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Basement Waterproofing Paint

A wet basement is far more than the annoyance it seems to be. If water continues to seep through the walls, it can undermine the foundation of your house and cause it to collapse. In addition, even a little moisture can keep you from using the area as much-needed family space, and the musty air and mold and mildew spores can seep into the entire house leaving you with a very unhealthy living environment.

Dampness and leaks in the basement can also cause your home's value to decrease in, because let's face it, who's going to want to buy the problems? Although basement water can be caused by many things, it often seeps in through minute pores in the walls and floor. In cases like those, you need to apply a good coat of basement waterproofing paint.

Some experts will advise you to have your foundation dug up so that you can apply waterproofing paint to the exterior. After all, keeping the water out of the walls altogether is the best way of stopping water damage. This is an extremely expensive procedure, though, and many people just don't have that kind of extra cash lying around. The next best thing, then, is to paint the interior walls with a paint that has been specially formulated to plug the holes and cracks and prevent water from coming in. There are a number of good waterproofing paints on the market for you to choose from.

Once you've selected the paint you want to use, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions explicitly. Clean the walls thoroughly with a wire brush to remove dirt, debris, loose paint, and crumbling mortar. You want to create a good, solid surface to spread the paint on, and you want to make sure that all fissures in the walls are free of debris so that the paint can get down into and plug them. The manufacturer will tell you how thick the paint needs to be. If you get it too thin, it won't keep the water out. If your coat is too thick, not only will you go through a fortune's worth of paint, but it will also take it a long, long time to dry and harden.

Why Should I Buy Basement Waterproofing Paint When my Basement Doesn't Leak?

It's serious business when you have a home with water leaks in the basement. Although the leaks seem small, the problem can easily escalate to the point where it undermines your foundation and spews mold spores throughout your home. Water leaks are one of those problems that you don't want to leave untreated thinking that they aren't going to get any worse, because they will. And even if you're thinking that this article has nothing to do with you because your basement doesn't leak, keep in mind that any house can leak if the conditions are right. Knowing about basement waterproof paint options may well come in handy sometime when you least expect it.

As a matter of fact, the ideal time to coat your foundation walls with basement waterproofing paint is before they leak at all. Once water gets inside the walls, their condition can deteriorate until they leak so badly that a more serious, and expensive, type of fix will be necessary. All concrete and stone have minute pores and cracks which water can leak through. Wet soil pressing against your foundation can begin to force water into these openings which then become larger. By painting the walls early on, you can stop some of the seepage that is going to cause greater wall damage over time.

It's important that when you go to waterproof your walls, you buy a high-quality waterproofing paint. You also want to buy enough paint to cover the walls as thickly as the manufacturer recommends. This is not a time to try and cut corners, because cheap paints just aren't going to provide the protection your walls need. By going to a store that sells nothing but painting supplies, you should be able to get the help you need to select the best paint for your needs. The personnel in these stores are more likely to have knowledge of their products than the employees of the big home improvement stores do.

There is a little prep work you need to do before you start painting the walls. You will need to make sure they are relatively clean and free of debris and peeling paint. Brushing them down with a wire brush should take care of the problem and leave a surface which the basement waterproofing paint will adhere tightly to.

So now that you have your supplies and have prepared your wall, it's time to get started protecting your foundation from water damage.