Waterproofing Basement – Research Problems First
Homeowners, if you’ve recently moved to or bought a home with a basement, congratulations! You’ve made a savvy decision in increasing the amount of livable space in your home. In order to convert an unfinished basement into a home office, second living area, or game room, the first thing on your to-do list should be waterproofing your basement walls to ensure a dry basement or crawl space or eliminate a wet basement. Waterproofing basement walls helps prevent the mold and mildew, as well as the musty smell typically characterizing many basement spaces. Even if you’ve bought a new home, waterproofing basement walls or foundation walls is a must to protect against leaks or cracks when your house settles after a season or two. But if you don’t know what’s causing your problem, you’ll spend lots of cash and time trying to come up with a successful solution. Here are some frequent design issues and concerns to be aware of when waterproofing basement walls.
Waterproofing Basement Walls Fix Musty Odor
If you don’t even want to step downstairs because it smells like the basement is a generation or two older than your actual house, you need to do some odor repair work immediately. Otherwise, your family will never use the basement space the way you intended. If you have windows in your basement, open them for some additional ventilation on sunny days, and then sponge walls and floors down with a bleach and water solution. Next, get some dry charcoal and put it in an open container to help absorb some of the moldy smell. Once you’ve vanquished the odor, waterproofing basement walls can be done by use a waterproofing membrane on your interior walls. This will block off any small cracks, and help maintain a clean scent to your basement. Most compounds work best on untreated concrete walls; consult a specialist at your local home improvement store if you are working in an already painted space.
Waterproofing Basement Deletes the Leak
If you have water or condensation pooling in your basement, and you don’t know where the leak is coming from in your wall, there’s a simple trick to help you narrow down the culprit. Grab a roll of aluminum foil from the kitchen, and tape down a twelve-inch square of foil to the damp wall. Smooth out all the wrinkles and get the foil to lie as flat as you can, before sealing all four sides of the square to the wall. After a couple of days, check for condensation. If the foil is damp on the side facing you, it’s a condensation issue inside the basement. If the foil is damp on the side next to the wall, you probably have a leak seeping in through the wall. Determining the source of the water will make your basement waterproofing project much simpler.
Waterproofing Basement – Standing Water Outside
The problem here may not be with your basement at all. Instead, look up and check to make sure your gutters aren’t broken or clogged. Gutters in non-working order will dump water down in one or two spots, creating pools of mud and moisture that can eventually eat away at your basement walls. Most experts recommend getting your gutters cleaned and inspected on an annual basis.
The Manual of Below-Grade Waterproofing Systems
Once you’ve identified the source of your problem, waterproofing basement walls can be a fairly simple and inexpensive process. Do your research and know your home, and waterproofing basement walls will be a preventative measure, not a home repair nightmare.