Wet Basement Repairs
When you have a wet basement there can be so many different things to repair that it can feel overwhelming. It is a good idea to hire a specialist, such as a structural engineer to access the situation and give you a plan of action.
Without an overall plan, you most likely will end up with a patchwork of solutions that fail to truly solve the water damage problem. This is much like treating the symptoms of an illness without addressing the cause of the problem.
Foundation crack repairs can become quite involved, but they only get worse if left alone. The small cracks turn into big cracks and the damage can spread to the entire house. After all, the foundation supports the rest of the house!
If you notice water leaking from the corner where the floor meets the wall, you have several options for fixing it. One solution is to install special diverting panels that catch the leaking water and divert it away from the basement. For many people this is the best problem solver.
A more drastic, but permanent remedy for a leaking basement is to dig out the soil around the house and waterproof the walls and repair any cracks. It is possible to apply a liquid solution to the walls which seals them from water. This rubber solution penetrates the actual cement and does a great job at waterproofing.
You can also apply waterproof boarding to the walls and divert any water away from the house. This works well when there is no other way to change the water coming toward the house.
Once the walls are sealed and cracks are repaired, the soil can be returned. At this point you many choose to dig a trench around the house and install drain tiles, or French drains. This works very well, if properly installed and maintained.
When you get right down to it, doing wet basement repairs is work, and always will be. There is no magic paint that you can apply to make it go away. I have actually seen a case where a so-called contractor painted basement floor paint over wet cement that usually had standing water on it! There was a virtual spring in the basement that poured water into the house on a daily basis, yet he tried to cover it with paint!
This particular house needed a basement sump pump and French drains, badly. It also needed to have the grade changed so water would stop draining toward the house. I was amazed at how much denial there was to the cause of the problem.
The entire house smelled of mold, mildew and a musty basement odor. After several weekends of removing wet carpets, wallpaper, water damaged wood and cleaning up black mold, we were able to begin the process of getting rid of the water in the basement.
It was surprising at how much better the house felt. The air was cleaner, the owners' headaches went away and the nasty odors were less offensive.
Without an overall plan, you most likely will end up with a patchwork of solutions that fail to truly solve the water damage problem. This is much like treating the symptoms of an illness without addressing the cause of the problem.
Foundation crack repairs can become quite involved, but they only get worse if left alone. The small cracks turn into big cracks and the damage can spread to the entire house. After all, the foundation supports the rest of the house!
If you notice water leaking from the corner where the floor meets the wall, you have several options for fixing it. One solution is to install special diverting panels that catch the leaking water and divert it away from the basement. For many people this is the best problem solver.
A more drastic, but permanent remedy for a leaking basement is to dig out the soil around the house and waterproof the walls and repair any cracks. It is possible to apply a liquid solution to the walls which seals them from water. This rubber solution penetrates the actual cement and does a great job at waterproofing.
You can also apply waterproof boarding to the walls and divert any water away from the house. This works well when there is no other way to change the water coming toward the house.
Once the walls are sealed and cracks are repaired, the soil can be returned. At this point you many choose to dig a trench around the house and install drain tiles, or French drains. This works very well, if properly installed and maintained.
When you get right down to it, doing wet basement repairs is work, and always will be. There is no magic paint that you can apply to make it go away. I have actually seen a case where a so-called contractor painted basement floor paint over wet cement that usually had standing water on it! There was a virtual spring in the basement that poured water into the house on a daily basis, yet he tried to cover it with paint!
This particular house needed a basement sump pump and French drains, badly. It also needed to have the grade changed so water would stop draining toward the house. I was amazed at how much denial there was to the cause of the problem.
The entire house smelled of mold, mildew and a musty basement odor. After several weekends of removing wet carpets, wallpaper, water damaged wood and cleaning up black mold, we were able to begin the process of getting rid of the water in the basement.
It was surprising at how much better the house felt. The air was cleaner, the owners' headaches went away and the nasty odors were less offensive.
