Avoid Mold in Basement Drywall

LESLIE: Perry in New Jersey needs some help with the basement [1]. What can we do for you?

PERRY: I had French drains installed a while back and at the bottom they install what they call a drain board and my question is if I stud it out and put up sheetrock and insulation is there a possibility of a mold problem down the road?

TOM: Yeah, but not so much because of the insulation; because of the sheetrock if you use drywall. If you use standard paper-faced drywall you definitely would face the risk of a mold problem [2].

First of all, you want to improve the drainage conditions [3]outside the wall so that the soil is sloping away; the gutters are clean [4], free-flowing, downspouts extended. That will do a good job of reducing the amount of moisture that you get in the basement [5]space to begin with.

Secondly, you mentioned studding out the wall. That’s a good idea. Keep it off of that drain slot. And thirdly, don’t use drywall. You want to use a product called Dens Armor [6], which is by Georgia-Pacific. It’s a fiberglass-faced drywall, so to speak.

PERRY: Right, it’s a new kind of sheetrock.

TOM: Yeah, it’s like a sheetrock fiberglass face, no paper face, so it can’t feed mold.

PERRY: OK, I appreciate your help.

TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.