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 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. First you need to position a plastic drain pipe, ready perforated, and then make sure that it is surrounded by gravel or similar 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
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. 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. The sump pumps through perforations in the sump well located close to it, can collect underground water. Sump pumps can also act as a good floor drain or be used to drain a variety of underground drainage pipes.
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.
The fact is that even with a good drainage system there is no surety of the basement walls remaining dry. Being the cheapest and easiest methods to stop moisture from getting into your basement through the walls, lets focus on damp proofing and waterproofing.
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 pallette 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. Although these are a cheap fix, they are not very effective because they are designed only to slow down the moisture build up not prevent it. The biggest problem is that, because this material becomes brittle, hairline cracks will appear as the foundation settles. Since the tar based coating does not stretch to cover these cracks, water will seep 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 products contain rubber which provides superior waterproofing protection and allows the product to remain flexible even when it dries. The concrete or block has a waterproof coating that stretches to make the foundation completely waterproof.
Application instructions:
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.
In the earlier days builders often did not consider waterproofing the basement walls as important. So now is your chance to rectify that with simple-to-use products. The products available in the market are easy to apply and mostly they are do it yourself types. They come ready to use in for example, 5 gallon pails or 55 gallon drums and do not require heating or special application equipment, anyone who can use a brush or roller can apply them. 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 get started and begin to enjoy your basement space without the dampness.
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