Tapcon concrete screws. (That's assuming there's no radiant heat system in
the slab.) They are available at the big box hardware stores, and most mom
and pop places. You drill a clearance hole (match the drill bit to the
OUTSDIE diameter of the screw threads) in the bottom plate after the wall is
standing in place. Then switch to the masonry bit that comes with screws and
drill into the concrete. The screws then screw directly into the concrete. 

Make sure you don't get screws that are too long. For 2x4 bottom plates, 2
1/4" or 2 1/2" is fine. Any longer and you'll break the screws.

Ben-screwing for years now.

-----Original Message-----
From: The listserv where the buildings do the talking
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lawrence
Kestenbaum
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 8:58 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [BP] Basement partitions

We continue with the ongoing saga of my 900-square foot 1953 ranch
house in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In our last episode, we found that the CMU basement walls were moving
slowly inward, presumably due to clay soil and failure of footing
drains.  Contractors proposed to dig a trench along the inside of the
basement walls to put in new footing drains, as well as vertical 4"
I-beams to inhibit the walls from moving.

Pinheads agreed that this would be a whole lot better than nothing.

Okay, so we had the basement guys come in, and they did all that.
They also repoured concrete floor around the edges of the basement,
and installed a sump pump.

The basement even *feels* dryer now.  So, naturally, I'd like to put
it to more use.

Specifically, I'd like to put in some partition walls.

The existing partitions in the basement (sides of the stairs, around
the bathroom, around the laundry/furnace room) are 2x4 framing with
old knotty pine paneling nailed to one side.

I figure, I'm about as good at putting in some simple 2x4 wall framing
as the next half-assed homeowner.

But I'm wondering about how to attach the plates to the concrete basement
floor.

Drill into the concrete?  Gravity?  Adhesive?

How would *you* do it?

                                           Larry

---
Lawrence Kestenbaum, [log in to unmask]
Washtenaw County Clerk & Register of Deeds, http://ewashtenaw.org
The Political Graveyard, http://politicalgraveyard.com
P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor, MI 48106

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