Basement Waterproofing Methods Overview

I am sure many of you will recall that stinky moldy smell of a basement some houses get.

What is the cause of a smelly basement?
Water, moisture, mold, mildew, rotting.

What can you do about a wet basement?

You have basically 2 choices:

“Exterior” basement waterproofing
“Interior” basement waterproofing

What do I mean:

EXTERIOR Basement Waterproofing means you are going to protect your walls from the Outside so water does Not even enter your walls.

The most effective means to waterproof a basement is installing an exterior foundation drain that will drain away water by gravity. This exterior system allows water to flow away from the basement without using pumps or electricity.

Even if you have a good foundation drain you still should also install a good waterproofing membrane to the foundation walls. If you are not sure click at the link to see the main Foundation Waterproofing Options. It applies to your basement waterproofing as well.

There are many companies and contractors who specialize in basement waterproofing.

And no, I am Not going to promote 1 company among others because I do not know all their products intimately, and I also don’t know your basement waterproofing needs and preferences.

Your best bet it to either contact a company you find on the Net to find out if they operate in your area or get a local contractor.
There are many companies on the Net which offer you free quotes from qualified prescreened contractors - you can find one of them right here Get Contractor Quote
And even if you don’t use those they will recommend you at least you will find out the approx. “rates” of the project.

The only thing I Will recommend strongly is: Definitely hire a waterproofing contractor who will use a quality “waterproofing” product and not a cheap damp-proofing!

Trust me, you Will be glad later you listened!

INTERIOR Basement Waterproofing means the water Does enter your walls but you stop it to enter the Inside parts of your house.

These kinds of products certain companies are promoting are “Guaranteeing” you that the your basement will stay dry forever = the life of your house because their products are so powerful they stop the water in it’s tracks when it reaches it.

Well, that’s nice and exciting BUT What happens with the water that already Got INSIDE your walls?

The touted products will “stop” the water from entering the “inside” of your basement, but Where does that water go…??
Does it simply “disappear” when it encounters their product at the other end?

I don’t think so. And I definitely don’t like the idea that half of my walls are permanently full of water continuously eroding the structure of my house, eventually rotting there.

I do NOT want water in my walls at all! Period!

I want to get water out of ever Entering/getting inside the walls/floor of my house.

Reality Fact: In the 1990s, in Vancouver, British Columbia, some homeowners walked away from their mortgages, leaving lenders with leaking and rotting houses.

Have you ever met a roofer who would offer you to fix a leaky roof on the inside?
No, of course not, because opening on Outside allows the water to ENTER your house.
So you have to fix that if you want to waterproof your basement correctly and safely!

Walls can bow, crack, buckle in due to a hydrostatic pressure that is on/against the OUTSIDE of basement walls. The expanding/contracting of soil puts tons of weight pressure on the outside of a wall, also tree roots can crack a wall and put pressure against a wall. So How are you going to stop that? From the inside?

Don’t fall to the trap of sealing your walls on the inside. The most effective solution to a wet basement problem or any wall waterproofing problem, is to seal the whole outside of your home.