You might wonder, “What does waterproofing have to do with finishing your basement?” however, waterproofing your basement protects your remodeling investment.
Home improvements of all shapes and sizes cost money and the last thing you want to do is to jeopardize the longevity of that project. Not waterproofing your basement and installing moisture control can have serious long-term effects on your finished product.
A typical basement finishing project can run anywhere from $25,000 to well over $100,000 depending on floor plan, details, amenities, and difficulty. There are many different “finishing systems” out there that claim to be “waterproof” or “removable in case of flooding” but what’s the point of spending money on walls in a basement if you have to remove them in order to keep them dry?
Lets say you choose do have wood studs and regular styled drywall in the basement. Both are organic materials that easily soak up moisture and water. Mold and rotting wood are the next logical steps if a flood happens or a small leak gets out of control. You spent $25,000 on that project and you’re going to have to spend at least 1/4th of it just to repair it. Bringing your total project cost to now $30,000.
You wouldn’t buy a car and not protect it, don’t finish your basement without defending against moisture and flooding.
What if you could spend $25,000 to not only have moisture control, dehumidification, air circulation, water and flooding protection, have it all warranted, and have your basement finished? Wouldn’t that be smarter? Having it all done with mold and moisture resistant materials with the look and feel of your first floor is easier than you think.
You would actually be buying a finishing system that has your basement’s health in mind. You would actually be truly finishing your basement. You’d be transforming your basement from a moisture zone to a controllable, healthy, comfortable environment.
With waterproofing your walls, your floor, your whole finished area would be protected. With the proper finishing materials and design your finished space will be exactly what you dreamed it could be, and it’ll all be well protected from flooding and moisture.
Call Pioneer Home Basement Finishing today: 1-800-439-0788
Or visit us online: www.homebasementfinishing.com
10/28/2008
Wet Basements in New England, CT, MA, RI: How water gets into your basement
It’s rainy weather like today’s (cloudy and raining all over Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, I’m sure that Connecticut saw it earlier) that will eventually remind many homeowners how important having a dry basement is. Having a wet basement can be aggravating. Many people get down on their hands and knees to sop up water with sponges, buckets and wet-vacs.
The fact of the mater is having a wet basement isn’t your fault. It’s a design flaw in how basements are built. The good news is you can have someone inspect your basement, and install something that addresses these flaws head on.
Water can find it’s way through the space between the footing and wall:
When a wall is made the footing is poured first and left to dry. They form it around 2x4 in order to achieve a “dove tale” so the wall poured on top of it dries with part of it’s support inside of the footing. The problem is that the concrete can’t connect. If one object is dry, a wet concrete object can’t merge with it and become one solid piece. There’s a natural space left between the two objects. This space is an easy route for water to press through and find itself ether on your floor, underneath your floor, or wicking up your walls.
Water can settle under your concrete Floor:
Wet basements can also happen with water seeping up from underneath the floor. When a foundation’s walls are finished the Contractor “back-fills” or fills in the open areas with dirt, stone or gravel. Your floor of your basement rests on back fill. Depending on what was used for back fill it can be easy or hard for water to sit, build pressure, and find holes and gaps to seep up from. Cracks in the floor or the gap between the floor and the wall are the two most common areas this water shows itself.
Water can come through cracks in your foundation walls:
Cracks happen to all concrete eventually. There are many factors that can cause cracks in concrete but the one thing that can exploit these small tares in your walls is water. When it rains outside the soil soaks up the amount of water it can handle, the rest is left to fend for itself and find places to fill up. When water finds a crack in your wall it can “sense” the pressure difference in the basement and seeks to occupy the open space. Depending on the amount of water and pressure build up outside, the water can dribble, seep, or pour through cracks.
Addressing all three possibilities is the key to success:
Now the major issue is finding something that tackles all three, looks good, doesn’t interfere with your use of the basement, and protects you for the life of the house. The GrateDrain system by Grate Products LLC is that system. The combination of Wall Protection, Crack Repair, a Duel Channel drain to address both directions of water flow, and a GrateSump to relieve pressure under the floor and remove the water in the drains are the way to go.
The GrateDrain is designed to remove water from under the floor and defend against that water building up over time. With a solid wall in the middle of the drain it can separately address the water coming from the wall behind the wall protection and the water coming between the footing and the wall. The GrateSump, where the sump pump is installed, will add extra support for water build up under the floor at a deeper level as well as provide the exit strategy for the water in the drain.
The GrateDrain is a flawless, seamless, closed system to protect your basement from ever being wet again. Basements in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have been receiving help from Pioneer Basement for over 25 years (a GrateDrain Installer!). If you have a wet basement and need help, if you have dreams of finishing but need to get water under control, then look no further; Pioneer Basement is here to help.
For basement waterproofing, or wet basement help in CT, MA, or RI, call:
1-800-649-6140 or visit Pioneer Basement online: www.pioneerbasement.com
10/27/2008
DIY Basement Waterproofing.
