You can make things worse by trapping moisture under the paint. How about
something porus, maybe whitewash. I'd use clear copper naphthanate if
possible, but I'm not sure about its fumes.

Hopefully you'll get some ventilation. A dehumidifier will help too, as
will a membrane on the floor, if it's not slabbed.

Wilson
"GregP" wrote in message
...

This is probably not the right group for this, but I decided
to ask anyway since a lot of people here know wood very
well. I have a Boris Karloff basement, one of those with
stone walls, exposed joists, spider webs, and - unfortunately-
some mold. We tackled the mold last week. I am going
to paint the stone walls with anti-somethingorother paint.
I was thinking of also putting a coat on the overhead joists.
Would that cause any problems in the long run ? I would
put on only one coat, so I assume that that, plus all of the
cracks, gaps, etc will still let vapor pass through.

thanks...