Basement Waterproofing
Having a basement that you can bet on to not have moisture issues is certainly one of the cornerstones of a healthy home. That being said, we are of the mindset that basement waterproofing is not a one size fits all procedure. We’ll pretty much fight anybody who says it is. A lot of companies will ultimately come in and install vapor barriers and promise that you’re not going to have moisture issues for x number of years. That’s just not true. We have to account for all of the places where water can be coming from. Therefore we want to give you a better idea of how we handle waterproofing.
Why Are You Giving Us A Call At This Moment?
This is important for us to know so that we can get a sense of the type of help that you’re going to need. What we don’t want us to do is come into a basement that is filled with water and do the regular waterproofing procedure. We talk about this on other pages of the site. We essentially have to stop the bleeding then do the waterproofing to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
What Can Be Done If I Do Have Moisture Issues?
If you already have moisture issues again, the process is to stop the bleeding, then waterproof with vapor barriers or another type of method. The method that we use is going to depend on the surface itself and what it may be more exposed to. If we find a lot of mold then we need to make sure we remove that as well. Once we are able to stop the bleeding we can start thinking about repainting. If we had to remove existing flooring this is the moment that we would potentially want to bring it back.
Are French Drains Still A Good Option?
Yes, they are definitely an option that we’re going to consider. Particularly if you keep having trouble with water leaking in a specific area. If for some reason water builds up in a particular area instead of trying to block it from entering we can collect it and make sure that we are able to redirect the water to a safe spot. This is a very basic thought, but what we just mentioned is basically what french drains are going to allow us to do. If certain conditions are present we wouldn’t hesitate to suggest that you allow us to build one.
Now We Can Look Into Vapor Barriers
Vapor barriers are a very common way to ensure that you won’t have moisture in your basements. They are essentially sheets that are going to go over your existing insulation material. That’s why you see that a lot of basements and crawl space areas look like they have been covered with plastic. The process is not as simple as just covering everything with plastic. These are specialized sheets that are meant to trap moisture and not allow it to build up in the area.