It’s a wonderful day an age where most projects in the home are considered DIY (do-it-yourself). However, being that I’m personally familiar with the complexities of basement waterproofing, when people ask me “do you know of any DIY Basement Waterproofing kits?” I sadly can’t help but laugh.
Every project that I’ve seen done DIY to waterproof a basement has failed. Paints, Sealants, make-shift sump pump “cut outs” with wood hole covers, drilled holes in the concrete floor, the list just gets more horrific with every passing week it seems.
The reason I stress that Basement Waterproofing shouldn’t be a DIY project is because it’s dealing directly with the support network for your whole home: The Foundation.
Basement waterproofing, when done properly in the interior of the basement, requires that you remove part of the floor next to the wall. You do this to uncover the footing of the home. A drain is placed along the footing, pitched and eventually will connect to a sump basin that cannot be more than 19” deep. Any deeper and you can disrupt the soil underneath the footing and possibly undermining the foundation (causing it to callapse).
If you’re hell bent on doing the project yourself take into consideration the following ideas in planning your diy waterproofing project:
1.) Materials: there are only a few drains out there that redirect water from both the wall/footing direction and from underneath the slab. Most drains do one or the other, not both
2.) Standard sump basins are too deep. This can seriously cause foundation issues down the road.
3.) Sealents and Paints don’t work. Both are not true vapor barriers and both will not lead the water properly to a drain system. Consider the use of a full wall protection Vapor Barrier like HD TuffSheild.
4.) If any drain has holes smaller than 1.25” x .75” don’t use them. They’re apt to clogging and bacteria build up. Most of the black corrugated piping clogs easier and is much more uncontrollable once you put it in the floor. Punched drain holes are better than drilled drain holes for the same reasons.
5.) If you can’t find these parts on your own you can try a place like Basement Depot in order for find the proper materials.
Products I know to meet these above standards: GrateDrain, GrateSump, Various Vapor Barriers, and all of these can be found through Pioneer Basement or other Grate Products Installers / Dealers
Every project that I’ve seen done DIY to waterproof a basement has failed. Paints, Sealants, make-shift sump pump “cut outs” with wood hole covers, drilled holes in the concrete floor, the list just gets more horrific with every passing week it seems.
The reason I stress that Basement Waterproofing shouldn’t be a DIY project is because it’s dealing directly with the support network for your whole home: The Foundation.
Basement waterproofing, when done properly in the interior of the basement, requires that you remove part of the floor next to the wall. You do this to uncover the footing of the home. A drain is placed along the footing, pitched and eventually will connect to a sump basin that cannot be more than 19” deep. Any deeper and you can disrupt the soil underneath the footing and possibly undermining the foundation (causing it to callapse).
If you’re hell bent on doing the project yourself take into consideration the following ideas in planning your diy waterproofing project:
1.) Materials: there are only a few drains out there that redirect water from both the wall/footing direction and from underneath the slab. Most drains do one or the other, not both
2.) Standard sump basins are too deep. This can seriously cause foundation issues down the road.
3.) Sealents and Paints don’t work. Both are not true vapor barriers and both will not lead the water properly to a drain system. Consider the use of a full wall protection Vapor Barrier like HD TuffSheild.
4.) If any drain has holes smaller than 1.25” x .75” don’t use them. They’re apt to clogging and bacteria build up. Most of the black corrugated piping clogs easier and is much more uncontrollable once you put it in the floor. Punched drain holes are better than drilled drain holes for the same reasons.
5.) If you can’t find these parts on your own you can try a place like Basement Depot in order for find the proper materials.
Products I know to meet these above standards: GrateDrain, GrateSump, Various Vapor Barriers, and all of these can be found through Pioneer Basement or other Grate Products Installers / Dealers
10/23/2008
America's Toughest Jobs: FINAL SHOW!: BEN COLEMAN!
I know it's only Thursday, but I'm excited.
Ben came in the office the other day and is also anxious to see this all come to an end. He's been so good at not telling us how the story ends, so I'm sure he's ready to let out and tell us everything.
Saturday on NBC 8pm is the final round. 4 contestants, 3 of the toughest jobs, and Ben Coleman, my friend and co-worker is one of the final 4.
It's hard to imagine him as anything but a hard worker. I've known him for quite some time, seeing him work for Pioneer Basement, work for other construction crews, and then come back to Pioneer Basement. He's an ethical, logical, and hard working man who cares about what he does, helping people and helping people save their homes.
Anyone who reads this, I urge you to route for Ben Coleman on this Final Show of America's Toughest Jobs, this Saturday at 8pm!! ON NBC!
If you are a customer of Pioneer's or want to send a comment directly, please post on our forums!:
Ben came in the office the other day and is also anxious to see this all come to an end. He's been so good at not telling us how the story ends, so I'm sure he's ready to let out and tell us everything.
