Hey guys, I purchased a new home back in mid June and I am finally getting around to the garage. It is a 24x26 detached, totally finished on the outside and only the electrical is done on the inside, I just finished insulating it today and am going to vapour barrier it tomorrow. Now my question is, is there some kind of coating I can get for the pressure treated sill that is fastened to the concrete floor? I really wish the previous owner would have used a row of blocks instead of wood on the concrete floor...
Lumber question
- Thread starter 6foot9
- Start date
ovilla
Well-known member
I've seen some municipalities state that you must put down a vapor barrier - between the pressure treated lumber and concrete floor. It typically looks more like a small strip of insulation and not a plastic vapor sheet.
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Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Are you looking for some sort of a paint, or a vinyl covering????? 
If it were me, I would cover the wood with a 1x4 pvc and use that as a baseboard, then caulk the pvc to the concrete to keep the small spiders, and keep the moisture out from going underneath. Then set your drywall down on top of that
If it were me, I would cover the wood with a 1x4 pvc and use that as a baseboard, then caulk the pvc to the concrete to keep the small spiders, and keep the moisture out from going underneath. Then set your drywall down on top of that
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Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
It's called a sill seal and is sold in rolls. Too late to do if the building is already built and it didn't have a sill seal.
Cyberbear
Well-known member
What is the purpose for wanting to coat the PT bottom plate/mud sill ??
Ryan Wilke
Well-known member
Congrats, 6foot9, it sounds like a nice sized garage.
I agree - I also would prefer to see the wall on at least one set of blocks, if not a couple of blocks high off the floor, which gives you a higher ceiling & still using 8-ft lumber for the walls. But hey, it is what it is now... My garage is directly on the floor too.....
What do you have for siding?
Does your siding go right down to the ground; covering the sill plate?
if the sill plate is exposed on the outside, I would definitely put SOMETHING over it to protect it from weather, critters, etc. Being pressure treated is good and will extend its life over non-treated wood, but it won't make it last FOREVER. Maybe a strip of aluminum tacked on the outside?
By the way - I have a question: Why is the vapor barrier placed on the INSIDE of the walls - my dense brain tells me it should be outside of the insulation....toward the siding...?
RWilke
I agree - I also would prefer to see the wall on at least one set of blocks, if not a couple of blocks high off the floor, which gives you a higher ceiling & still using 8-ft lumber for the walls. But hey, it is what it is now... My garage is directly on the floor too.....
What do you have for siding?
Does your siding go right down to the ground; covering the sill plate?
if the sill plate is exposed on the outside, I would definitely put SOMETHING over it to protect it from weather, critters, etc. Being pressure treated is good and will extend its life over non-treated wood, but it won't make it last FOREVER. Maybe a strip of aluminum tacked on the outside?
By the way - I have a question: Why is the vapor barrier placed on the INSIDE of the walls - my dense brain tells me it should be outside of the insulation....toward the siding...?
RWilke
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It goes on the inside to prevent water vapor from migrating to the cold outer wall and condensing causeing mold and rot.
Are you looking for some sort of a paint, or a vinyl covering?????
If it were me, I would cover the wood with a 1x4 pvc and use that as a baseboard, then caulk the pvc to the concrete to keep the small spiders, and keep the moisture out from going underneath. Then set your drywall down on top of that
I have the walls insulated and the vapour barrier on. Once I board up the walls I was thinking of using steel or checker plate as a baseboard and then caulk a bead all around the floor as you stated...
Just don't want water off the vehicles running toward the walls and eventually rotting the pressure treated board on the floor...
So it doesn't eventually rot because of water/snow dripping off my vehicles in the winter, lots of snow up here in Canada. The floor isn't perfectly sloped to the middle unfortunately...
Yes, I was thinking that as well, it certainly is more cost effective opposed to the checker plate option...