7 step foundation waterproofing. Foundationwaterproofing.org's preferred method of waterproofing foundations is second to none. While many foundation companies propose solutions that encompass some of the steps that are covered here, most do not implement the 7 step process that makes this the best available solution for damp or wet basements.

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To make and keep your basement dry, look for the following 7 Steps:. Excavate and power wash foundation. Repair any damage to foundation and apply two coats of parging. Add a footing bevel where the foundation wall meets footing. Apply AquaBloc primer and apply BlueSkin waterproof membrane. Apply Platon Membrane.

Install new weeping tile. Backfill and grade property away from foundation. Step 1 - Foundation Excavation Starts the Waterproofing Process A combination of machine and hand digging allows access your foundation to begin the waterproofing process without any risk of damage to the foundation.

Your contractor must excavate all the way to the footing to examine the existing drainage and the condition of the foundation wall and footing. Once the excavation is complete, power-wash the foundation to remove all loose materials and examine the foundation for damage. Step 2 - Repair and Parge Foundation Depending on the condition of the foundation, this step may vary. If there is any substantial damage to the foundation it will have to be repaired.

After any damage is repaired, the contractor should apply 2 coats of parging. The parging provides damp-proofing and provides a foundation for the additional waterproofing layers. Step 3 - Add Footing Bevel to the Foundation for Better Waterproofing In addition to parging the foundation, ask the contractor to apply a bevel of concrete at the joint where the foundation meets the footing. This helps to seal up one of the most vulnerable parts of the foundation. This seam is often the source of water getting into basements. Step 4 - Install Blueskin Waterproof Membrane Blueskin is a rubberized asphalt membrane laminated to a Polyethylene film. This combination provides a durable, waterproof barrier that is tough and flexible and can stretch to continue providing protection even if new cracks develop after the membrane has been applied.

Ames Blue Max is a special blend of adhesive, high strength elastomeric liquid rubber. It is impenetrable, rubber technology for waterproofing in. Liquid Rubber SealRoof. SealRoof provides roof waterproofing, membranes for roofing. No seams to seal or adhesives to apply.. The maker of Blue Seal products.

After the parging layers have dried, a primer is rolled on and then the Blueskin applied over the primer. The priming layer provides the perfect surface for the Blueskin to adhere to and provides a small amount of damp-proofing on its own. Remember, the Blueskin is providing waterproofing not just damp-proofing. Step 5 - Add a Protective Platon Membrane After the Blueskin, the foundation should be wrapped in Platon Membrane which provides the first defense against water and provides physical protection to the Blueskin membrane. Platon Membrane is a tough, dimpled, 24-mil high-density polyethylene wrap that seals out water. The dimples provide an air gap behind the Platon so that any water that might get behind the membrane can drain down and won't be trapped between the Platon and the Blueskin. Step 6 - Install New Weeping Tiles for Better Drainage The next 2 steps in ensuring a dry basement are perhaps the most important: proper drainage and grading.

It essential that when water flows down the Blueskin and Platon membranes that there is a system in place to carry the water away from the foundation. The age of your home will often determine the drainage solution that is available for your foundation. You may be connected to the city storm drain, a French drain on your property or to a sump pit in your basement. However, regardless of drainage solution, your contractor shouldl lay a new bed of gravel at the footing, install new window wells and drains if required, install new weeping tile and connect it to the drainage. The weeping tile has a “sock” that covers it to help filter out silt so that the pipe does not clog as quickly over time.

Finally the new weeping tile is covered with clear gravel so that water can drain easily through it. Step 7 - Proper Grading in the Important Final Waterproofing Step After the waterproofing steps are completed, the excavation around the foundation is backfilled and graded so that there is sufficient slope around the house to encourage water to run away from the foundation. Keeping water from getting to the foundation is the first line of defence in keeping a dry basement. 7 Steps to a Dry Basement By executing these 7 steps, you will have the best solution for a dry basement. Waterproofing your foundation is a significant undertaking and investment and you want to be confident that the work is done right and that the result will be a dry basement. We are done putting on our Blueskin foundation wrap and I want to add. You do NOT have to have a heavy/long nap roller, it will just soak up too much of the adhesive and you only get one or two swipes from it.

