You should always make sure to waterproof your basement walls when you are finishing it. Moisture entering through the walls of the basement  is the main reason that area of your house is more damp than the rest of the house. Cracks, leaking windows and pipe condensation are probably the most common reasons basements have water build-up problems. You will run into all kinds of issues if you allow too much water retention or allow it to stay for too long.

Basement Wall Options

There are numerous ways of waterproofing basement walls and these include:

– French Drains
– Hollow Baseboard Molding
– Sump Pumps
– Waterproofing
– Damp Proofing

French Drains

Interior drainage systems installed below the wet basement floor to collect underground water and wet wall seepage.

A trench is dug round the inside perimeter of the wet basement floor. First you need to position a plastic drain pipe, ready perforated, and then make sure that it is surrounded by gravel or similar Some wet basement waterproofing and repair contractors re-cement the floor over the French drain system leaving a 1 inch to 2 inch gap in the floor along the walls to allow the web wall seepage to drain below the floor into the French drain system. A French drain usually connects to a sump pump.

Hollow Baseboard Molding and Cove Systems

System for installing a hollow baseboard channel use a waterprof-of epoxy for the bonding to the floor and joint. The hollow molding collects wet wall seepage and water rising at the cove area. In most cases linked to the sump pump.

Sump Pumps

One item you can include when waterproofing your basement walls is a sump pump that can be installed below the basement floor. In order to collect underground water one case install a device known as a sump pump. This should solve your underground water problems! Sump pumps can also act as a good floor drain or be used to drain a variety of underground drainage pipes.

Wall Sealers

There are many types and varieties of basement wall sealers on the market to choose from depending on whether you want to brush or roll the sealant product onto your wall, or you may choose to install a panel wall system to seal your walls.

The fact is that even with a good drainage system there is no surety of the basement walls remaining dry. Being the cheapest and easiest methods to stop moisture from getting into your basement through the walls, lets focus on damp proofing and waterproofing.

What is Damp Proofing?

{You may be asking yourself what is involved in damp proofing your basement walls and the best example I can give of damp proofing would be to think of a castle with a moat and think about how to keep the water away from this castle; first you build the permiable pallette layer where you want the castle floor, then you would place a solid layer over that, then you would leave a vent space and lay your foundation; as for your walls, you would build your walls, then do your solid layer and then your permiable layer, and now you have damp proofed your castle.}

The majority of waterproofing products are comprised of a tar based substance in a solvent base.  Application is inexpensive but efficiency is limited since they are manufactured to retard and not to prevent moisture penetration.  The main problem is that it becomes brittle once it cures and as the foundation settles and hairline cracks appear, the tar based coating will not stretch to bridge the cracks and this allows moisture to penetrate into the basement.

Find out the meaning of waterproofing.

Waterproofing products are designed to ‘prevent’ water penetration even under wet conditions such as hydrostatic pressure in the soil after heavy rain or spring thaws.  Advanced Waterproofing Technologies provides supieor waterproofing protection as the products contain rubber and it allows flexibility when it dries.  The concrete or block has a waterproof coating that stretches to make the foundation completely waterproof.

How to Apply:

There is not much price difference between waterproofing and damp proofing which show that waterproofing as the right alternative considering that oftentimes it goes with a 25 to 30-year guarantee

In the past, builders ignored the need to waterproof basement walls. So now you can fix that with a product anyone can use. Most of the products are safe and easy to apply by the do-it-yourselfer.  Available even in 5 gallon pails or 55 gallon drums, they are ready for use and do not require heating or other application equipment, just the use of a brush or roller.  Commercial airless sprayers can be rented by the day to waterproof basement walls.  Two people using rollers to waterproof a basement of about 1,000 square feet can accomplish the task easily in about two to three hours.  So start it and enjoy the convenience of damp-less space.