The Lowdown on Waterproofing Basement Walls
When you are finishing a basement, waterproofing basement walls is a useful thing to do. Moisture entering through the walls of the basement is the main reason that area of your house is more damp than the rest of the house. Cracks, leaking windows and pipe condensation are probably the most common reasons basements have water build-up problems. You will run into all kinds of issues if you allow too much water retention or allow it to stay for too long.
Basement Wall Options
There are numerous ways of waterproofing basement walls and these include:
- French Drains
- Hollow Baseboard Molding
- Sump Pumps
- Waterproofing
- Damp Proofing
French Drains
Interior drainage systems installed below the wet basement floor to collect underground water and wet wall seepage.
A trench is dug round the inside perimeter of the wet basement floor. A pierced plastic drain tile pipe is placed and encircled by stones and pebbles. When trying to recement the floor over a French drain system, some repair and waterproofing contractors leave a gap that can be one to two inches in the floor to allow the web wall seppage to dair below the floor. Sump pumps are used in French drainage systems.
Hollow Baseboard Molding and Cove Systems
what might be the possible use of the Hollow Baseboard Molding.is it good enough to adhered or joint for epoxy use? This empty molding will gather wet wall seepage as well as fluid which rises at the cove region. Usually connected to a sump pump.
Sump Pumps
One item you can include when waterproofing your basement walls is a sump pump that can be installed below the basement floor. In order to collect underground water one case install a device known as a sump pump. This should solve your underground water problems! Sump pumps have many uses such as floor drainage and to drain underground drain pipes.
Wall Sealers
There are many types and varieties of basement wall sealers on the market to choose from depending on whether you want to brush or roll the sealant product onto your wall, or you may choose to install a panel wall system to seal your walls.
The fact is that even with a good drainage system there is no surety of the basement walls remaining dry. Lets look at damp proofing and waterproofing as these are the cheapest and easiest methods of stopping moisture getting into your basement through the walls.
What is Damp Proofing?
The majority of waterproofing products are comprised of a tar based substance in a solvent base. They are cheap to apply but their effectiveness is limited because they are only to designed to ‘retard’ moisture penetration, not prevent it. The main problem is that it becomes brittle once it cures and as the foundation settles and hairline cracks appear, the tar based coating will not stretch to bridge the cracks and this allows moisture to penetrate into the basement.
What is Waterproofing?
Products used for waterproofing underground areas, such as a basement, are only designed to prevent water from penetrating the walls especially after heavy rains or spring thaws; but, if you have underground water from a source such as a spring you may need to install a sump pump to prevent water from entering your basement from under the floor. Advanced Waterproofing Technologies products contain rubber which provides superior waterproofing protection and allows the product to remain flexible even when it dries. The concrete or block has a waterproof coating that stretches to make the foundation completely waterproof.
How to Apply:
There is not much price difference between waterproofing and damp proofing which show that waterproofing as the right alternative considering that oftentimes it goes with a 25 to 30-year guarantee
Builders, many times in the past, paid little attention to waterproofing basement walls. So now is your chance to rectify that with simple-to-use products. The products available in the market are easy to apply and mostly they are do it yourself types. These are available in 5 gallon pails or 55 gallon drums, as an example, and are ready for use without heat or any specialized equipment – if you can use a brush or a roller, you can use these. You can also utilize a commercially available airless sprayer that can be rented on a daily basis. Two people using rollers to waterproof a basement of about 1,000 square feet can accomplish the task easily in about two to three hours. So start it and enjoy the convenience of damp-less space.