Basement Waterproofing

[dioscorides]

just wondering if anyone on here has had their basement waterproofed or know someone who has and can give a recommendation.  my basement is leaking and i would like to get it sealed up so that i can renovate it some time in the hopefully-near-future.  thanks!

[Gaspar]

just wondering if anyone on here has had their basement waterproofed or know someone who has and can give a recommendation.  my basement is leaking and i would like to get it sealed up so that i can renovate it some time in the hopefully-near-future.  thanks!

I know that there is a coating (expensive) at Home Depot that soaks into the brick/block and seals it.  It's what a contractor is going to paint on anyway.  How big is the problem?  Do you know where the water is coming from?

Most of the time if it is not leaching through the walls, it is caused by window wells full of debris.  They will need to be cleaned out, and the gravel at the base replaced.  If you see soil at the bottom of your window wells. . .well there's your problem.

[nathanm]

just wondering if anyone on here has had their basement waterproofed or know someone who has and can give a recommendation.  my basement is leaking and i would like to get it sealed up so that i can renovate it some time in the hopefully-near-future.  thanks!

Generally speaking, if it's coming through the walls in more than a seep, a coating isn't going to provide great results. French drains are expensive, but solve the actual problem rather than trying to paint over it.

If you just have a little seep, the sealants work reasonably well.

[godboko71]

Some other general info:

Make sure you have gutters and that they take the water away from the house.

If you don't already make sure you have some shrubs/plant life near the house to soak up extra water.

Make sure your ground around your house goes away from your house.

If there any any areas that puddle around your home make sure to address that.

As Gasper said make sure any drainage at doors or windows are clear of debris.

[patric]

Likely not what you want to hear, but you are going to have to excavate the wall from the outside and seal it properly from there.
Using paint-on treatments from the inside is not a real long-term solution.

[Gaspar]

Generally speaking, if it's coming through the walls in more than a seep, a coating isn't going to provide great results. French drains are expensive, but solve the actual problem rather than trying to paint over it.

If you just have a little seep, the sealants work reasonably well.

Agree!  Most of the time it involves standing watter in the window wells. 

[dioscorides]

thanks for all the advice everyone.  i really didn't think there would be a quick fix.  the waterproofing websites really make it look that way though.  the house was built in 1918 and probably hasn't had much done with the basement over the years.  there is definitely seepage in the walls.  i can't tell if it is just from the walls seeping or not, but it looks like there is water coming in where the walls meet the floor.

Likely not what you want to hear, but you are going to have to excavate the wall from the outside and seal it properly from there.
Using paint-on treatments from the inside is not a real long-term solution.

^ this is what i was afraid of and will hopefully be a worst case scenario.

[PonderInc]

I would call deVerges and Associates 918.284.2405.  They are an environmental consulting firm that also has a "moisture solutions" business to help solve water/mold problems in homes.  They get calls from people who have not had good results from other companies.  They will come do an inspection that includes the yard, home, drainage, gutters, etc and come up with a comprehensive plan to solve the problem (godboko71 was right...you need to look at all the possible factors that are contributing to the moisture).  They will create a plan, implement it, and come back to make sure everything is right.  My neighbors called them, and were surprised when D&A showed up one morning in a downpour to verify their work.

[heironymouspasparagus]

1918 - isn't that a rock wall (as opposed to block)??

That makes it more complicated.

Whew!  Don't envy you that.

[waterboy]

My house is at least that old. Records show 1915 or 1919. The basement is dense concrete block below grade and brick above the ground level, topped with wood frame. It has on occasion had leakage and invariably it was a landscape drainage problem. Blocked gutters, poorly drained driveway or a basement door. One corner gushed water during an extremely heavy flash rainstorm in 1979 that flooded our part of the city pretty good. Grading the land away from the house and keeping gutters cleaned is important. Eventually the neighbor and I built a French drain on that side and its never happened again.

Don't seal from the inside. Even if it works the block will hold water and weaken your foundation. Some old homes around here used sand from the river in the mortar and because of the high salt content it crumbles and cold be leaking but not likely.

In this case I think the advice is good. Look for simple drainage problems.

[dioscorides]

The basement is dense concrete block below grade and brick above the ground level, topped with wood frame.

this sounds a lot like my basement.  most of the basement is concrete block.  the back "room" has brick walls.  we are going to start with the guttering and see how that affects everything.  thanks again for all the responses!

[sauerkraut]

Likely not what you want to hear, but you are going to have to excavate the wall from the outside and seal it properly from there.
Using paint-on treatments from the inside is not a real long-term solution.

Yep, this is the only good way to do it and it'll last- that is what they do up north where everyone has a basement- coating the inside of the basement will only keep the water inside the cement wall or blocks, and if the seepage is bad sooner or latter it'll force it's way thru the sealant- coating the outside will keep the water from entering the block/cement walls  in the first place. The sealant is very expensive.

[sauerkraut]

My house was built in the mid-1950's with a crawl space and after a heavy rain my back & front yard have pools of water that drain away after the rain stops in a few hours- the crawl space inside is always damp even with all the vents open. The west side of my house, the side next to the garage- the ground there is always damp, even if it does not rain for a week, I don't know why- The home inspector told me it's nothing to worry about when I bought the home. I was thinking a leaking underground pipe or drainage line damaged from tree roots. I'm not going to mess with it though I have no problems with anything.