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securing wood to brick?

6K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Duane Bledsoe 
#1 ·
Im planning to work on my basement. Starting on my workshop. Have to start somewhere. LOL! I will be installing wood slats,foam on the walls, Then drywall. I dont want to have to drill 4 million hole then screw in every one. I know there is some type nail. Not the hammering kind. I have a compressor. So which is the quickest route to go for installing the bords to the walls.
 
#3 ·
The nail you're thinking of is called a RamSet. It uses .22-caliber blanks to shoot the nail into the concrete. I just shot about 50 of them yesterday.
I'd do it like CNY posted though. You want a little bit of separation, and I'm not sure if it's a local code or what, but here in VA, we have to have pressure treated wood where it contacts the concrete.

Acer
 
#4 ·
The nail you're thinking of is called a RamSet. It uses .22-caliber blanks to shoot the nail into the concrete. I just shot about 50 of them yesterday.
I'd do it like CNY posted though. You want a little bit of separation, and I'm not sure if it's a local code or what, but here in VA, we have to have pressure treated wood where it contacts the concrete.

Acer
I also have the .22-caliber nail shooter. You have to be careful where you put it into brick or block, because if its too close to the edge it will blow off the corner or edge of the brick. Also, there are different force loads available, you have to choose depending on the hardness of the brick/block/concrete.

I agree with CNY about building a standard 2x4 wall against the brick wall. You can just build it on the floor and raise it up (remember to build it slightly under the actual height so you can raise it up!). There are numerous advantages to this method. If you insulate you can use standard R-11 or R-13 fiberglass instead of the more expensive foam board. The wall can be built straight in case the brick wall is wavy. In case of moisture, the wall will be better isolated when there are no screws into the wall (I had a furring-strip wall in a previous house where moisture wicked into the strip via the screws, even though I had plastic on the wall). Wiring in the wall will be hard with furring strips because it is too easy to hit the wire with screws or nails later because the wire isn't much thinner than the strips. Finally, 3/4" furring strips don't allow much screw depth for holding power if you attach heavy items to the wall (wood rack, etc.).

Steve
 
#6 ·
Great guys I will go that. Should I use plastic moisture barrier.
Yes.

You can staple it to the back of the studs before you raise the wall section. Be sure to use at least 6 mil thick plastic as thinner will be too easy to rip. If you insulate the wall with fiberglass insulation, be sure to put a vapor barrier on the front or use insulation with a built-in vapor barrier. This will prevent moisture from being trapped inside the wall and degrading the fiberglass insulation. The insulation works because of the tiny air spaces inside the insulation. If these spaces fill with moisture, you lose the insulation rating. Not to mention trapped moisture will eventually rot the 2x4s.

As someone else mentioned use PT for the bottom plate which sits on the concrete floor.

Steve
 
#9 · (Edited)
I don't think the brick will experience any problems. If the other side is right next to weather, rain, pure dirt contact and water seepage, and handles it, I don't see how a little air space inside where some moisture and cold air are will physically hurt it. Depends on the brick's current condition. It will deteriorate in enough time no matter what. There are buildings here where I live built from brick roughly 100 years ago, some older, and the brick and mortar is literally turning to dust from moisture exposure and erosion.

Also, the area between the wall and brick is an area where mold and algae can form. It really needs to be ventilated and kept dry.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Actually, doing the insulation that way with the plastic on the back and a vapor barrier on the front will be the actual CAUSE of the moisture forming, and WILL trap the moisture between them. The plastic is a vapor barrier itself, and very effective. The paper vapor barrier on fiberglass insulation is also effective but not as much. It's porous compared to plastic, plus no matter how neat you are installing the insulation you cannot possibly make it so there is no entry point for moisture or warm air to get behind it. What causes the moisture is when some warm air hits a cold surface inside the wall. Warm air will go through the tiny openings where the paper has folds in it. It will then be in contact with slightly, or much more so even, cooler surfaces such as the studs themselves or the plastic near the concrete wall. It will condense into actual water droplets. Moisture will certainly make it's way into the wall through this barrier in this manner, but not all of it will make its way back out. This is where the mold comes from. Anytime you build a wall, you want just one vapor barrier. Never two. You'll run into guys who say they do it this way all the time and never have problems. But think about this.....how do you know you have problems until you either can't breathe well anymore, tear it down again, or else wait until it's so bad that it finally shows on the wall itself, which when that happens it's 50 times worse inside the wall than what shows through on the outside.

One vapor barrier. One only. You can use the plastic on the back side, then the insulation that does not have a vapor barrier in between the studs. Cover this with your wall covering and be done with it. Fiberglass insulation is good but nothing beats sprayed in foam. This is waterproof, non porous, seals the gaps, and has even more R value to prevent warm air transfer to start with. Fiberglass with a paper vapor barrier will let warm air slowly transfer into the wall and contact cooler surfaces for this condensing process to begin, and mold soon follows. You just can't seal it so well that this never happens. It will also transfer into the wall with just the plastic on the back as well, and even condense, but without that second vapor barrier it will evaporate much easier and at least greatly slow down the molding process. Personally I wouldn't use fiberglass insulation in a basement. Basements are cool, damp, sometimes dark places. Perfect for mold to grow.
 
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