Not sure what to do

Details: We've recently moved into our first home, a split-level home in Upstate New York (Climate Zone 5 & 4 Marine). The lower level has 3 main rooms, a playroom, laundry room and man cave, all of these rooms have some level of finishing.

Playroom: Dimensions: 22' x 16' Floor: Concrete, Glued Vinyl on top, (Use to have Carpet) Walls: 3 exterior walls partially below ground (concrete block is ~4'2", however only about 2.75-3' is below ground), above ground is finished with drywall and electrical. On top of the drywall and concrete was panel board (the concrete had furring strips to which the panel was attached). Windows: 3 Ceiling: Drop-ceiling Addl: This room also has a closet for Plumbing, Water Heater, etc…

The Laundry Room: Dimensions: 16’ x 11’ Floor: Concrete, Carpet on top (no underlayment or anything else) Walls: 1 exterior wall partially below ground dimensions same as other room also the concrete was painted White, 1 exterior completely above ground with entry door, 2 interior Drywalled with electrical Windows: 2 Ceiling: Drywall Addl: Washer/Dryer hookup

Man Cave: Dimensions: 22’ x 10’ Floor: Concrete, Carpet Walls: 1 exterior wall partially below ground with insulation between a brick wall, 1 exterior completely above ground, 2 interior drywalled with electrical (also had reclaimed wood paneling installed over the drywall) Windows: 2 Ceiling: Drywall

Problem: This past Spring and Summer I’ve been told has been really rainy and pretty warm. We didn’t run a dehumidifier down in the basement (first time home owners :) ) and noticed white mold in 2 of the 3 rooms and efflorescence in 2 of the rooms.

In the playroom, there was white mold growing on the toys and kids furniture and it also smelled very musty. The paneling on one part of the wall also started warping. We pulled up the carpet and tore down the paneling and noticed efflorescence at the bottom (~3-6” up) of the all 3 exterior walls. We also noticed that two of the drywall panels on the interior walls (towards the bottom) had black mold on them.

In the Man Cave, we took down the paneling (didn’t want the look) and didn’t notice any mold on the drywall underneath.

In the Laundry room, there is a little efflorescence in the corner of the exterior wall (that’s below ground), It pushed through the paint.

Question: Would it be enough to clean the efflorescence and applying Drylock, and then put drywall over the top (with furring strips) or should would something more comprehensive be needed? (A basement specialist company said this solution, could be enough for my home).

Thanks,

I’ve also included a photo of the playroom wall.

Not sure what to do

Details: We've recently moved into our first home, a split-level home in Upstate New York (Climate Zone 5 & 4 Marine). The lower level has 3 main rooms, a playroom, laundry room and man cave, all of these rooms have some level of finishing, but I'll just focus on the playroom.

Playroom: Dimensions: 22' x 16' Floor: Concrete, Glued Vinyl on top, (Use to have Carpet) Walls: 3 exterior walls partially below ground (concrete block is ~4'2", however only about 2.75-3' is below ground), above ground is finished with drywall and electrical. On top of the drywall and concrete was panel board (the concrete had furring strips to which the panel was attached). Windows: 3 Ceiling: Drop-ceiling Addl: This room also has a closet for Plumbing, Water Heater, etc…

Problem: This past Spring and Summer I’ve been told has been really rainy and pretty warm. We didn’t run a dehumidifier down in the basement (first time home owners :) ) and noticed white mold in 2 of the 3 rooms and efflorescence in 2 of the rooms.

In the playroom, there was white mold growing on the toys and kids furniture and it also smelled very musty. The paneling on one part of the wall also started warping. We pulled up the carpet and tore down the paneling and noticed efflorescence at the bottom (~3-6” up) of the all 3 exterior walls. We also noticed that two of the drywall panels on the interior walls (towards the bottom) had black mold on them.

Question: We had two basement companies come and evaluate and they said that it would probably be enough to clean the efflorescence and apply Drylock, to help with the moisture coming through the walls. Would this solution be enough? Do I also need to insulate? I would like to put drywall over the brick, just trying to figure out the best way to do that to prevent moisture, mold, insulation problems.

Thanks,

I’ve also included a photo of the playroom wall.

Goal: I purchased a dehumidifier that we run which keeps the humidity level between 45-50% (it was high as 75-80%). My goal is to make these rooms usable without continuously battling mold and moisture problems. I would prefer to put up drywall because I think it looks the nicest, also the top of the wall (above ground) already has drywall/electrical installed. I’m not sure what to do with the concrete portion of the wall. We had two basement specialists come out and one said we didn’t have that much moisture coming through (no water leaks or water on the floor, just efflorescence). The other said that we could get away with using Drylock on the wall, installing gutters on the house and running a dehumidifier). Is this a viable option? I also noticed that the concrete walls didn’t have any insulation (each room does have baseboard heating).

I’m not sure if I just Drylock the walls and then put the drywall on top (on furring strips), or do I need to add insulation as well.

Any thoughts on how to finish this without doing more than I need to would be appreciated.

Question: Would it be enough to clean the efflorescence and applying Drylock, and then put drywall over the top (with furring strips) or should would something more comprehensive be needed? (A basement specialist company said this solution, could be enough for my home).