Choose The Right Basement Waterproofing For Your Home And Situation

A wet basement can cause more than just foul odors or damage to any furniture and flooring. Persistent water seepage can also cause cracking walls and even damage your home's foundation.

If you've suffered water damage to your basement or simply want to prevent such a scenario, make sure you pick the right waterproofing method for your home.

Crack injections

An epoxy or polyurethane material is injected into cracks in the wall to help stop water from entering the basement. This method doesn't work on homes with masonry foundations. That means brick, cinder block or stone homes aren't candidates. Crack injections can only be used on poured concrete foundations. 

Epoxy is the best material to use for the injections. Epoxy is strong, bonds well and often comes with a lifetime warranty because of its permanent qualities.

This is the least expensive and invasive option, but can also be the least effective long-term.

Exterior excavation waterproofing

This is the most common method of waterproofing a basement. As the name implies, exterior excavation waterproofing involves digging down to a home's foundation wall footing and installing new drainage tiles or a whole new system, depending on the amount of damage.

Trenches, typically about 6 to 8 feet deep, are excavated and a waterproof material is applied to the outside of the wall surface to seal it and stop water from coming through. Depending on the amount of damage, excavation may be for just one foundation wall, or circle an entire house.

While this is a very effective way of preventing and/or repairing water damage to a basement, it's also the most disruptive and costliest. Any landscaping around the perimeter of a home will be uprooted and may include driveways as well. However, even though the initial costs are higher, there is almost no ongoing maintenance. Also, due to its overall effectiveness, much more expensive foundation repair services later on are avoided.

This system is not suited to homes located on land with high water levels or flood zones.

Interior excavation waterproofing

A less disruptive system has become more popular in recent years. This is more of a remedial approach rather than a preventive one. All excavating is done inside the home's basement, usually by jackhammering any flooring. The same trenches are dug and drainage tiles installed, diverting any leaks to a pump system. 

Contractors must occasionally monitor this type of system for any clogging and will install access ports for this reason. Also, a battery operated sump pump is usually recommended to avoid flooding in the event of a power outage.

This system is less costly than an exterior excavation waterproofing system, but can present major problems to homeowners with a finished basement.

Whichever system you decide to go with, make sure to get a thorough evaluation from your contractor at places like Safe-Guard Waterproofing first. A well-sealed basement will help preserve your home's foundation and give you peace of mind.