The Perfect Basement Finishing System.

There are so many systems out there that transform your basement into livable space. The sad thing is that not many actually protect the space too.

Pioneer Home Basement Finishing’s BasementShield system is the combination of both the waterproofing industry and the basement finishing industry. With both focused on protecting the investment and the family, the products and style of construction are more in tune with the cry for healthier construction practices in your homes.

The perfect combination of materials for finishing a basement weren’t hard to put together. It was the drive, the need and the desire of our customers that helped us to find the right path. The key to a successful finishing project with long-term protection is to first waterproof the space properly, provide air circulation and to build the finishing elements, walls, floor, and ceiling, with non-organic and mold resistant materials.

By installing solid fixtures, insulated walls, anti-sag ceilings, recessed lighting, and other amenities, you have a durable, decorate-able, paint ready area in which to enjoy. These non-organic materials help to resist mold, mildew, and are designed with the waterproofing system in mind. As it works to protect your space against the moisture and water of the outside, the dehumidifier is circulating and filtering the air on the inside. Protecting the walls from moisture damage drastically minimizes the possibility of mold and mildew while providing an amazing finished surface to hang shelves and paintings.

Your whole basement will be treated, not just covered over. The idea is to keep the walls up, allow the system to work for you to protect your space, so you don’t have too. At Pioneer Home Basement Finishing we want to provide you with your dream space while protecting and promoting a healthy basement environment.

Call us today to set up an appointment with one of our Project Managers who can walk you through the design phase. : 1-800-439-0788

If you’d like to see more options of what our BasementShield system can become, please visit our web site and browse the gallery of images of some of the completed projects.
www.homebasementfinishing.com

Another: Do-it-yourself Q&A

http://www.bnd.com/living/home/story/496273.html

Q. Water was seeping into our basement through the concrete floor, and in an attempt to stop it we applied a waterproofing paint to the floor. Since then, although we have solved the water problem with an expensive drainage project outside the house, we have had a lot of problems with the floor. The paint bubbled up in some areas and we scraped it off. Parts of the floor are now white and crumbling. How can I get my smooth floor back? -N. Hermann

A. As you discovered, putting waterproofing paint on the floor was a mistake. These paints are designed to stop seepage through walls, and they often do a very good job of that, but they should not be used on floors.

You should have the floor examined by an experienced concrete contractor. It is possible the slab can be cleaned up and given an overlay of fresh concrete, but only a personal examination by an expert can determine that. You can also get a smooth, good-looking floor by covering the existing floor with interlocking tiles. The tiles are not fastened to the floor, and can be removed at any time, but they give a smooth, attractive, skid-resistant surface. For more information, visit www.XXXXXX.com and type Garage Floor Tiles in the search space.

Sadly, yet again, I have to make a correction on this:

These paints are designed to stop seepage through walls, and they often do a very good job of that, but they should not be used on floors.

Paints don't work for long-term solutions. If it covers, paints or seals, it can bubble, crack and peal. By "sealing up" the pores in concrete you're only doing this on the inside of the basement. For a sealing to truly work you must apply it on the exterior of the foundation in the first place. HOWEVER, even doing that, it's only a temporary stop measure.

Getting back to the inside: by sealing up the pores you're creating more pressure against the wall. If you poke a hole in a bottle, the water dribbles out, you put a stopper in that and what happens, the stopper eventually gets forced out because the build up of pressure behind it, due to the fact that the hole is the path of least resistance for the water to flow.

So what you're really doing is creating more pressure beyond the wall to force against this "paint". Because hydrostatic pressure build up is more common below floors more moisture comes in direct contact with your basement floor. So by putting a paint on the floor, the moisture seeps and travels through the concrete of the floor, and just like paint upstairs, will cause it to peal, crack and come right off the floor.

The paint bubbled up in some areas and we scraped it off. Parts of the floor are now white and crumbling

If you're experiencing "white" parts on your foundation, that's a sign of water contact with that surface. It's the left over mineral deposits from water after it evaporates.

