Finishing a Basement in a Water Resistant Manner

So, I'm getting ahead of myself here a little bit, but this is something I know I want to do at some point, it just might not be for a while. 

My basement is currently "unfinished", so I would like to make it a bit nicer. My office will likely go down here eventually, as well as maybe a playroom/tv area, and a canning/pantry area. It doesn't need to be super nice, but I'd like it to be a little more cozy and cleanable than it is now. 

The kicker is, sometimes during a prolonged storm with lots of rain, we do get some water in the basement. I know that proper waterproofing happens on the outside, digging around the house and coating the outside, but realistically that's not happening anytime soon. The water that gets in is not excessive that we have standing water or anything. There are 2-3 spots that just get a little moist, and one spot that can get a decent trickle, that at least somewhat heads towards the sump pump. 

So my question is, what are some finishing options that are water resistant, and won't cause mold, etc?

Floors:

Floors are currently concrete, not in bad shape. I could see a few options here:

• Concrete Paint. (If this would not cause more issues with the water intrusion. I'm not 100% sure where the trickle comes in from, it almost seems like there is a tiny hole in the floor or wall that it comes in at. If that gets plugged, could that cause more issues?)
• Concrete Epoxy. (Again, if this would not cause more issues with water intrusion.)
• Swisstrax or similar. Breathable, but is that breathable enough that with a dehumidifier running, it would dry itself and not need pulled up?
• Office and Play/TV area would likely get some cheap-ish area rugs that could be cleaned as needed. 

Walls:

The outer walls I believe are block, covered with something and the paint is peeling in places. The center wall is brick, coated in something that is falling off and making a terrible mess. The brick wall is not actually load bearing, I don't know why it is in place like that. 

For the outer walls I am considering framing in a basic wall with drywall to have a better finish and run electric, and not disturb what's there. If I do that I am considering framing the walls on top of feet like these, so that air can still flow at least somewhat in case of moisture. Do we think this would be enough?

For the brick wall, I may chip away what is there and try and seal it somehow? It almost seems like the coating is making the brick disintegrate, which is not great. Any better way to mitigate this?

Ceiling:

I don't want to fully close in the ceiling in case I need to access wiring or plumbing, etc. Plus there is a mix of wiring running through the joists, and wiring running underneath the joists. I am considering some sort of low profile custom drop ceiling, potentially running some sort of strips across the ceiling, with 1/4 turn pieces on them to hold up panels in between. Also thought about just corrugated panels tacked up gently. Open to suggestions. 

Here are some more pictures of the current status:

Like I said, it'll be a while before I actually start on all this, but I'd like to get a plan together so it can stop nagging at the back of my head. 

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

"I know that proper waterproofing happens on the outside..."

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

Mold likes to grow in dark damp places. Any framing or wall system you build will insure the area behind it is dark and damp. 
 

Spend some time redirecting water on the outside. Gutters, grading, splash blocks, extended downspouts, etc. You may be able to reduce the water intrusion significantly without much digging. 

Regarding those post base feet under the walls...

I don't know. You've got deterioration happening now with nothing at all restricting light or ventilation.  Anything you build in front of that wall will reduce ventilation, light, and drying. The problem will be hidden, but that doesn't make it better. I think the feet are a waste of time unless you also add mechanical ventilation to make the air move. 

I think you have more water intrusion than you realize. Take a hard look at those areas. It looks to me like the area above my red lines is above grade, and the area below them is below grade and being affected by water intrusion. 
 

Its repairable, but it might be good to go ahead and bite the bullet and consider proper digging and waterproofing on the exterior. 
 

At least get a price on it. 

Are you running a dehumidifier now?  Do you have a sump pump?

SV reX said:

Are you running a dehumidifier now?  Do you have a sump pump?

Yes, dehumidifier is right in front of the shower in the other picture you quoted, and it drains right into a sump on the far side of said shower. 

SV reX said:

I think you have more water intrusion than you realize. Take a hard look at those areas. It looks to me like the area above my red lines is above grade, and the area below them is below grade and being affected by water intrusion. 

 

Its repairable, but it might be good to go ahead and bite the bullet and consider proper digging and waterproofing on the exterior. 
 

At least get a price on it. 

The right wall in this picture is the brick wall that's interior only. That splits the basement in half. 

Otherwise, you're mostly right with the grade. I'd say it's a little further underground that you marked, but it's close. 

I do want to get a quote on "proper" waterproofing, but the front and back of the house each have a porch directly, and the north side of the house has some very well established plants that I would not want to kill. 

I know the "wear" on the walls is perhaps telling for water intrusion, but how old could that be? 

The unfortunate thing is, my entire property is a gentle slope with the house at the bottom. The road is lower still, so water does have better places to go, but some is directed right as the house. 

Some of this is definitely above my pay grade. You might need a specialist. 
 

The peeling paint and deteriorated cement plaster is definitely moisture coming out if the wall.  The source is less clear. 

Older brick is dry and porous.  It can wick water through the wall, but it can also wick it from top to bottom or bottom to top.  Moisture migrates from damp areas to dry areas.  Always.  Even if it's uphill.  So your source could be anywhere, but there is definitely moisture IN the wall.  It may not be flowing water.  It may be moisture in the air migrating into the dry brick.

