On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:25:44 -0500, 46erjoe
wrote:

I've got a very dry, clean, tidy, high-ceilinged basement in a 4-year
old home, approx 25' X 45' in size. Unpainted concrete block walls.
Poured concrete floor with some minute cracks. The ground outside goes
about 3/4 of the way up. There is no evidence of leakage although
there is a sump pump that I hear turn on briefly every couple of days.

I want to finish off the basement dividing it into 4 rooms: furnace
room, family room, bedroom, bathroom.

Would the following be the best way to start:

1) seal and/or paint the inside block walls.
2) stud out with 2X4s positioned an additional 2" from the wall so
that I could stuff 6" fiberglas insulation between the 16" on center
studs.
3. Cover it all with plastic before screwing on 1/2" drywall

Is this arrangement inviting condensation? Should I maybe delete any
seals and use a de-humidifier instead? Should the bottom 2X4 plate be
pressure-treated? Do I even need insulation... wouldn't the dirt
outside be insulation enough? Is step #1 even needed?

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

Since I've been planning a similar project, I've been doing a lot of
reading in the trade mags, etc., and here is what I think is the best
approach.

Using foam adhesive, glue 2 inch thick foam board to the walls,
completely covering them. Seal all seams with the tape made for the
purpose.

Build your uninsulated stud wall in front of but not against the foam,
leaving an inch or two for air to circulate.

Here are the advantages of doing it this way.

No chance for warm humid basement air to contact cold outside wall and
condense, potentially causing mold problems. (There is almost no way
to prevent this when using fiberglass...it's just too hard to get a
perfect vapor barrier.)

Not having insulation in the wall assembly makes it easier to run
wires and plumbing.

2 inches of foam has higher r value than 6 inches of fiberglass.

HTH,

Paul