Plenty of businesses sell attractive solutions for your basement flooring needs: www.homebasementfinishing.com and www.basementdepot.com are just two I know from my own network of friends.

Water Coming in through the Foundation of the House.

This is the typical issue that people with wet basements have. Moisture/Water is coming directly through the foundation via a crack or puncture.

Punctures can happen from direct impact on the foundation wall, or through a very long process of micro-pores finally being connected via the concrete separations giving way.

Cracks are a common thing in many homes, especially older homes. Settlement, soil expansion and contraction, hydrostatic pressure, rapid cooling and drying of new concrete, or in the case of concrete block and brick, the mortar breaking up and dissipating.

The first step in correcting any foundation leaks that lead to a flooded basement is to formally address the foundation issues. Re-point the blocks or bricks, correct mortar issues, fill cracks, add FiberLock or Wall Anchoring systems (if one is needed) and then move onto the next step.

After the foundation is secure it’s time to waterproof the basement . Many people think that hydro-sealing the cracks is good enough to repair the crack and waterproof the basement. Sadly, after years of watching such repairs fail, it’s not. It’s a good temporary solution to get you safely to a permanent solution.

Installing an interior drain system in your basement is the only proven, permanent method to keep your basement dry. This will cover the addressed foundation, trap and redirect water to be properly drained and removed from the basement.

All foundations require an amount of water, especially in places like Texas, to stay stable, upright and without major incident. Concrete being naturally porous and absorbent, water will naturally find its way into concrete to fill the holes left behind by the drying process during the curing of the concrete walls.

Questions about your basement or foundation? Contact me on the Pioneer Basement Help Forums and Ask away. Don't forget to leave your comment here or to quote it in your forum posting.


Related Reading and Links

Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make.

Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

What does Iron Bacteria look like?

Iron Bacteria isn’t something that we see on an every day basis. Many people who have read this blog and others like it are curious to see what Iron Bacteria looks like. So I went on a hunt, even borrowing pictures from blog friends of mine such as Steve Andras and from sites like http://www.homebasementfinishing.com/ to try to bring you a realistic collection of images of Iron Bacteria.

I don’t want to paint too much of a biased picture of Iron Bacteria. It can be some rather nasty stuff dependant on the soil content and the moisture content where you are

As I've said countless times, Iron Bacteria isn't harmful to humans. It might smell slightly odd, clog pipes and indicate a high level of minerals in the area that could be harmful... but the bacteria itself isn't harmful.



Related Reading and Links

Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make.

Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Do you need to get your basement storm ready?

If you have a waterproofing system, thinking about getting one or just need something to give you a little bit of an edge in the next big storm, consider investing in a Battery Back-Up Sump Pump.

Battery Back-Up Sump Pumps are not just batteries that can be connected to an existing pump. They are typically whole separate units that require separate discharge lines as well. The higher quality units will also give you an alternator box to help recharge these batteries using AC power.

The nice thing is that these pumps don’t just come in handy during a power outage. They can be tailored to help out in any situation, using AC power or battery power. By simply placing the switch at a level that allows for the Battery Back up to kick in at a particular water level under your basement floor, you’ll set yourself up to add in pump redundancy. If the normal pump can’t handle the flow, the battery back up will turn on and jump in to “lend a hand.” BBU Sump pumps are essentially adding another two pumps to your line of defense against basement flooding. 1 pump that works when the power is on and another pump that works when the power is off.

With the massive storms blowing through over the next few weeks because of Hurricane season don’t forget to have a solid waterproofing company in your phone book in case you need an emergency pump out.

One such company is Pioneer Basement. Serving as far west in Massachusetts as Berkshire county, as far west in Connecticut as Hartford, all the way to the shore lines of southern Rhode Island, and well back up into Boston.

If you need an emergency pump out, if you want to stop the water from ever coming in again after this big storm, or you just want to get pumps to keep you well defended, get in touch with Pioneer Basement: the Basement Experts.