Saturday on NBC 8pm is the final round. 4 contestants, 3 of the toughest jobs, and Ben Coleman, my friend and co-worker is one of the final 4.
It's hard to imagine him as anything but a hard worker. I've known him for quite some time, seeing him work for Pioneer Basement, work for other construction crews, and then come back to Pioneer Basement. He's an ethical, logical, and hard working man who cares about what he does, helping people and helping people save their homes.
Anyone who reads this, I urge you to route for Ben Coleman on this Final Show of America's Toughest Jobs, this Saturday at 8pm!! ON NBC!
If you are a customer of Pioneer's or want to send a comment directly, please post on our forums!:
Wicking, Seepage and Cracks: Basement Waterproofing
Wicking, seepage and cracks are the three major ways that water finds its way into your basement.
Wicking is the process of water absorbing its way up an object. You can see this by cutting a small strip of paper and dipping it in a glass of water. As you hold it the water travels up the paper, filling up the gaps and creating a chain against gravity. The good news is it can only get so far without needing extra pressure to push it higher.
Seepage is a term to describe water that drizzles in through separations in the floor, footing and walls of your basement. Seepage is normally a sign of pressure or extreme separations.
Cracks tend to be more obvious. They can happen in the floor, the wall or the footing. Cracks are caused by settling, soil expanding against the wall, heavy impact, roots, or as the case is with floors typically, hydrostatic pressure (which is the pressure an amount of water has on an object; more water, more pressure).
Wicking can only be stopped by two methods:
1.) The entire foundation, footing included is wrapped in a non-porous material, such as plastic.
2.) The footing and the walls are made out of a non-porous material.
Typically, wrapping and damp-proofing the foundation is done at construction. So if you have water coming in your basement currently and it’s 5 years old, or older, chances are your home isn’t damp-proofed.
Seepage can be addressed by giving the water a place to go, rather than coming up on your floor. Typically this is where drains come in. It allows the water an easy route of passage and “tricks” it to following the drain into a sump where it’s removed by a pump. Easy, right? Large amounts of water can build up in these small separations between the floor and the footing and the wall, this can cause back ups and water can still jump up to your floor, even with just a drain.
Cracks, being caused by water under the floor, or pressure outside the walls can be repaired. The caused of the cracks can also be further addressed. Vapor barriers for the walls and a split channel design drain can handle both. It’ll remove water from under the slab and relieve pressure. The Vapor Barrier can stop the jumps of water in the seepage scenario and correctly direct it to the drain.
All three problems can be solved by one proper basement waterproofing system solution.
For more information on how to get GrateDrain in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, Contact Pioneer Basement @ 1-800-649-6140 or on-line http://www.pioneerbasement.com/
For all other states in the United States, Canada and the UK please direct your questions to GrateProducts LLC @ http://www.grateproducts.com/
Wicking is the process of water absorbing its way up an object. You can see this by cutting a small strip of paper and dipping it in a glass of water. As you hold it the water travels up the paper, filling up the gaps and creating a chain against gravity. The good news is it can only get so far without needing extra pressure to push it higher.
Seepage is a term to describe water that drizzles in through separations in the floor, footing and walls of your basement. Seepage is normally a sign of pressure or extreme separations.
Cracks tend to be more obvious. They can happen in the floor, the wall or the footing. Cracks are caused by settling, soil expanding against the wall, heavy impact, roots, or as the case is with floors typically, hydrostatic pressure (which is the pressure an amount of water has on an object; more water, more pressure).
Wicking can only be stopped by two methods:
1.) The entire foundation, footing included is wrapped in a non-porous material, such as plastic.
2.) The footing and the walls are made out of a non-porous material.
Typically, wrapping and damp-proofing the foundation is done at construction. So if you have water coming in your basement currently and it’s 5 years old, or older, chances are your home isn’t damp-proofed.
Seepage can be addressed by giving the water a place to go, rather than coming up on your floor. Typically this is where drains come in. It allows the water an easy route of passage and “tricks” it to following the drain into a sump where it’s removed by a pump. Easy, right? Large amounts of water can build up in these small separations between the floor and the footing and the wall, this can cause back ups and water can still jump up to your floor, even with just a drain.
Cracks, being caused by water under the floor, or pressure outside the walls can be repaired. The caused of the cracks can also be further addressed. Vapor barriers for the walls and a split channel design drain can handle both. It’ll remove water from under the slab and relieve pressure. The Vapor Barrier can stop the jumps of water in the seepage scenario and correctly direct it to the drain.
All three problems can be solved by one proper basement waterproofing system solution.
For more information on how to get GrateDrain in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, Contact Pioneer Basement @ 1-800-649-6140 or on-line http://www.pioneerbasement.com/
For all other states in the United States, Canada and the UK please direct your questions to GrateProducts LLC @ http://www.grateproducts.com/
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