What about the "paint on" stuff??

[LisaB]

:confused: Noooooo. I know the label on the CANS say that painting on the waterpoofing stuff...will waterproof the basement. I have done the research. I have seen probably 25 homes with that :($$$stuff$$$:( painted on. It is a waste of money, no matter what the CAN claims. Your walls and floors are made of concrete. Concrete is simply made of sand and water, and possibly some laytexy goopy stuff to keep it from drying too fast in bad weather and heat. the additive does not make the walls waterproof either. Some newer homes have a coat of tar painted on the outside of them during construction. The tar is NOT wrapped around and under the wall or footing.....the moisture will WICK up between the layers of the tar and the cement walls. It will bubble split and peel off eventually....(Just like the tar on the street can bubble up, crack and frost heave in wet or cold weather.) Please do not be fooled by that tar paint. It may work for a year or maybe two. I have a personal family member that is sure the tar will keep his basement in their new home dry.....(He is an authority of course, as all "accountants" are)????? right???? I know time will show better, and he will be calling me for help. ahem...."He is a PRO at HIS job....stick with that"!!
Getting back to the "Paint on" waterproofing stuff....it is beeing applied to damp walls....unless you live in a dry arrid location,(like Arizona or Texas) the walls can never totally dry out...they are back packed by soil, not sand. SOIL will always retain some moisture to it...more when you are in a damp area, or near any kind of water way. Anything you paint, plaster, or smear on the walls will soon, bubble, crack and peel. The MESS to clean up after the flakes and flaps start to fall off the walls is a BIG ONE...."been there, seen that"! Only now, it will need to be wire brushed off before you can do the "real" waterproofing. Please spend an hour with one of our Project managers, and allow us to come out at no charge to you....to help you make the right decisions. Do it right, do it once! food for thought....
Stay Dry!
Lisa

[johnl71]

My understanding is that most of the time, water enters the basement at the joint between the floor and the walls. So even if the paint-on stuff worked for its intended purpose, it would not prevent this particular problem.

[LisaB]

:rolleyes:Hi John,
No and Yes. There is not a % science as to where the water enters. All basement situations are different. I will explain. If, you have a water table that is rising up beneath the floor, you will have one of/or two entry areas - either the floor wall joint, as you stated, or the floor can crack due to hydrostatic pressure.(100lbs per Sq. inch), and water can come in that way. Or both...
However, the walls are similar but there can be 3-5 ways of them letting in water and moisture.
1. would be the transmission of moisture from the back fill soil through the porous cement. (will cause the paint to bubble and peel fast)
2.Another would be via cracks in the walls due to again, hydrostatic pressure from water build up behind(outside) the walls then forcing it's way in. water seeping into "new" seams of the cement wall where additional cement has been framed and poured for an "ad on" room or area.
4. normal settling cracks allow outside water to lend themselves as the path of least resistance of the water.
5. an old stone, or cinder block, or brick foundation uses cement of sorts to hold it together....again, the porous cement thing, and the decaying of such a sand and water "glue"will also leak.
None of the above are going to actually prevent water or moisture from coming in via a "paint on product" Not on the walls, AND not on the floor.
The answer is a vapor barrier (such as ours) that is sealed tight to the wall, but water and moisture can drip down behind it, and be deposited into an air tight drainge system below....to then be transferred to the pumps and discharged out. This is the only way to go. IF....the water is coming into the cold joint(where the wall and foor meet), then the exact same system we manufacture and install will also be the best bet. Pioneer has the only "air tight" "Grate Product tm" system. We promote only the healthiest system out there. We care that our Customers families are living in the house. Healthy home, healthy environment. Happier Healthier Family.
Please do call us for a free estimate to rid your basement once and for all of the nasty musty and damp wet issues you may be looking at, and breathing in on a daily basis! 1-800-649-6140:eek:

[HansonC]

In my old home, we would have water that would seep through small cracks in the poured concrete walls as well as from the top of the wall. This would only happen on severe rains because we lived in a low lying flood prone area. I thought about doing the waterproof paint but we ended up putting in a sump pump instead and that seemed to help get rid of a lot of the water. We moved within a year after that but I still wouldn't have trusted just the sump pump to drain all the water. I think a french drain would have helped further.