We went through 3/4 of a 5 gallon container of it just using a heavy nap for just the front and 1/2 side of our house. I think the company recommends the long nap because they want you to use more adhesive but it is expensive $275.00 a whack for a 5 gallon can of it. We had to buy another one to finish the house and we barely went through 1/2 of it. Soo only one can would have sufficed if we used a shorter nap (13 mm is what we ended up using and it worked fine) we started with a 19 mm and that was way too long and wasted ALOT of the adhesive. Live and learn but I just wanted to put that out to everyone so they don't have the same problem we did and will help others save money. But we did this ourselves and we did fine and saved a bunch of money doing it ourselves. Hi Kim, I believe the manufacturer considers that acceptable.

I like the extra protection of the dimple membrane over top of the blueskin because the dimple is tougher and will stand up to more abuse during backfilling. However, if you're backfilling with sand or something else that is clean and free from anything that might tear or damage the blueskin, then you're probably ok without the dimple membrane. Personally, I don't want to have to dig up my foundation more than once so for the little extra cost for the dimple, I add the extra protection.

Hey Tony, The top strip of the Delta should have overlapped the bottom to shed the water obviously but if the blue-skin is properly installed, it should be enough to keep the water out. I think I would do a risk analysis. What happens if there is a leak? Is it an expensive finished basement that will be damaged? If you know that the blue-skin is installed properly, I think I'd leave it as is and see if there are any water problems inside. If you want to be a little more confident, I think I'd only excavate enough to replace the top row of Delta.

Full excavation seems like overkill to me. Hanks for the input. The manufacturer of Delta-MS has advised me that the real issue is that if and when ground water enters the joint between the upper and lower sheets that it will bring with it soil and silt. This will contaminate the weeping tile stone and worse it will fill up the air gap provided by the Delta membrane, stop any water draining properly and we will have wet soil against the foundation wall. Over time it will not allow the Delta membrane to perform as it is designed to do. The only thing to do is to re-excavate the foundation wall down to the level of the joint and install a new upper sheet correctly.

If the wall is prepared properly and the blueskin is installed correctly, I don't think you should have any problems. I haven't heard of water getting behind properly installed blueskin.

The blueskin is incredibly sticky and when the wall is clean and primed, the blueskin really sticks. Then with the pressure of the ground against it, it would be hard for anything to get behind. Also, you want to make sure that the ground is graded away from the house so there shouldn't be any water pooling by the foundation at the top of the blueskin. Awesome website! We have a 1974 bungalow located on the River, which is in a 100 yr flood plain. The house sits higher than the rest on the street but did have 6 inches of water in the basement this spring due to the long winter in the ottawa area. My husband and I want to be better prepared and have been reading a lot.

We are wondering if the 7 step process you describe is enough or should we do the trench inside for hydrostatic pressure. The majority of the water came in through our garage located in the basement, which we know is a dumb design for our location so we are changing that issue and regrading driveway, but we did have seepage from hydrostatic pressure in the floor. If we do the 7 steps to the outside, regrade the driveway, do we need the interior trench system for the hydrostatic pressure in the floor? We know the walls need to be done with the blueskin as the second greatest spot for water entering was the footing area in the basement. Or could we pour a new floor on top of our existing floor to thicken the floor in the basement (I read in someone else's' post that they need to pour an 18 inch slab doubt ours is that thick based on 1970s technology)? Hey Rob, I'm not familiar with that product but from what I can see, it does sound very similar. I haven't tried applying blueskin over tar so I can't be sure what will happen.

