วีดีโอ

Hi Jason. these are great videos. If I wanted to tapcon the subfloor to the concrete, but not compromise the vapor barrier, would silicone in the drilled holes prevent any moisture from surfacing upwards? thanks

This is one of the best basement finishing series on TH-cam. I’m sure many people are using this video to finish their basements. You should add affiliate links to the products you used in each video so you can earn some income for the great work.

Would this work for floating walls as well?

Bump for the algorithm. great video.

4:19 I’m in the middle of doing my basement and ran into your videos (they’ve been super helpful, thank you) but I have a question for you. How did you secure the 2x4 underneath that pipe at the top of the wall?

I accidentally ordered their other dimple mat product. Hope it’s just as good it is a little thicker…

Do you need Fire blocking by code in your city ?

Hey Buffalo. Did you add rock wool insulation into the rim joist as well, or just the xps? Wondering if it’s needed or would do more harm than good. Thanks for the series.

I am expanding a previous basement remodel right now. I used DMX (a larger dimple underlayment), then osb, then carpent. I used tapcons to secure the floor but I filled the whole with silicone to prevent any moisture from coming up through the flooring.

Great video. Thank you !

Great job, through explanation

Do I need to fill the cavity of walls behind the stud with thin pieces or can I just add the entire sheet and the pressing within the frame will meet code?

Thank you for some of the greatest content on basement finishing. Did you have to make modifications to your stairs since your subfloor is somewhat thick? Not sure about the code where you are but by me, I can't build this subfloor since it exceeds 3/8" rise in the stairs --- I'd have to somehow redo my staircase.

Thanks for posting. I’m hesitant to get started on my basement in Hamburg. Tons of potential, but too many uncertainties to really commit. Good to see a local demonstration.

Thank you for this great tutorial. I'm not sure if you still monitor these comments but I'd like to get some advice from you. I am planning a basement project and will be following much of your advice. In regards to the flooring.. I have 7 ft poured walls with an inch or 2 framing space above so ceiling height is a concern for me. Would using a thinner XPS foam on the floor be a major sacrifice in your opinion? If possible, what do you think the would be the thinnest I could get away with and still have a decent result. My main goal is to eliminate any of that musty smell that always seems to be in the basement once its finished. It is a dry basement overall but it does get that musty basement smell now). I live in southern Maine so I'm in a similar climate area as you. I assume I should be more concerned with a good vapor barrier on the floor more than a heavy R-value? Or do they go hand in hand? Also, is there any way to contact you directly? It would be nice to chat with someone like you with experience in this instead of messaging through here. Thanks again for taking the time to make these videos!

I guess I am just looking for reassurances that 1 layer of the advantech is enough. Everything I am reading recommends two if you are floating. Any input appreciated.

Thank you. Everyone has an opinion. I have had a few framers come in they made me feel stupid for wanting to have them frame on top of the floating subfloor. Needless to say I will not be hiring them. I plan to do the whole project myself with the exception of framing with little experience. Anyone out there looking to do the same this guys videos are backed by science not a contractors “cheapest or fastest way to get the job done while still charging you more for an inferior installation. All of this guys methods have been talked about in detail in very nerdy building science articles. Most people don’t dig that deep into the details. I did and it was boring and took a long time to reach the same conclusions this guy did. Thank you Buffalo Bill. Extremely underrated video series and have no idea why this doesn’t have many more views than it does.

One of the best video series on TH-cam. I finally started my basement project and had to re watch all your videos. Thanks so much!

This is an amazing video! I have done so much research and agree with all your details. This is the most in-depth closeup view I have found for diy.

Would a Ramset nailer work to fasten to the wood to the steel beam?

It's been 6 years since the first video. Have you been finishing your basement all this time?

Are you in Canada or USA?

The before and after video editing was probably a pain, but thank you so much! It's great to see how the finished result looks with the under structure.

Love this build series! For your 1" XPS floor insulation did you use the 150 or 250 series? I haven't been able to find 1" in the 150 density in the big box stores around me. I figure 150 is probably fine but was curious.

I'm in the process of renovating the mother-in-law apartment that was in my basement when I bought this house. I removed some walls, combining the former bedroom and living area into a music studio with a new, modern, attached kitchen. I sit down in my recliner with a cup of hot coffee and I select your video to watch. It's 0530 on a Sunday morning in March in Minnesota. It's quiet and cold and dark outside. My living room is warm and silent, except for the intermittent, distant sound of the furnace's fan. My wife is sound asleep in our bedroom down the hall. I only use this laptop for reading the news and for playing poker so when I hit play, I know that the sound will always be either off or set just loud enough for me to hear a talking head. (I prefer to read the news rather than listen to it because the printed news is more detailed and because I am a fast reader and I can skim over things that are skim-worthy. I avoid most news videos and I often use close captions for the few video news segments that I choose to watch.) Your video starts. I notice that the sound is off and I leave it that way because I know that the intros on TH-cam are often excessively loud and annoying. You appear on the screen, so I turn on the sound. As I expected, the audio is set at a comfortably low volume and you begin telling me exactly what I want to know. Then you abruptly cut to a graphic. The early morning peace is decimated by an explosion of rock guitar. OMG! OMG! I almost spill my coffee as my startled finger rockets to the volume button. Nope. Wrong button. OMG! Ah, that's the right one. Peaceful silence returns. After that shot of adrenaline, I won't be needing any more caffeine this morning. There is no way that my wife is still asleep. You eventually appear back on the screen so I bump the volume up again... just enough for me to hear you. You provide a little more good information and then punish me for listening to it by cutting to another graphic. Holy $#%^&!!! "Come on, Charlie! I'm trying to sleep!" Dude... that rock music audio assault doesn't add anything to your video. It detracts... a lot... because it's an exponentially different volume level than the rest of the video. And it subtracts because it is a completely different mood and flavor. I won't ever watch that video again.

