Basement Waterproofing – Items & Purposes
Materials used to waterproof basements can differ a lot in their forms and applications. There will be ones accessible to the general public and others accessible just to industry professionals. Let’s check whatever the situation is and learn from it for your own home condition.
Basically, you need to keep in mind whre you reside and the amount of water that is present. Materials that you can use will be influenced by the information you collect.
Simple sealants are the first materials for basement waterproofing that people are looking for. 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.
If the whole basement including the walls and floor are not treated completely with sealant the water is likely to come back in. As it comes with a limited 20-year guarantee, this product is a practical option. The only issue to be aware of here is that the sealant, (all sealants, not just this particular one)as water weeping can be avoided from the inside part 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 wall can be can be repaired by replacing the plaster coating. Chip away any loose material from around the crack and simply refill with the plaster.
Another option may be to use a stitching materials. These consist of metal staples which are literally stapled across the cracks, thus preventing or limiting further movement. The cracks are then filled with any cement that doesn’t shrink.
More serious cracks in the walls or the floor of the basement can be filled with Gunite, a form of concrete that is sprayed on. You’ll need special spraying equipment to do this which you can hire. The resulting spray will fill cracks and leave a smooth finish, but you need to get the mixture ratio right. Since it sticks to many different surfaces it makes for a great option.
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:
