Right now my basement has some inexpensive foam-backed indoor/outdoor pile carpet rolled out, some drywall interior walls but that's it. Joists and insulation are exposed, with hanging 48" fluorescent shop lights here and there; exterior walls are concrete block painted (on the inside) with UGL waterproofer (the rough white cementious stuff).
We never get standing water in the basement, and we run a dehumidifier down there. But we do get some mildew or mold in some spots where the cinder block wall meets the poured floor. Periodically I clean it up wtih bleach and paint over it again with the waterproofer. It lasts about 6-12 months and I do it again.
Does this present a problem if I wanted to have some drywall put in to finish off the basement walls? The mildew would then be behind the wall, so I'm guessing it would, and that's why I haven't done anything yet. Is there some solution (dessicant?) short of digging out the foundation of the exterior wall? (which isn't entirely possible thanks to a deck, sunroom, and septic tank extending beyond the footprint of the house).
I would also like to avoid a French drain; we have no standing water inside. I'm just afraid if we do nothing we'd have a huge mold problem behind the drywall. Maybe there's no simple or inexpensive solution - but I wanted to check to get other opinions. Thanks,
Russell