I did the same in my last house. I can say that the tyvek wrap on the joints is 100% a waste of time. I did some of mine like that until I realized it was serving no purpose whatsoever. I suppose you got the idea from mike holmes (I did also), but it's pointless for two reasons: 1) The tongue and groove foam joint is going to make a nice seal anyway, as they are squished together 2) Tyvek tape has terrible adhesion to this foam. Put some on and take it off. It pops off. It just doesn't work. If you do need to tape this the metal aluminum tape used on HVAC ducts attaches way better. If you insist on sealing the joints silicone caulk can be used, or spray foam or, the very best idea of all, is to run a thin bead of the PL300 foam glue along the entire length of the joint, thus gluing one sheet to the other.

Would you elaborate further on which version of Great Stuff product did you use to seal between the insulation panels? Did you have any problems with the foam expanding and pushing the foamular panels apart?

would some sort of construction adhesive work on the bottom plate to the subfloor instead of screws?

im inspired... thanks for the tips! i been wanting to finish half of my basement... i just need to get some water proofing done...research has been a pain. a lot of different companies and they all do things a little different and telll you how the other companies are wrong.

Is it possible to just use liquid nails to attach a 2 x 4 to the underside of a steel I- beam then build the wall frame under it?

Looks horrible. You should of just boxed all that soffit instead of all those goofy angles.

This is a good video, I would add though, you should tape the back of the joints on the pink rigid foam panels or the water will seep into the joint and up to the tape on the front, then leak down; then the water is on top of the dimple mat. Also, the dimple mat under the stair/landing structure should be reinforced or be a few layers, because over time, tiny vibration and movement of those pieces of wood will rip a hole in something that thin and weak. Good info overall

Did you have an inspection? Did they have positive or negative feedback, or did you just do all this under the radar?

I get why you thought it was a good idea to seal off the top with your foam, but it is actually working against you. You don't want to completely seal off an area that collects moisture. You want it segregated from your living space, but you do absolutely want a path from your floor joists and band board to the damp air space, under the floor, and back out to the other side. This allows the space to dry out and prevent nasty mold and a bunch of moisture from being trapped around your finished space. Instead, run your foam board straight up in to the joists and maintain a 1/8" to 1/4" gap between your foam and the block wall using 4 big globs of glue on each corner. You can then spray foam around the gaps between your joists and subfloor above. Your moisture trapped behind the foam and in the concrete pad will then wick to the joist tails and band board, where the outside air can keep it dry and pull it away. Hope this helps.

Good quality video, thanks for sharing! Doing some work in my basement now.

I'm watching this in my basement in South Buffalo.. the internet ain't so big :)

Is that super seal the double dimple version….? Looks as tho it is,

In an older home, would it be a good idea to Drylock the walls and floors first along with caulk the wall/floor seam prior to drylock to create that initial seal before doing this? Also, I have concrete block walls .. does that change anything with the wall setup? Thanks!!

Love this makes a big difference

did you use a vapour barrier or retarder or just drywall?

If your walls sweat humidity or water, then don't you need to apply horizontal lines with the adhesive only vertical or put dots.

Around 6:24 you mentioned there was foam board across the rim. Is the rim made of wood? My basement wall is cinder block with a wooden sill on top then the rim joists on top of that. If I do the foam board on top of the sill, I'd be encapsulating the wood with the cinder block.

Excellent!

A really good series, very comprehensive, and greatly appreciated by all us weekend warriors. I'll share a measuring method I learned from This Old House to deal with sloping floor and / or ceiling situations like yours. Measure the 1st stud length on one end; your starting point. Then measure the last stud; your end point. Lay the 2 studs on the floor. Insert all the uncut studs that are going on a wall between the 1st and last studs you measured with one end of all the studs even with each other. Using a straight edge, align to the marks on the 1st and last studs and draw a line across all the studs. That will give you the height of each stud as it progresses down the wall, but you must keep them in order. Good luck everybody!

Excellent videos. A question about not tap conning (or similar) the Advantech to the concrete. You say that the floor is very sturdy just using the tongue and groove of the Advantech attached only to the wall frame. But, don't you get some "give" and potential squaking of the floor as you move further from the basement walls? It would seem that the further away from the framed basement walls, the more "give" there would be in the subfloor. Or, are you saying that the foam insulation provides sufficient support to prevent this "give". What if I just put the Advantech directly on the dimpled underlayment with no foam insulation? Would I then need to screw the Advantech to the concrete floor to get sufficient support? (I'm not sure I need the insulation and expense). Thanks.

Watched your videos for years and finally utilizing the information to finish my basement. Advantech isn’t available in my area, thought about using 3/4 CDX plywood however wouldn’t be tongue and groove. Do you think just using straps would suffice since the plywood is just floating on the foam board?

You can frame soffits with one by fours. 2x4’s are a waist of money and overkill for soffits

When building your soffits with the nailing gun, what size nails did you use?

Can you share appx how many tubes of adhesive you used for the panels? Trying to guesstimate requirements?

Only recommendation I would suggest you is, you are talking and explaining after the job has been done, rather show us a small part how you did it, step by step. For amateur person like me, seeing is better than hearing, how to do. That solves everything.