On Jul 1, 3:46*am, wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:24:31 -0700 (PDT), Bryan Scholtes





wrote:
I am finishing my basement. I used Tapcons to secure PT 2x4 to the
basement slab.

After a week of heavy rains, I noticed that all the screw holes were
weeping water. There was definite circles of moisture (but not
standing water) coming from underneath the bottom plate.

So I am in need of expertise.

1. Does anybody know a Twin Cities expert with many years of basement
experience? I will pay for expert (and I mean EXPERT) consulting from
a grizzled veteran who's seen it all, and can express opinion without
bias.

2. I am considering pulling each screw and injecting silicone into the
holes, then re-driving the screw. What do you guys think? I was also
considering polyurethane foam or epoxy. If I shoot epoxy down the
hole, I'll NEVER get those bottom plates off.

Apparently you drilled all the way thru the concrete to the gravel or
soil base. *Otherwise why would water be coming out of the concrete if
it never did before. *Normally you only drill in the depth of the
Tapcons, and most concrete slabs are 4 inches or more. I would have
only drilled in 2 inches and used Tapcons that are 3 inches long
(going into slab 1.5 inches and thru 2x4 which is actually 1.5 inches.

Personally, I'd remove the 2x4s and seal all the holes with epoxy.
Then glue the 2x4s to the slab with PL400 or something similar and
wait for it to dry before attaching studs. *Be sure to apply weight to
that 2x4 after you apply the adhesive. *Maybe just precut the studs
and cram them against the ceiling joists avery few feet to press the
adhesive tight.

Just my 2 cents as a retired builder.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sounds like may also be a water accumulation problem below the slab?
Maybe proper drainage has been neglected or if there was drainage away
from the house it has been damaged or interfered with?
Our basement, 40 years ago we installed perforated drains pipes
outside and inside of the footings and lots of gravel to a sump in the
corner, before the concrete floor was poured and finished. There is a
pump in the sump which runs very occasionally.
The time to fix any potential water problem is 'now' before doing any
work on finishing the basement area. Mould damp and rot are not nice!