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Basement Waterproofing Materials and Uses

Basement waterproofing materials can vary significantly in their forms and their uses. The general public may be able to purchase some, while other will only be for professionals. Let’s assess the situation and see how we can apply it to your home.

Basically, you need to keep in mind whre you reside and the amount of water that is present. So take that into consideration as this will also influence the type of materials you can use.

When most people look for basement waterproofing products they usually think of simple sealants. Their basement has previously had waterproofing done to it, so they are simply wanting to patch up some small damp portions. There are top-end sealants such as RadonSeal which will treat poured concrete, mortar in block walls or stone foundations and concrete or cinder blocks.

You need to treat the whole basement, walls and floor, otherwise it’s likely the water will simply find a way around the sealant. This product comes with a limited 20-year guarantee so looks like a viable option. There is only one issue here and that is that the sealant, (not only this one specifically, but with all sealants), will only prevent water seepage on the inside skin of the basement. This means there could be a number of water pressing against and through whatever other stuff the basement walls are created with.

If you have cracks in the wall, you may need to consider other options. Plaster coating can be used to the existing plaster if that is what the walls are made from. Throw away loose material and refill

One other option which is available is to use a stitching material. Metal staples are used to seal the cracks preventing or restricting movements. Cement that doesn’t shrink is used to fill in the cracks.

Gunite (a form of concrete) can be sprayed on bigger cracks in basement walls or floors. You’ll need special spraying equipment to do this which you can hire. The spray that results fills cracks, giving a smooth finish, provided the correct mixture is obtained. But it is still a good choice, because it adhere to most surfaces.

Finally, it needs to be said that basement waterproofing materials are not the ultimate solution. You should also be looking at making sure there is as little water getting into the ground around the basement as possible.

Some things to try:

 

- maintaining rain gutters that are in excellent shape.

 

 

- sloping the ground away from the foundation of the house

 

 

- removing flower beds, bushes and trees from around the foundations and seed with grass.

 

 

- filling up driveway cracks

 

 

- put in some curtain drains to move water from the surface away from the base of the home

 

 

- installing dry wells for rainwater downspouts at least 10 ft. from your home.

 

 

- installment of sump pumps.

 

 

- using interior gutters to collect water seeping through the basement walls and route it to a floor drain.

 

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Wednesday, December 24th, 2008, by Andrew and is filed under "Keep at it ". Both comments and pings are currently closed.