A large percentage of homeowners who have basements also experience water leaks, so it’s no surprise that there is a huge demand for do it yourself basement waterproofing information and products.
The first thing that we have to see is the cause of basement water seepage and flooding. Serious basement problems due to excess moisture many times cause numerous problems to the basement structurally, as well as limit space, and ruin and 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. The loose dirt surrounding your basement alows the water to flow easily. The end result of this is likely to be that you will find that there is an accumulation of water either surrounding or even underlying your basement.
This causes water to weigh down, and to exert pressure upon the floor, and upon the basement walls. This often attacks the outside membrane or protective coating, and/or water finds its way through tiny cracks or larger structural cracks. This sometimes happens even with systems that are designed to remove water away from the building because pipes get blocked with silt or heavy rainfalls overload the system.
This is when most people decide to turn their project into a do-it-yourself basement waterproofing project rather than have someone excavate and re-do it professionally and, usually, at great financial cost. Many people solve the problem by using sealants and similar products inside on the floor and walls.
A typical project might involve:
- the walls are prepared by removing all loose or crumbled material.
- previous repair or foreign material must be removed.
- heaters and large fans can be used to ensure that your basement is as dry as it can be.
- primer is used to prime the walls and floor if needed.
- repair all easily seen gaps, flaws, seams, or joints.
- wall/floor junctions may require a 1″ bead of sealant.
- using 2 or 3 coats to top-coat all surfaces
There’s nothing more to it. Provided that you are careful about choosing a superior product for this job, on completion your basement will be completely sealed and the waterproofing can be expected to last for several years. The best sealants, such as PermaFlex are assumed to be comprehensive, one-time, solutions for the waterproofing indoor basements. This indoor waterproofing system claims to permanently stop basement leaks and can be applied by brush, roller, or spray system.
Damp basement is a general problem of homeowners which could turn out to be very expensive if done by an outside repairer which could cost you thousands of dollars, so if you’re thinking of how to stretch your budget, you may as well do it yourself