Best Ways To Waterproof Your Basement: Costs & Designs

A wet basement is a severe pain for any house owner. The basement is an underground part of the house. This is the most vulnerable part of the house, where the groundwater and moisture can cause immense damage. And make the construction of the house weak. So how are you planning to block these types of water damages? You can easily fight against these types of severe problems by taking precautions and waterproofing the basement. The waterproofing basement methods are secure.

Even when you are already completing the interior building, you can try out these methods, block the water flow, and prevent the moisture from eating up your house’s internal concrete structure.

So let’s see what the accessible methods for the waterproofing basement are.

How To Identify The Problems?

Making a waterproofing basement is a solution, but how would you identify the nature of the problem? Because based on the issues, you have to pick the proper solutions and waterproof your basements.

Here are the signs which are the clear indication for water-infested basement structures.

• Mold and the signs of cracks and crumbling in the wall.
• The damp air smell in the basement is a clear indication of a water leakage problem.
• Your basement has to flake and peel paints on the walls and blisters on the wall.
• Uneven floor and moist feeling on the wall, and rotten wood smell are the direct signs of the damp wall and the floor.
• Standing water is the most common scenario after heavy rainfall, and you have to fix a water drainage pump to remove the water from your basement.

After identifying these types of problems, you have to take immediate precautions to block the water every day. Hence the water starts to enter your structures, your wood, and the concrete structures are turning to be weak. Next, read through the guide to repair your basement and make a  waterproofing basement.

4 Methods For Making A Waterproofing Basement

Waterproofing basement making is not very expensive or hard work. But if you find the damp walls in the basement first, you have to prepare your walls before applying any water profiling coats or methods. Then, you have to repair your wall and recreate it after diminishing the damp part of the walls and rebuilding the moist wall portion again.

Here are the four easy methods for the waterproofing basement.

1. Use The Concrete Waterproofing Coating

The waterproofing basement is an essential part of strengthening the structure of your house. This is a cement-like coating. But it is pretty much thicker than colors and the primer layer. The cement-like density but applications are different.

You have to apply these coats with the Tampico bristles brush. These brushes are heavyweight, and after one layer of the applications, you have to use the  Swirl brush to get the final fished look.

After you repair your wall, you have to use this waterproofing coating. After drying up, the whole wall is going to be waterproof.

Cost: You only have to spend around $40 for covering the 100sq ft of wall.

2. Water Proof Paint And Acrylic Paint

Waterproof paint usages are going to enhance the water protection capabilities of your concrete walls. These waterproof paints are made with the waterproof acrylic formula. The concentrations of the waterproof paints are different from the regular paints.

The thick consistency and the acrylic component of the paint make the wall entirely waterproof. But the application is a little bit different. You have to buy a good amount of paint to cover the walls.

You can use a brush or spray for application. One gallon of paint is only covering 70 ft of area. The most extensive flexibility is you can easily apply the paint on the painted wall as the topcoat.

Cost: You have to spend around $150 for 1 gallon of waterproof acrylic paint.

3. Plastic Panels And The Sheets

Does your basement have a sound drainage system? Most often, when you buy houses near the seashore or the river banks, these houses have a draining system in the basements.

Flood-prone areas also have a proper draining system in places. This system is one type of DIY technique. You can not prevent the water from getting in the wall; hence you can avoid the water from getting in your basement. The waterproofing basement means you have to apply every possible solution to prevent the water.

But if you have a cracked wall, this process does not block the water into your wall. So along with the plastic panels and the sheets, you also have to install small water draining pump to drain the water from the basement. First, you have to repair the wall and paint it with water-protecting paints. Then you can apply these techniques.

Cost: The entire waterproofing basement with plastic panel costs around $3300 for a 22X22 sq. ft area.

4. Silicon Concrete Sealers

Silicon-based concrete sealers are the easy and costly techniques to save your basement wall from water damages. You have to apply this sealer on your concrete walls before painting them. These sealers look like paint, and you can not use the paint over them.

Silicon-based sealers give maximum waterproof protection for the walls. When you apply the sealers with the paintbrush, it looks like paint. But after soaking, it creates a waterproof coating on the walls and hardens.

This is because the silicon-based ingredients are chemically reacted with the concrete walls. And create a water-protecting layer on the surface during the soaking up. For application, you can use anything a brush, spray, or roller can be used to get the perfect finished look. But one layer is not going to be enough. You have to apply at least two coats.

Cost: 1 gallon of concrete sealers costs around $52 which covers a 198 sq. ft area.

What To Avoid Making Your Basement Waterproof?

These four easy steps are going to prevent water damage. But before starting to apply these techniques, you have first to repair the small holes and the cracks of the wall. And after sealing the gaps, you can use these techniques and create a waterproofing basement.

Here are the few conditions which you have to avoid for creating a waterproof basement.

• Do not cover your walls with loose plastic. Instead, use the plastic panels and the sheets when you have a proper draining system in your basement.
• Avoid tar using and tar is not for the walls and the concrete structures.
• Before applying the DIY process, consistently repair the wall first.
• And buy the right brush for the applications, and before applications, read the entire directions of the application.

Why Do You Need To Waterproof Your Basement?

Waterproofing your basement is a crucial thing to do. Your basement is the area that is more than just a place where you may keep the old goods or use them as a store room. The whole house depends on the structure of your basement. Therefore, if, in any case, the basement gets damaged, the house may shatter down in no time.

Being the foundation for the entire house, it is important that you take effective measures to waterproof the basement as soon as possible. Here are some of the important reasons as to why you need to waterproof your basement:

To Prevent Flooding

Flash floods may pose a serious threat to the area in the basement which has extended below the ground level. That, however, is the case for all of the basements. In fact, the National Flood Insurance Program has estimated that floods are capable of causing damage worth $ 3 billion each year, which makes them the top natural disaster in terms of destruction in America.

Waterproofing the basement may help protect the home from any such water damage that damages any of the valuables that you may have stored there, regardless of the weather.

Keeping The Basement Dry

Everyone you know will not have a basement. But the ones that do would definitely be wanting to keep it dry. Waterproofing the foundation would help do so by reducing the amount of water that would seep into your home. It may divert it while providing a waterproof barrier.

This way, you may still use the basement, which may be used for anything from storage to recreation. This would also allow you to maximize the space you use in your basement. Also, you would not have to worry about leaks, floods, or moisture that may result in severe damage.

Reducing The Overall Moisture

Moisture in a house may make the home feel a lot warmer during summers, may oxidize the metals, affect paper products, create an environment that is favorable for mold, and overall lessen the moisture in your own house.

The best step that you may take to reduce moisture in your home is waterproofing its foundation.

Protecting The House

Houses and water usually mix unless that water exists in a controlled environment. This is a fact that is certain in and out of your home.

When you waterproof the foundation of your home, you may be able to prevent the water from seeping inside your home, where it may end up wrapping boards, causing the walls to rot and ruin a lot of your possessions. Damp walls are also the breeding grounds for termites, which end up damaging your home to an extreme level.

Sum It Up:

A waterproofing basement is always making the construction of your whole house stable and solid. If you are currently staying in the river banks or on the seashore, you must make your basement waterproof.

And for the newly constructed houses, the excellent drainage system of the places will solve the water damage issues. So which process are you going to select? Do not forget to share your opinion and your experiences in the comment sections.

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