Do It Yourself Basement Waterproofing
Since a significant amount of homeowners who own basements are also subjected to water leaks, it’s understandable that there is such a great demand for information and products associated with do it yourself basement waterproofing.
The first thing that we have to see is the cause of basement water seepage and flooding. Excess moisture in your basement not only limits your use of the space but it also can cause a number of serious problems structurally as well as ruin or destroy furniture and furnishings.
Basements are the part of a home or building that is wholly or partially below ground level. After the floor and walls of the basement are finished, loose soil is used to fill in the rest of the hole. Water naturally finds its way through the path of least resistance, and in your case, that will be the looser soil around your basement. So eventually, even though it may take a few years, you will get a build-up of water around and even under, your basement.
Hydrostatic pressure is created by this on the basement walls and floors. Without adequate basement waterproofing, water will seep through even the smallest crack which then ruins the outside protective coating. No system is foolproof, because even those that remove water from the building, can’t always prevent silt and heavy rainfalls from blocking pipes and causing system overload.
This is when many people decide to try DIY basement waterproofing in an attempt to avoid the expense of having the basement competely dug up and re-done. The often-used solution is to tackle the inside rather than the outside, by utilising products such as sealants on the inner walls and floor.
A typical project might involve:
- typical projects involve removing loose material to prepare walls
- previous repair or foreign material must be removed.
- be sure to have the basement as dry as possible, try using large heater or fans if needed.
- prime walls and floor if the product requires use of a primer.
- repair all easily seen gaps, flaws, seams, or joints.
- the requirement at the floor/wall junction is 1″ bead of sealant.
- top-coat all surfaces with the final product, using 2 or 3 coats as appropriate.
That is about all If the product is a good one you will have a sealed basement that should last for a number of years. PermaFlex is a top sealant, and along with other complete sealants, they offer a permanent indoor basement waterproofing system. It’s quoted as being “the only indoor waterproofing system that completely seals any basement permanently, no matter how wet or deteriorated” and can be brushed, rolled or even sprayed on.
A complete solution would cost the average homeowner hundreds of Dollars for a good-sized basement rather than thousands, is perfect for do it yourself basement waterproofing and is a great budget-conscious solution for a common and potentially expensive problem.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 3:25 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.