Blueskin is incredibly sticky so I would expect that if the tar is thoroughly cleaned, removing any dirt and dust and then primed properly, it would stick. I'd suggest you check their Web site for more technical details or contact one of their sales reps which can be found at: Good luck with the project. Grace construction products, bituthene 400 membrane seems to be very similar to blueskin. Is this also a recommended product (seems to be more available in long island, NY area? The specs and standards when researched where comperable.My foundation wall is block for about 2' down from the surface, then slab, then poured foundation wall, then footing.(techni cally slab on grade, but ground level is a little higher on this wall) The block has old tar on it down to the poured foundation wall, and down to the footing in one section. Can membrane stick over this old tar?

The suggested parge coat would not stick well over the old tar, correct? Removing all the tar would not be possible. When installing new weeping tile and waterproofing the basement walls, is it essential to dig up all the way around the house? The house in question is very close to the neighbours and the walls are maybe 12-18' apart in one area along that side. Weeping tile properly installed with a grade to drain to a pit shouldn't need to be one continuous piece surrounding the whole building to work properly. Am I missing something or is the contractor correct with this? Love your website, great info here.

Part of me says you should put in the sump pump because at some point you'll probably need it. The other part of me hates to put a hole in the basement unless is absolutely necessary.

If you put in a sump pump where there is a lot of water, then you can be sure you'll always need a sump pump. If your waterproofing job is impecable the basement may stay dry without it. Are you able to connect your weeping tiles to a city storm drain? It's a more expensive option but preferable in my opinion. I've also wondered about installing a submersible pump outside. Basically build a well right beside the foundation and put in a pump with flexible piping so you can pull it up later for servicing. If it's deep enough, it should be below the frost line and not freeze and this would mean the water doesn't have to come into your house.

This also means if the power goes out and the pump stops working for a while, you don't have all the water coming directly into your basement. This isn't a common approach, I've only read about it once or twice but I think it's worth considering.

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You're doing a full blueskin around your foundation so it sounds like you're off to a good start. Make sure it's fully adhered everywhere before backfilling. I'd talk to some local experts to get their thoughts as well. A lot of building inspectors are able to offer constructive advice on what they've seen in the area.

If you plan for the sump pump but don't put it in, you can add it later without too much trouble (just don't plan on finishing that part of the basement right away and make sure that you have weeping tile installed so that it's in place if you do decide to add one later. Definitely get more opinions from local experts and good luck with the project. Thx for the great info here. We are bldg a new house where the water table is very high and are also in a flood prone area. We are required to build a home with an 18 inch slab to give weight to the home and to resist the hydrostatic pressure. We are also doing a full Blueskin solution along the entire bottom and sides of the foundation for $20K.

Question is, do we still need sump pumps even if the entire foundation is wrapped up like this? Any other thoughts or considerations?

Hi Ann, Draining the sump onto your sidewalk isn't ideal. You don't say what georgraphic region you're in but in Ottawa, your sump can still be pumping when it's below zero outside which means you'll be coating your sidewalk in ice. The water is relatively warm coming out of the ground but once it's on the surface, it will freeze on a cold day. In general, it's better to pump it out onto a grass or gravel area well away from the house where some of it can soak into the ground and the rest can run off onto the street. Legally, I'm not sure I like the idea of having one sump in one house.

What are the legal repercussions if the sump in your basement fails. It also means all of the water is in your basement if it fails so you get all the damage. Some cities allow you to hook your sump to the sewage line but many do not. Putting in just the weeping tiles with gravel may help to distribute the water around the foundation which may help it to disappate faster and therefore not leak into the house but if it doesn't lead somewhere, you may not be solving the problem. If you're going to excavate, the weeping tile is a small amount of the cost so definitely do this. Hope that helps.

A question from Ann. Hello, I am living in a townhome (one of 6) and one of my neighbours has leaking in her basement which apparently comes from my side. The foundation never had weeping tiles (we know this for a fact). It was suggested that we waterproof and add weeping tiles (o.k. So far) and that one of the units put in a sump pump to which some of us can connect (some would but some will not).

