I mean they really were puddles. Don't know what to think, the rest of the room was completely dry. This is the first water I have seen since I pulled up the old carpet.

At this point I am just going to try grinding the rest of the green paint off and using a Drylock type paint.

[tom_matthews]

even with the insulated subfloor, you would still need to seal the concrete. but standing water in puddles? yeah, that's a lot of moisture. sounds like a leak from somewhere.

[DKAudio]

I have no idea what to think about it. The area right next to the puddles are dry. It looks like someone spilled water there or something but no one has been down there. I never felt wetness on the old carpet.

[DKAudio]

Tried a 4.5" grinder with a low grit sanding wheel, masonry grinding wheel, cup wheel, etc. Nothing worked that good. The grinding wheel worked but was horribly messy (clouded the whole room instantly) and would take a couple full days of work to finish.

No water since last time and it has been raining a lot.

Bought a basement and masonry waterproofer at Home Depot by Behr. Says for walls subject to hydrostratic pressure. Ideal for above or below grade basement walls...foundations...etc

Anyways to get the green stuff off could I use a chemical stripper or something and then clean the floor with Behr concrete cleaner and degreaser (says I should use before the waterproofing paint anyways). If so what kind?

Thanks

[HayZee518]

try this site ls epoxies

[vdotmatrix]

I want to put carpet over the concrete in the basement. I don't think mosture is a big issue down there but still an concerned. The house was built in 1954 and I assume the basement was done in the 70s (judging by the style). I pulled up the old green carpet and noticed a musty smell. The concrete beneath is green and comes up with a mop and water. I checked all my local stores and none of them carry a vapor barrier pading. Not sure what to do at this point. I taped a piece of plastic down to see if mosture builds up underneath. How long should I leave it?

I already have the carpet, it is a normal living room type plush. Did not buy any padding yet. Did see DryLock at Home Depot but am not sure if the exsisting paint will limit its performance.

Suggestions?

OUCH!!!!

I would wait 24 hours or more after your next rainfall and place the plastic sheet taped over the most suspicious area in the basement.....

and wait and see....

What part of the country do you live? Has it been raining at all?

next, i would look around the walls of the basement for signs of efflourescence (sp?).

If you have water/ moisture under the plastic in 24hours or signs of efflourescence- STOP!

The issue is that hydrostatic water pressure. where do you live? is the water table close?, mustn't be if you have basements in your neck of the woods.....You probably need to do something about water around the house. Do you live on a slope that the house sits on? with land up hill from you, even slightly?

I didn't have the moisture issue, but did have eflourenscence, and rented a ditch witch dug, trenches for french drains around the entire perimeter of my house added 4" drain tiles, pipe socks and sent the water to the city's storm drain system at the street...

The real issue was that , my house sits on a slope. When the surface water hits my house and the foundation, it builds up behind my house. Eflourescence on the uphill walls. when it rained, i'd see more of this.....the garage did it alot.....but then i did the ditch witch thing and everything is dry...no dollar weeds, or green algae grow in the back yard
any more..

No more problems at all..dry as a whistle....no moisture critters either...

If you paint that stuff in your basement, you might regret it...

consider the big picture as to why the basement would be damp....

let us know what is going on there...

[DKAudio]

I live in Bloomington MN

Put up Gutters last summer

Basement is about 7' below the earth

Backyard is pretty flat. Front (the side this room is on) is slopping away from the house towards the street.

It has been raining a lot and the back side of the house shows signs when it gets really wet. The concrete is painted brown and I can usually see the paint bubble up in some areas. Now, the room that is green on the front side of the house (the room I want to carpet) doesn't show much sings at all. I tapped down some plastic about a month ago for 2 days and it was completely dry. I guess I will try it in a few more areas. I don't think that those puddles mentioned in an earlier post were from the ground. Someone had to have spilled something there, nothing like it has happened since and it is more wet outisde now.

The walls show no signs of water damage.

[DKAudio]

try this site ls epoxies

I did when you first recommended them but was trying to get up the old stuff first.

I am going to tape down many squares of plastic for a while to see if anything comes up. If it doesn't then I think I will just go ahead and put on the carpet.

I have been doing research on carpet pads and found that I should use a cartain type. I found this from Georgia Carpet...

3/8" 9 lb. ComBond offers double sided moisture resistance protection keeps spills from bleeding through from the surface or seeping up from concrete slabs. Antimicrobial "Moisture Guard" inhibits growth of mold, mildew and bacteria. Simply the best! Recommended for the most demanding high traffic areas including stairs and halls with all grades of carpet.

For pic, It is the 4th one down here...
Berber Carpet Padding - Georgia Carpet Ind.

I can order from them and they will ship to me (MN) since I cannot find a pad like this around here.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks

[DKAudio]

I think I will try the LS Epoxies Super Seal but I still have the problem of getting the green stuff up first. Otherwise anything I put down will not penetrate the concrete.

What about that carpet pad I posted?

I want to get this project done asap, I have my furniture in a family's garage waiting for me to finish this room.

Thanks

[DKAudio]

Well, I used a whole gallon of chemical stripped (nasty stuff). Now the floor is specled concrete and green paint. It took me 6 hours to do it. I am going to try a gell max strength and get another gallon and try that. I used the spray on liquid, max strength. I then got something called washup by the same company, you are supposed to use it after the stripper. After using that and being completely dry you can recoat with your finish. I am going to try the lsepoxies and hope that they ship to MN residents.

UPDATE:
lsepoxies reply...
"COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL INQUIRIES ONLY"

Guess I am not going to use them, will the Behr stuff I got work? Here is a link to it...
Behr.com: Products - No. 875 Basement & Masonry Waterproofing Paint