The Scoop on Waterproofing your Basement Walls

When you are finishing a basement, waterproofing basement walls is a useful thing to do. Basement walls are the entry point of most moisture creating a high level of moisture in them. The most common reasons for water build-up problems in basements are caused usually by cracks, leaking windows and pipe condensation. A great deal of problems can be created from too much water or long term water retention in the basement.

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.

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. First you need to position a plastic drain pipe, ready perforated, and then make sure that it is surrounded by gravel or similar 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. A drain that connects to a sump pump is usually  the French type.

Hollow Baseboard Molding and Cove Systems

What might be the possible use of the Hollow Baseboard Molding? Is it good enough to adhere or joint for epoxy use? 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

A sump pump is placed in a tub that sits under the floor of your lower lever. Sump pumps can collect underground water through perforations in the sump well in the immediate vicinity of the sump pump. Sump pumps can also act as a good floor drain or be used to drain a variety of underground drainage 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.

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

You may be asking yourself what is involved in damp proofing your basement and the best example I can give of damp proofing would be to think of a castle with a moat and think about how to keep the water away from this castle; first you build the permiable palette layer where you want the castle floor, then you would place a solid layer over that, then you would leave a vent space and lay your foundation; as for your walls, you would build your walls, then do your solid layer and then your permiable layer, and now you have damp proofed your castle.

Proofing products that are moist are usually made of tar in a solvent base.  Application is inexpensive but efficiency is limited since they are manufactured to retard and not to prevent moisture penetration.  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?

The water proofing products are such that they stop water penetrate into wet places as well. Because hydrstatic pressure in the soil after heavy rain or spring starts thawing.  Advanced Waterproofing Technologies provides supieor waterproofing protection as the products contain rubber and it allows flexibility when it dries.  The concrete or block has a waterproof coating that stretches to make the foundation completely waterproof.

Applying

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

In the past, builders ignored the need to waterproof basement walls. So now is your chance to rectify that with simple-to-use products. 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.  Commercial airless sprayers can be rented by the day to waterproof basement walls.  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 started and begin to enjoy your basement space without the dampness.

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