roofing tar type product question

sbmfj

Hi,



I have a small crack / fissure in a stairway that I access via my backyard to enter the basement. I would like to fix the crack to prevent water from seeping in. It tends to seep in during a heavy rain(enough to wet the concrete, but Im not getting big water puddles or anything). My father had a similar issue and he had a guy over to fix something unrelated, mentioned it to the guy, and the guy and my dad basically dug a hole, found the crack, and then painted on this black tar stuff, the guy painted it on with an old mop. My dad cant seem to remember what the product was....Im thinking its maybe roofing tar or roofing pitch, any ideas of what this tar type stuff is called?

Any other solution to help fix this crack? I plan on patching the inside with hydraulic cement as well, and will use this cement on the outside if needed, but also want top seal it with this tar.


thanks

joecaption

All the water proofing needs to be done on the outside, not the inside.
Once the water has reached the inside it's already doing damage.
It's called foundation sealer, the best stuff is trowled on not just rolled on.
Any cracks, or holes need to be ground out with a diamond wheel and a 4 1/2" grinder and filled with hydrolic cement before trying to seal.

What would be a big help to prevent the water in the first place is proper grading so the grade is leading away from the foundation and working gutters.
Less water, less leaking.