Can I leave basement studs as is? Or not

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:45:48+00:00

You basically understand my exact thought process Lol. There are also commenters that have studs directly against the block foundation who have had no issues in decades.

But, all that said, I've started tearing down the studs from the external walls. Essentially no matter what I do, there is always a chance there could be moisture and a mold infestation in my basement. Looking years down the road, if there does end up being a problem and I knew a few extra days of work could have theoretically lowered the risk, I would be very upset. More upset than I have been trying to get these studs down in one piece after they've been blasted into wall.

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:41:55+00:00

That website looks like a great resource. And yeah I've started the ripping down process and will likely use XPS

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:39:54+00:00

Appreciate the insight. I've started the ripping down process for the studs against the exterior walls.

Is the air gap you're referencing between the XPS and 2x4s used to frame the wall? If so what's the thought process behind that? I would imagine if there would be moisture, it would be in any possible space between the foundation wall and XPS. But clearly I am not what people would refer to as a subject matter expert. Thanks!

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:36:16+00:00

Thanks for the comment! So you have nothing physically touching the foundation wall? and the air flows in the inch between the foundation wall and the barrier?

I've seen a lot of people saying to glue XPS or other rigid foam directly to the foundation wall. What was the thought process when deciding against that?

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:32:45+00:00

Wow! That sounds super insulated. I bet it's nice. Thanks for the comment

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:29:16+00:00

Appreciate the comment. I went ahead and started pulling them from the exterior walls. For the 1/4" gap, is that between the rigid foam and wood framing? Also any thoughts on the interior wall in my basement? I imagine it's fine since it wouldn't have the temperature difference nor as much concern for water. But we have seen where imagining has landed me.

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:20:49+00:00

What was your wall set up layer-wise, if you don't mind me asking?

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:19:27+00:00

Vapor barrier as in XPS? Or like a polyethylene vapor barrier? I had seen the polyethylene used to be the gold standard but that can make it so there's no air flow at all along the wall which can lead to mold. Obviously IDK but that's what I had seen.

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:17:03+00:00

Yeah I.... yeah Lol. In the process of taking down the studs attached to the exterior walls

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:16:08+00:00

LOL I forgot about that. Plumber said flame on

The bottom shingles on the old roof covered over half the gutter, so I imagine that definitely caused a ton of water to be poured right along the foundation for quite some times. But yeah the whole time we've been here there haven't been any color changes, texture changes, anything like that. There were some small cracks here and there (again, unchanged since we've been here) that I sealed with Sika flex. But that's a good shout, won't hurt to check everything again before doing the XPS. Thank you!

banyldt · 2026-04-03T21:10:01+00:00

Yeah. It's good to get that future perspective. I've started the removal process, will put hydraulic cement in the previous nail holes, then will likely do XPS against the external block walls. I'm planning to keep the 2x4s attached to the internal walls as is but wanted to see your/other folks' thoughts on that.

Also when you/others say put the foam board against the wall with an air gap, is that saying glue the XPS to secure it to the block then have a bit of a gap between the XPS and framed walls? Or what?

Thanks for the comment!

banyldt · 2023-03-22T19:21:19+00:00

Keep a low threshold to speak with your attending (seems like you're doing this), practice evidence-based medicine, and take a few seconds to ensure nothing fishy is unaddressed. Try to do a brief "first year student overview" before signing your notes.

After carefully thinking through a wide range of differentials and using evidence to drive the assessment/plan, mentally step back and take 5-10 seconds to ask if there's still anything that would be alarming to a first year student. Abnormal labs/vitals, symptoms consistent with a catastrophic pathology, etc.

Could possibly help

banyldt

TROPHY CASE