Definitely redirect any water that is coming against the house.   Get a moisture meter down there and try to monitor it over time before you start.  Perhaps a 2nd dehumidifier to get control of the moisture first before building anything.  Then some moisture managing sealer in the walls (not sure if you are trying to keep moisture away from the brick coming from the inside, or coming from the outside.  One would seal, and 1 would breathe).

Maybe some moisture tests on the walls?

Good call, I'll add a moisture meter to the list. 

I definitely do want to get a pro in to take a look before I do too much. 

I've had the house not quite a year and a half, and had the dehumidifier most of that time. Hard to say if they had one before me or not, it seems to keep up ok though. 

Dig it up from outside, add a modern weeping tile setup.  Grade the landscaping to make the water run away from your house.  While you have the soil away from the basement walls, add modern stuff like they use on This Old House.

Alternately, spend a bunch of money on sealers and chemicals, and bitch at us again in a couple of years, because there ain't any shortcuts.

Assuming the water isn't causing structural issues, and major exterior work is out of the question, what about an interior perimeter drain? Could be done DIY if you enjoy awful jobs. You can do a basic french drain covered in gravel, and then build your finished wall inside of that (no thermal bridging) or get special products that allow water to drain from interior walls, and then transport it to your sump. Same concept as the french drain, but can be finished to be much less obvious:

If I were to do something like that, I'd strongly consider running some soil gas mitigation lines in the same french drain, and then pumping those gases out of the house per applicable code.

STM317 said:

Assuming the water isn't causing structural issues, and major exterior work is out of the question, what about an interior perimeter drain? Could be done DIY if you enjoy awful jobs. You can do a basic french drain covered in gravel, and then build your finished wall inside of that (no thermal bridging) or get special products that allow water to drain from interior walls, and then transport it to your sump. Same concept as the french drain, but can be finished to be much less obvious:

 

If I were to do something like that, I'd strongly consider running some soil gas mitigation lines in the same french drain, and then pumping those gases out of the house per applicable code.

This is a possibility. I know of a few people that have done this, though I am a little confused on them. If they just kind of accept the water risk, and make it flow to the appropriate place to be dealt with, if you finish inside of that would that not still have a dark potentially damp cavity to grow stuff? 

Again, I understand the proper way is to waterproof from the outside, but I know this is also a common practice so I am just trying to understand. 

Aside from the water intrusion itself, I am still open to input on the finishing for walls, floors, and ceiling. Even if I get the full proper outside waterproofing done, I'm still going to be finishing the basement with the mindset of water resistance just in case water gets in. It is a basement after all. 

You left vinyl flooring off your list. There are several options that are fine with moisture. I would consider solid vinyl LVP floating click floor (super easy installation)

The walls seem pretty straight forward to me too. I'd use pressure treated lumber (all of it- not just the bottom plates) and moisture resistant drywall. 
 

Ceiling should be able to be done with any standard ceiling material. If it is a lift out accessible ceiling, use MR tiles (or equivalent) so they don't sag from the dampness. 

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) : 

This is a possibility. I know of a few people that have done this, though I am a little confused on them. If they just kind of accept the water risk, and make it flow to the appropriate place to be dealt with, if you finish inside of that would that not still have a dark potentially damp cavity to grow stuff? 

Again, I understand the proper way is to waterproof from the outside, but I know this is also a common practice so I am just trying to understand. 

Yes, maybe.  If the very bottom of your foundation is near the water table, the best you can hope for is to redirect any water from making it to your floor.  This is after you have done what you can to redirect rain water away from your house.  Clean gutters, re-direct downspouts to empty away from the house.  Raise the grade of the ground close to your house if you can.

SV reX said:

You left vinyl flooring off your list. There are several options that are fine with moisture. I would consider solid vinyl LVP floating click floor (super easy installation)

The walls seem pretty straight forward to me too. I'd use pressure treated lumber (all of it- not just the bottom plates) and moisture resistant drywall. 
 

Ceiling should be able to be done with any standard ceiling material. If it is a lift out accessible ceiling, use MR tiles (or equivalent) so they don't sag from the dampness. 

Moisture resistant drywall is a good call. 

LVP is an option, I used some in a previous bathroom renovation that was a thinner flexible click type waterproof flooring, that would allow it to lay better on the not perfectly level basement floor. My concern there would be if water does get under it, while it shouldn't hurt the material, how does that dry without mold? Pull it all up and clean? I just can't imagine a dehumidifier would do enough there on it's own, and I don't want to have to pull it up if I can avoid it. 

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

There are underlayments that allow for ventilation. 

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

You are assuming something that may or may not be correct. You are assuming the water infiltration is through the walls, and sitting on top of the floor. That may be true. 
 

It's also possible that you have water table issues which are coming up through the floor.  If that's the case, sealing the floor with any kind of paint or epoxy won't help the ventilation issue. It will just seal moisture in and blister the sealer.

You need to do more testing and homework before assuming anyone can give you solutions for final finish products.