Damp Basement

[John H]

Hello,
I have recently refinished half our basement and replaced the oil burner in our home. There are 2 things I'm struggling with:

1. The basement is very damp and musty. During the construction I noticed how soft the concrete floor was when attaching the PT stringers I used to build up the floor. Also, the other half of the basement is still quite damp even during this summer.

2. During the furnace replacement, water and soot were spilled all over our floor.

So, the question is, How can I seal/remove the dampness and cover the soot? FYI, I tried to seal the floor with a water-proofing sealant but it would not adhere.

I have 2 sump pumps, 1 of which runs pretty consistently during the winter thaw and during heavy rains. Though, I believe the cause is from a high water table.

Let me know if you need more details.
Thank you, I look forward to your reply.
john

[Admin]

First I would recommend that a sub floor drainage system (like WaterGuard) be installed and tied into a sealed Sump Liner (like our SuperSump). This will take care of the water under the slab.

Next I would install a product called Thermal Dry sub flooring , which is a membrane that is rolled out over the concrete floor and than install 1/2 plywood. You could than carpet right over the plywood. Carpeting can now be installed.

I would than recommend a SaniDry Basement Air System be installed to control condensation caused by high humidity. A SaniDry will remove 100 pints of water a day at the same energy consumption as a 35 pint dehumidifier. It is also an air filter.

Why not have one of our Certified Waterproofing Professionals take a look at your basement and give you a free written estimate.

Thanks for visiting pioneerbasement.com
SteveA