Basement Waterproofing

Damp Basement Walls? What is Your Best Waterproofing Option?

Damp basement walls can cause a lot of headaches. If your basement includes a finished living area, excess moisture can ruin drywall, carpet, and more. Dampness can contribute to mold growth, musty odors, and/or loss of use of certain areas of your basement.

What Can You Do?

Damp basement walls can have many causes. The cause may be as simple as clogged gutters or it may be as serious as a severe surface water problem that requires a full waterproofing system. Assuming that you have done your basic home maintenance and despite your best efforts, your basement is still consistently damp, you may need to call in some professionals.

While most basement waterproofing contractors would love to have you think that there is some fancy patented system required to banish dampness for good, basement waterproofing is actually quite simple. There are really only two ways that a house can be waterproofed. From the inside of the house or from the outside. So which one is best?

Interior Waterproofing or Exterior Waterproofing?

Whether your house should be waterproofed on the inside or outside depends on where the water is coming from. If you have damp basement walls, chances are you have a surface water problem. Other symptoms may include:

Paint bubbling
Water running down walls
Basement wall dampness soon after rain or snow melting

If your house fits this description, an exterior basement waterproofing system may be the best option.

How Does It Work?

We begin by digging up around the outside of your foundation, down to the footer. We clean the walls of any debris and apply a waterproof coating to the exterior basement walls. The next step is to hang a dimpled membrane, which guarantees a dry foundation wall. Then, we install PVC foundation drainage along the footing, top it with gravel, then backfill with soil to slope away from the foundation. These steps ensure that the water is diverted away from your foundation, keeping your basement walls nice and dry.

If your basement walls are dry for the most part, or only damp around the bottom of the foundation, interior basement waterproofing may be a better option. You can learn more about that by clicking here.

Pioneer Basement Solutions has been solving basement problems since 1979. We can confirm whether an exterior basement waterproofing system is right for you and explain the pros and cons of interior vs. exterior methods.

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