drylock

[mizzou]

anyone have opinions of drylock or any other masonry waterproofing brands?

I have an old 1910's or 20's concrete basement that could use some waterproofing. I put in a sump pump and I no longer get pools of water, now it sort of gets that damp/wet look around hairline cracks in the floor and walls.

 

[paperfist]

I personally don't like it. I've used it for years on the outside of my foundation wall where it just peels off year after year. In my GFs basement I've used it a few times to keep moisture from entering via the walls and after a while it blisters and comes off.

 

[Blain]

In my GFs basement I've used it a few times to keep moisture from entering via the walls and after a while it blisters and comes off.

Were the walls dehumidified down to a bone dry before application?

 

[paperfist]

Were the walls dehumidified down to a bone dry before application?

Yepp run a dehumidifier all year long. Tons of prep work.

I think in her basement it just can't hold the PSI coming in.

 

[NetWareHead]

How often is your sump pump running? You say you are getting some water through the cracks even with a pump?

You need a excavate the exterior of your foundation and install a french drain or somethign that will alleviate the water infiltration. Masonry sealers do work but as mentioned, you have alot of presssure behind that wall.

If you do use drylock, put your family in a hotel for a weekend and paint the basement wearing an airmask that filter out organic fumes. That drylock is some of the most volatile oil based paint I have ever used. We had no idea and painted a basement with it. The entire house stunk of vapors for a few days and we had to sleep somewhere else

 

[Greenman]

How often is your sump pump running? You say you are getting some water through the cracks even with a pump?

You need a excavate the exterior of your foundation and install a french drain or somethign that will alleviate the water infiltration. Masonry sealers do work but as mentioned, you have alot of presssure behind that wall.

If you do use drylock, put your family in a hotel for a weekend and paint the basement wearing an airmask that filter out organic fumes. That drylock is some of the most volatile oil based paint I have ever used. We had no idea and painted a basement with it. The entire house stunk of vapors for a few days and we had to sleep somewhere else

This is exactly right. A sump pump will deal with the symptoms of water infiltration, but it doesn't solve the problem. You want to stop the water outside the wall, not gather it up after it comes through. The issue with this approach is always cost, because it's always the most expensive solution. It's also the finial solution.

 

[mizzou]

How often is your sump pump running? You say you are getting some water through the cracks even with a pump?

You need a excavate the exterior of your foundation and install a french drain or somethign that will alleviate the water infiltration. Masonry sealers do work but as mentioned, you have alot of presssure behind that wall.

If you do use drylock, put your family in a hotel for a weekend and paint the basement wearing an airmask that filter out organic fumes. That drylock is some of the most volatile oil based paint I have ever used. We had no idea and painted a basement with it. The entire house stunk of vapors for a few days and we had to sleep somewhere else

Good to know! thanks

It will only run after a big rain, and I will hear it sporadically if I'm downstairs for several days after the rain stops. The water table is quite high here.

I think once I get most of the old storage out of it and get it completely empty, I'll just clean it up real good and throw on a few coats of concrete paint. I'm not really interested in having a 100% dry basement, it would be immensely costly. I just wanted to seal up some of the damp areas.

 

[Red Squirrel]

idealy you should seal from the outside, and not the inside, and drylock is more meant for inside. You want to let the inside walls breathe so that any moisture that does make it can evaporate and not just be trapped. If the outside is properly sealed with a rubber or tar or other similar continuous application then the inside should stay dry too.

Drylock would maybe work ok for a floor though, you can't really seal that from the "outside".

 

[TechBoyJK]

We used this stuff on the basement floor. I used drylock to fill in any cracks (nothing major) in the floor, then we used two coats of the sealer

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-Sol...te-Gray-Actual-Net-Contents-128-fl-oz/3850763

Not only did it make our basement floor look 100x's better, if there's any water on the floor, it beads up like it was freshly waxed. It mops up easier, and doesn't seem to soak into the concrete at all.

That said.. the stuff is strong. Wear a mask, open your windows, and if you can afford it, sleep in a hotel.

PS: I'd assume it'd work on concrete walls as well.

 

[edro]

Most old foundations like that have numerous cracks and crevices.
Drylock will not fill those holes.
I heavily (3-4 coats, thick!) Drylocked one of my previous house's concrete block foundation walls.
It improved the situation, but the water pressure finds any crack/crevice and presses through.
You will need to fill the cracks and crevices with hydraulic cement first, then Drylock.

Even then, proper slope outside is key.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Hydro-static pressure is what happens when water seeps through the ground and wicks into the block or concrete foundation.....it's going to take the path of least resistance and concrete is porous... Sealing the inside of the block is not going to stop water from getting in. It is only going to divert it or slow it down until it seeps into the areas that aren't sealed.

Your best bet is to either use 6 mil plastic or a similar waterproof membrane on the outside of the foundation to block the moisture OR embrace the water coming in by letting your sump get rid of it. There are companies that will trench the inside perimeter of your foundation and basically create a small french drain connected to a sump that pumps the moisture out.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Even then, proper slope outside is key.

My own experiences concur. Best advice in the thread.

Just paint the concrete if you want the aesthetic. Don't ask it to perform miracles.