Should You Use Waterproofing Paint in Your Basement?
If you're thinking about applying waterproofing paint to your extremely damp basement, you may want to choose something else instead. Although waterproofing paint can help you control small amounts of moisture, the paint may not well in your particular situation. Learn why you shouldn't use waterproofing paint in your basement and what you should use in its place below.
Is Waterproofing Paint Right for Your Basement?
Many homeowners use waterproofing paint in their basements because the substance is thicker than traditional paint. Although waterproofing paint is thick, it may not be strong enough to withstand large quantities of water over time. In most cases, waterproofing paint can cause other problems to develop in your basement.
Waterproofing paint creates a thin veneer, or coating, over the walls in your basement. However, the walls must be completely dry for the paint to work properly. If the walls contain any type of moisture, cracks, or lines, the paint won't adhere properly to them. The paint will slowly bubble out and peel away from the surface of the basement walls. Other problems may develop in your basement as well if you paint it, including foundation damage. You'll need to use a stronger waterproofing method to secure your basement.
What Method of Waterproofing Should You Use Instead?
You want to find out why there's water in your basement before you do anything else. The best way to do this is to have a damage control contractor examine your basement and foundation. Once a contractor knows exactly where the water comes from, they can choose the best waterproofing solution for your basement. If you have cracks and lines in the basement walls, a contractor may use epoxy to seal the defects. Epoxy works similar to caulk. The material fills in openings so that water doesn't seep into the room.
If your soil contains too much water, a contractor may install a French drain around the perimeter or sides of the basement. The drain collects water from the soil and sends it to a vegetable garden, a tree, or somewhere else closeby. You can also install an interior drain pipe and a small electric sump pump inside your basement. The drain pipe collects water directly from the floor or walls and dumps it into the sump pump. The pump pushes the water into an auxiliary pipe placed somewhere beneath the floor or near the outside of the basement.
Go to websites hosted by contractors to learn more about waterproofing your basement and other structures in the home.