[rossfingal]

Hi all!
We have to do some sort of waterproofing to the inside of a basement wall -
3 to 4 feet into the ground.
The wall was already hit with some type of tar/asphalt coating.
Have already dealt with the exterior surface - elastomeric membrane,
drain tile, gravel - draining into a large catch basin.
Any ideas/advice on how to coat the interior of the wall?
Thanks!

rossfingal

 

[gotogregg]

Hey Rossfingal,

On the interior of the wall you can use dry-loc paint or Berh waterproofing paint made for masonry walls. First fill in all the cracks and any holes with a construction sealant. Then apply the waterproofing paint. That should do the trick. -Gregg HD community

 

[rossfingal]

We're looking at various options; to coat the inside of the wall.
Anybody heard of, or had experience with any of these -
"Ames BlueMax", "Xypex", "Sani-Tred"?
Thanks!

rossfingal

 

[jayp]

If you don't have good drainage, no coating will hold the water back. I'd focus more on that.

 

[federer]

If you don't have good drainage, no coating will hold the water back. I'd focus more on that.

exactly. fix the cause not the symptom

 

[rossfingal]

Thanks for the input!
We've already addressed drainage, grading, guttering, etc... on the
exterior.
Since we're removing plaster on the interior walls about 3 feet from the
floor (mold) - we want to do something to seal the inside.

rossfingal

 

[gregzoll]

Dry-Loc is the best. Have you had any problems with water after fixing the outside? If you haven't, then you should be good to go. Our local concrete plant has a retail store to purchase materials from. I would use the same stuff for coating Pools on the inside to keep water from going out, not a construction coating meant for outside. Also, there is the waterproofing that is secured to the outside, that can be used inside, but you have to have the inside french drain open, in order to allow any water to flow between the foundation and the membrane to get rid of it.

 

[rossfingal]

We had minor problems after working on the outside.
However, this was before we had completed back-filling and grading.
Would "Dry-Loc" work on the walls, if there is already some type of
tar/asphalt coating applied?

rossfingal

 

[gregzoll]

We had minor problems after working on the outside.
However, this was before we had completed back-filling and grading.
Would "Dry-Loc" work on the walls, if there is already some type of
tar/asphalt coating applied?

rossfingal

No dry-loc will do nothing in your case. The tar does not seal the structure, it only inhibits any movement of moisture, etc from outside to in. What you need is the membrane that gets secured to the foundation on the outside to help keep the water from trying to get through. That way, any water will go between the two sections and into the weep tile. There are a couple of episodes on Holmes on Homes where they have done this technique both inside & out. Only when they are unable to dig up the foundation outside, they do the inside before finishing with walls & gypsum.

Look at it this way, the money spent doing it correctly, will pay off in the long run, plus help raise the resale value of the home, because the foundation was sealed from any water correctly, which will also help the home last longer.