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My basement job taught me a harsh lesson about moisture and mud
Last week, I was finishing a basement and thought the drywall would go up easy. I didn't realize how humid it was until the mud just stayed wet for days. It messed up my schedule and I had to run dehumidifiers non-stop. Now I always test the air before I mix any compound. What do you guys do to prevent moisture issues?
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veramason6mo ago
The first time I tried skimming a basement ceiling, I mixed two full buckets before noticing the walls were basically sweating. Honestly felt like an idiot trying to fan dry mud with a piece of cardboard. Now a cheap moisture meter and a dehumidifier running overnight are my non-negotiable first steps.
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ben_lopez256mo ago
Hey remember when my buddy Mike tried to patch his basement wall without checking for dampness? He skim coated a whole section before the tape just started peeling off like old wallpaper. Turns out there was a tiny crack letting in groundwater the whole time. He had to run a dehumidifier for like three days straight before the new mud would even stick.
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ray7236mo ago
My old house had a basement that would just suck the life out of joint compound. I started running a small space heater on low near my work area for a few hours before I even start taping. It drives off that chill dampness in the concrete block so the mud actually skins over. A dehumidifier runs the whole time too.
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