# Damp basement walls



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

It may be the least expensive thing to do is to take a good look at the exterior landscaping first. Is the area around the house sloped away from the structure and do you have gutters and downspots in place and operating properly. This may not be the total answer but it's a good start. It isn't likely that you can seal the moisture out simply by coating the interior walls. You need to determine the source of the moisture first.


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## helpless handyman (Jul 6, 2006)

Thanks, but new gutters installed, and they are attached to main drainage system, no exterior landscaping, its all concrete around the house.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

helpless handyman said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I have and old house handyman special that I purchashed. I am renovating it, and noticed today that the basement walls are damp in certain areas. I want to know what is the best solution to seal the walls in the inside as well as the outside. The basement is full 7ft high, by 15ft by 40ft. On the outside there is aluminun siding on the house, and then its concrete from the outside floor level to the siding its about 3 ft of concrete. I was thing of doing thoroseal both on the outside and the inside. We had a few days of heavy rain, so I am thinking the dampness is comming from the outside 3ft concrete wall. Any suggustions are welcome, I want to finish the basement up with sheetrock, but need to solve this problem first. When we did the demo, parts of the sheetrock were damp, due to water probably seeping in thru the concrete wall. Thanks to all.


 
First off, I'm not a "basement moisture drainage expert". I am only going by what I have dealt with....

To seal up the walls, you can use Dry-lock. It is a thick water proof paint.....however, it is not inexpensive tho.

Also, Just be aware that when it comes to moisture control in a basement.... it usually is a: "fix and watch" type effort. 
I say this because I have seen basements that were supposedly "Water-proofed" by professional water-proofing companies, that have sprung leaks.
The way waterproofing works is that the water will seek the area of least resistance (gravity, water pressure)...if one area is 'blocked up"...it will flow and force it's eay into another 'weak' area if it finds one...

So, just by sealing up the walls, may not solve your water intrusion issue. One area that is a constant problem is where the concrete floor meets the freezewall...


-just my 2 cents-

Good luck on your efforts...


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## yummy mummy (Sep 11, 2006)

*helpless handyman*

I am doing just what atlantic is suggesting, and I keep waiting for rain to see if I am successful. It is getting better.

By the way atlantic your suggestions are worth way more than 2 cents! :thumbup: To me, anyway.


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## helpless handyman (Jul 6, 2006)

Thanks Atlantic, now should I start from the outside wall first? Also I think I should wire brush it first, and then apply drylock.


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## deedee004 (Feb 4, 2009)

*water proofing basement*

I am currently redoing my basement. The house is over a hundred years old. There is dampness in areas where the floor meets the wall. We have been using a needle scaler to remove old paint before we waterproof and have found soft areas in the concrete where the floor meets with the wall which is easy to puncture and consists mainly of rubble and sand. We intend to clean these areas out about 2 1/2 inches and then fill with a hydrostatic cement. Once that is done we will paint the entire wall with a product called xypex. I like the technology behind this product. After that we will be using a closed foam spray insulation on the walls and dricore on the floor. This will help to control any subsequent dampness.
Thirty years ago the earth around the foundation was excavated and drainage pipe was laid along the footings and the walls were waterproofed with tar and a heavy mill plastic. That was yesteryears technology. We think this is still adequate and the dampness along the bottom of the interior walls is actually a wicking effect of the sandy rubble up to the concrete in the immediate surrounding area. I hope this helps you with your problem and I'll let you know how things turn out.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

so this drylok stuff stops it ( moisture ) where ? ? ? think that moisture's not penetrating the wall no matter what ? ? ? does anyone stop to think any interior solution can actually STOP moisture/water 8" away ? ? ?

most should know, by now, i'm not a fan of drylok-style products either crystalline OR mechanical cementitious coatings,,, the ONLY way this problem will be resolved is EXCAVATE the exterior down to the footer & apply a WATERPROOF coating which was never done when the bldg was built.

black tar - asphalt emulsions - white paint,,, i am an expert & do this work for a living,,, drylok style products do not perform permanently im-n-s-h-fo


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

not having tried any of these witchcraft formulae, i can't testify to their performance EXCEPT the water's STILL attacking - you just won't/can't see it :laughing: might as well use drylock - that doesn't work either im-n-s-h-fo

am certain we'd all think more of the post if we saw the ' no financial interest ' phrase added

try an unconcentrated formula. you get more for your money and will increase the strength of the concrete because when warm water is added to the solution it is better absorbed into the concrete[/quote]


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

everyone needs to seal their bsmts but not w/your stuff - jus more smoke 'n' mirrors to me,,, ' unconcentrated ', my *** :furious:


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