Many homes are built with unfinished basements. This affords the homeowner the opportunity to finish their basement and choose the design elements that fit their needs. Homeowners use their basements in a variety of ways, so it is nice to be able to customize yours. Regardless of how you plan on using your basement, you need make sure the walls and floors are waterproof. Whether there is leaking from the upper levels, flooring or seepage from groundwater, your basement is very susceptible to water damage. This article explains how to waterproof your basement walls and floors with a waterproofing membrane.
Prepping and Cleaning the Surfaces
The first thing you need to do is prep the walls and floor to be waterproofed. Just sweeping is not good enough. Instead, you need to wipe down the concrete subfloor and walls (whether there are concrete or drywall) with wet rags. This will absorb the fine dust that is created from polishing the concrete and applying the drywall putty. You also need to prepare yourself for the waterproofing. It is very smelly and will probably make you sick if your basement is not well ventilated. If you set up some fans, you can reduce the fumes. But, you will still need to wear a mask to protect yourself. The membrane is also very stick, it will probably ruin any clothes that it touches. So, wear throw away clothes and rubber gloves.
Applying the Waterproofing Membrane
The waterproofing membrane comes in large paint buckets. It is actually much thicker than normal latex paint. Nonetheless, the best way to apply it is with a paint roller. You also want a short extension pole so you don't need to bend down so much while working. Make sure you use high nap rollers to help handle larger volumes of the thick liquid. You can use a traditional paint tray or just pour the waterproofing directly onto the floor and then spread it around with the roller. Start in one corner of a room and work your way to the other end. The thick substance takes a few hours to dry so you don't want to walk on it. However, you will definitely want to apply at least two coats. So, you need to plan on the job taking a few days, even though most of the time will be spent waiting for the membrane to dry.
Working with waterproofing membrane is a little strenuous just because it is so thick and smelly. But, the process is relatively straightforward in the end.
Share20 July 2016
Even if you don't live in a flood zone, your home could be exposed to the same damages caused by the water entering the home during a flood. When a pipe bursts or an appliance malfunctions, your home could quickly become damaged by water. When this happens, do you know what to do? Do you know how extensive the damage could be? Having suffered through a situation in which my water tank burst and filled my basement with water, I know very well what goes into cleaning up the mess. Visit my website to learn what clean-up efforts were done by my family and what we left to the professional restoration contractors.
