Waterproofing Your Basement Walls

You can consider remodeling the basement of your home to extend your living space. But you must concentrate on certain factors to keep your renovated basement clean and comfortable.  Often the basement gets wet due to surface water or groundwater leakages. The groundwater leakage will result in oozing water through the basement floor and wall.

Also, it will leave stains on the lower basement walls. On the other hand, the surface water leakage will create stains higher up on your basement walls. Normally, surface leakage is caused by overflow of water from rain, gutters, puddles and melting snow. However, you must waterproof your basement walls to eliminate the impact of all these leakages.

Preventing Leakages

• The groundwater and surface water leakages can be avoided simply by improving your roof drainage. Often improper roof drainages cause surface water problems surface water problems. If your home is located in a natural drainage path, you can consider building a wall to keep the water out, or build a ditch to redirect the water.
• You can also use specially designed drainpipes to lead the water away from the basement wall. The drainpipes can be connected to a dry well or sewer, where the water will be kept from seeping through the basement walls. Also, you can dig down the base of the wall footing to lay a tile drain around the surface.
• The impact of water leakages can also be reduced by treating the inside of your basement walls. You must check the basement walls thoroughly for cavities and cracks, and fill these using epoxy. However, epoxy can be adhered properly when you apply it on a dry day.

Waterproofing Your External Basement Walls

• It is also important to waterproof your outside walls to keep the basement are comfortable. You have to create a trench by digging away sail from around the external walls. After digging the soil our, you need to clean the wall using a stiff brush and water.
• The cleaning  will make the cracks visible. Now you can fill the cracks using mortar mix. The mortar mix must be allowed time to dry properly. However, the small cracks can be fixed simply by using a liquid sealer or any other patching compound. 
• After filling the cracks, you can make the basement wall waterproof by applying a heavy coat of plastic sealer or asphalt roof cement. Based on the condition of your wall, you can even consider applying an additional coat.

Many homeowners waterproof basement walls on their own to save money. But you can consider hiring home renovation services to enhance the look and feel of your basement, along with making the area completely waterproof.