My question: the sump pump would have to drain onto the sidewalk then out to the street. Because I read somewhere that Mike Holmes does not think so? This is highly stressful if only because the money is adding up and if some of us connect to this sump pump we will legally need to set up an agreement. Can we just have the weeping tiles with the gravel all around and leave it at that? Do we need weeping tiles at all especially since some units will never agree to link to my tile on the right? Next year we must look at the back of the unit with the same issues and problems. Thank you for any advice.

Hi Shelagh, You've got a pretty serious waterproofing challenge on your hands. If I were you, I'd call some local experts to see what they would recommend. First, you want to make sure the ground around your house is graded away from the house so that water isn't being channeled back to the house and make sure you have eavestrough all the way around and your downspouts are away from the house. Then, take a look at the pumps you were using. There are huge differences in how much water each of them can pump. Higher volume pumps tend to cost more but will do a better job in a high volume situation.

The 'inside wall trench' method is what Atlantic Basements does. You may want to check that out but I wouldn't say that that is the only solution. If the walls are waterproofed with blueskin, and there is weeping tile to carry the water quickly to the sump pump(s), and you have high volume pumps to keep up with the flow, that should be enough to stop water coming up through the floor. We live in the country in a 40+ yr old house with natural stone at the front and brick at the back with crumbling stucco below the stone and brick. Additionally, we live on a limestone plain.

We had a flood last fall during an unusually high rainfall because there is no soil to absorb the water and our 2 sump pumps were overwhelmed. The water outside the house rose very quickly and caused enough pressure to force its way in. It will happen again. I will spend the money on water proofing the outside walls of the foundation but what can I do about the floor of the basement?

In a response to another question you mentioned a trench around the perimeter of the floor that directs the water into the sump.but if our sump pumps were overwhelmed would that even help? Jim, it depends on the type of membrane that was applied. The dimple membranes like Platon help water to shed down the wall and away from the foundation, but if there is no place for the water to drain away from your foundation, then the water level will rise up and get in behind the membrane. However, if you use an adhesive membrane like blueskin, it is more waterproof and the manufacturer claims it can withstand hydrostatic pressure, so even if the water can't run away, it shouldn't get in behind the membrane if it was applied properly. Hello, I recently hired someone to waterproof a basement wall.

I was not able to be there when the work was done. He says he went all the way below where the footer and the wall meet with the membrane. I am still experiencing a leak between the footer and the wall, and there is a considerable leak about 18' up from the floor and 18' in from one corner where there was a hole in the foundation. This hole now literally squirts water out onto the floor. The contractor says it is water getting behind the membrane. Should this even be possible?

I would think if he did what he says he did that would not be possible. He claims his membrane covers the entire wall and footer and is sloped out away from the basement wall at the bottom.

Rachelle, building near the water makes me very uncomfortable. I would ask your builder what kind of water-proof guarantee he is providing for the basement. Blueskin or not, your house isn't a boat. Water is insidious and can get through the smallest crack.

The blueskin membrane is supposed to give you the waterproof layer that is required where there's a high water table. You may still need a sump pump to keep the water from coming up through the floor of the basement and if you do, make sure you put in at least two pumps and one pump with a battery back-up. Adding the Platon over top of the blueskin adds a physical protective layer which is not be necessary but is one more layer of insurance. Platon alone does not work against a high water table. Since it is not sealed to the foundation, it can not keep water out if the water table rises above the footing. The water level will rise behind the platon and it's not doing anything then.

John, the problem with the black-stuff is that it provides some protection but isn't as robust as the blueskin. If the wall cracks the blueskin will stretch and keep the water out of the crack, but the black tar will eventually dry out and won't stretch over a crack.

The result is that water can get in. The footing area may be the most vulnerable because the walls are poured after the footings are dry so there isn't a continuous connection between the wall and the footing but by putting blueskin on the whole foundation you have a continuous waterproof membrane from top to bottom.

No place for the water to get through or behind the membrane.