Top 4 Tips and Methods to Waterproof your Basement

The basement is often the most overlooked and underestimated parts of your house, even though it provides many benefits and fulfils several requirements. The basement is also one area which you may need to look after regularly in order to avoid water seeping inside due to groundwater supply or rain water which tends to collect.

If you do not waterproof your basement properly, then chances are that mold and mildew may crop up and damage the area and the many things you keep in it. This is why, we have come up with a few tips and methods which can help you waterproof your basement:

tips and methods to waterproof your basement

Correct Roof Drainage

It is a fact that roof drainage is main reason for a leaking basement and if you wish to waterproof your basement, then you first need to take care of the roof drainage.  This is not just the easiest way to fix the basement but also the most inexpensive one.  The roof is as big as the home and tends to collect a lot of water. For this reason, there must be a gutter downspout for every few square feet of roof surface. These downspouts must throw out water atleast 8 feet away from where your house is and must be cleaned regularly as well.  This avoids them from overflowing during rains and avoids basement leaking.

Apply Waterproof Paint

Another way to waterproof your basement is to apply waterproof paint which is yet another inexpensive way to carry on this activity. What you can do is that you can apply a coat of waterproof paint on the walls of the basement and then seal it.  If not done correctly, this method can prove faulty and hence you must take enough care when carrying it out.  While doing this, one must make sure there is no humidity in the basement and for this a humidifier or humidity-reducing powder or chemical can be used. Any kind of loose paint must be removed because this can weaken the waterproof paint bonds.

Proper Soil Angles

If there is uneven soil outside your house then this could be another reason for a leaky basement. Thus another very effective tip and method to waterproof your basement is to angle the soil outside your house properly. It should slope in a direction away from your house so that when rain occurs, the rainwater does not flow in your house’s direction.  If this happens, then chances of leaky basement increase. If you think an improvement is needed in grading, then make use of dirt and not topsoil so as to build up the ground near your home.  Also, cover this grounding with either mulch or grass so as to avoid case of soil erosion. This is a kind of a tip which can be performed by anyone and is also really inexpensive.

Install a Drain System

If none of these methods work, then you must either upgrade or install a drain system in your basement.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.