When you come to purchase a new home, one of the best things you can do is check out the waterproofing in basement. What you will be looking for, is the depth of the basement underground, the water table in that area, and damp or mildew smells, any mold and if the basement floors and walls have any cracks.

Even if the basement is built at ground level there can still be challenges with moisture penetration. The basement and the roof are most likely to allow in water but the basement is the biggest culprit so waterproofing in basement is essential.

Check out that water table, as when it rises the water can exert huge pressure on your walls and basement floor causing small cracks that become larger over time and allow in the moisture.

OK, so that is the prevention, but you are most likely reading this because you already have a problem and it need to be fixed. The problem is waterproofing in basement.

We deal in the identification of the leaks on another page, but once that is established, the best way of treating your basement walls is externally i.e. drainage away from the basement, or barriers on the eternal walls.

That is not always possible so you may have to attack this problem from the inside. For cracks in the walls you can use a concrete chisel and make the crack larger. Try to get a v – shape through your chiseling. Once that is completed and the crack clean of all debris, fill in the crack with hydraulic cement.

The cement is very quick drying so only do small batches at a time. Wet the cracks with water before application, and make sure that you wear rubber gloves. Apply the hydraulic cement into the cracks as deep and as quickly as you can. You may have to use your gloves to press it into place. Hydraulic Cement is a very effective method of sealing cracks.

A liquid membrane is also a very effective method of protecting your basement walls. Waterproof membranes can be applied to both the basement walls and floor and if you give it sufficient time to dry and cure, it forms a rock hard layer to prevent any moisture coming from the outside,

This method or waterproofing in basement is also reasonably cost effective, and works well when you cannot get access to the external basement walls. Be careful when choosing the product as some are water proofers and some are water sealers.

It is always a difficult challenge when water gets in your basement. There is the damp mildew smell and always some mold. The problem can be solved and if you have an ounce of handy man in you. After a bit of market research you can take on the challenge. yourself. We both know that if your bring in the contractors it is going to cost you thousands of dollars in waterproofing your basement.