Basement Waterproofing

Waterproofing
basement walls should be a standard thing
to do when finishing a basement. Basement
walls are the entry point of most moisture
creating a high level of moisture in them.
Cracks, leaking windows and pipe condensation
are probably the most common reasons basements
have water build-up problems. Too much or
prolonged water retention in the basement
can cause a variety of problems.

You do not have to stick to one particular
method when it comes to waterproofing the
walls of your basement. Among the available
methods are French Drains, which involve
the insertion of drainage systems underneath
the basment floor to collect water leakage.
Whilst the basement floor is still wet,
dig a trench around its inside perimeter.
First you need to position a plastic drain
pipe, ready perforated, and then make sure
that it is surrounded by gravel or similar
The floor over the French drain system is
sometimes re-cemented by repair and wet
basement waterproofing contractors. A gap
is left of between one and two inches in
the floor, along the walls, which lets the
web wall seepage drain below floor-level
into the drain system. A French drain usually
connects to a sump pump.

What might be the possible use of the Hollow
Baseboard Molding? Is it good enough to
adhered or joint for epoxy use? The hollow
molding collects wet wall seepage and water
rising at the cove area. Usually connected
to a sump pump.

One item you can include when waterproofing
basement walls is a sump pump that can
be installed below the basement floor. Sump
pumps can collect underground water through
perforations in the sump well in the immediate
vicinity of the sump pump. A good way of
draining excess water from a basement floor
or from any underground drainage pipes that
you might have is to utilise a sump pump.

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 truth is even with a good drainage
system, it can't assure a dry basement wall.
We need to evaluate the most economical
method to stop moisture from getting in
the basement walls and this may be damp
proofing and waterproofing.

Damp proofing means what?

The majority of basement waterproofing products
are comprised of a tar based substance in
a solvent base. Application is inexpensive
but efficiency is limited since they are
manufactured to retard and not to prevent
moisture penetration. Unfortunately as curing
takes place it is possible for it to become
brittle. This is a result of the settling
of the foundations and can result in the
spontaneous appearance of cracks in the
walls. The walls will then unfortunately
lose their waterproofing as the coating
will not be able to cover the cracks.

What is Waterproofing?

Waterproofing products are designed to
'prevent' water penetration even under wet
conditions such as hydrostatic pressure
in the soil after heavy rain or spring thaws.
The rubber used in Advanced Water Proofing
Technologies products provides superior
waterproofing protection and allows the
product to remain flexible even after drying.
How you will stretch the foundation to settle
the flexibility of waterproofing

How to Apply

Clearly waterproofing is a better option
and since there is not a huge price difference
between that and damp proofing, it seems
a more sensible long term choice, especially
when it often has a 25 to 30-year guarantee.

Builders, many times in the past, paid
little attention to waterproofing basement
walls. So now you can fix that with a product
anyone can use. Most of the products are
safe and easy to apply by the do-it-yourselfer.
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 even
use a commercial airless sprayer which can
be rented by the day. An average size basement
of approximately 1,000 square feet can easily
be waterproofed by a couple of people using
a roller in 2-3 hours. So get to it and
start enjoying all that space without the
damp.

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