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. Excess moisture in your basement not only limits your use of the space but it also can cause a number of serious problems structurally as well as ruin or destroy furniture and furnishings.

Basements are the part of a home or building that is wholly or partially below ground level. Once the walls and floor of the basement are built, the remainder of the hole is filled in with effectively, loose soil, even if it’s compacted afterwards. 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. Even waterproofing systems with pipes designed to drain water from a building can become blocked due to silt or become overloaded by heavy rains.

It’s at this point that many people turn to do it yourself basement waterproofing rather than have the basement completely excavated and re-done, usually at great expense. Many people solve the problem by using sealants and similar products inside on the floor and walls.

A typical project might involve:

  • prepare the walls by removing all loose or crumbly material.
  • previous repair or foreign material must be removed.
  • make sure the basement is as dry as possible, hire heaters or large fans if necessary.
  • prime walls and floor if the product requires use of a primer.
  • patch all gaps, seams, joints, or flaws that can be seen.
  • a 1″ bead of sealant is used on the wall and floor junctions.
  • using 2 or 3 coats to top-coat all surfaces

That is about all A sealed basement shoul last for a number of years if the product is good. The best sealants, such as PermaFlex are assumed to be comprehensive, one-time, solutions for the waterproofing indoor basements. The quote says that it is the only waterproofing system which totally seals any basement for all times. It could be very wet and deteriorated though. It can then be brushed, rolled over or even be sprayed on.

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

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