The Scoop about Waterproofing your Basement Walls

When you are finishing a basement, waterproofing basement walls is a useful thing to do. Most basements have high moisture levels, and much of the moisture enters via the basement walls. The most frequent causes of water build-up in basements are due to cracks, leaking windows and pipe condensation. 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

An exterior system running the perimeter or partial perimeter of your house for heavy rain run off drainage, or an interior system if water is coming into your basement through the floors or cove between the floor and the wall.

Whilst the basement floor is still wet, dig a trench around its inside perimeter. A perforated plastic drain tile pipe is installed and surrounded by gravel. Some wet basement waterproofing and repair contractors re-cement the floor over the French drain system leaving a 1 inch to 2 inch gap in the floor along the walls to allow the web wall seepage to drain below the floor into the French drain system. Sump pumps are used in French drainage systems.

Hollow Baseboard Molding and Cove Systems

System for installing a hollow baseboard channel use a waterprof-of epoxy for the bonding to the floor and joint. Water rising at a cove area in a basement will also damage hollow molding since it will retain moisture from a wet wall. More often than not, linked 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! 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.

Wall Sealers

Varieties include spray applied basement wall sealers, brush or roller applied basement waterproofing sealers, or panel type basement waterproofing sealers for wet basement walls.

In reality a good drainage system cannot guarantee dry basement walls. 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?

Damp proofing products are typically a tar based material 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.  The rubber used in Advanced Water Proofing Technologies products provides superior waterproofing protection and allows the product to remain flexible even after drying.  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. At this point you have the opportunity to put this situation right with convenient products that have easy to follow instructions Most of the products are safe and easy to apply by the do-it-yourselfer.  Available even in 5 gallon pails or 55 gallon drums, they are ready for use and do not require heating or other application equipment, just the use of a brush or roller.  Commercial airless sprayers can be rented by the day to waterproof basement walls.  In 2 or 3 hours, a couple people using rollers can waterproof an average-size basement (about 1,000 square feet) without difficulty. So start it and enjoy the convenience of damp-less space.