I'm in the process of finishing my basement. We've had a history of water leakage from the foundation walls but have since had the outside foundation wall dug up and sealed. Is there a sealant I can apply to the inner wall before finishing it to help waterproof it? Second, the cement floor used to leak when there was large amounts of water (spring, heavy rain) but has since stopped when the foundation and weeping tiles were fixed. Can I also seal the basement floor (and fill the cracks) before I finish it?
Answer:
No, and no. There is no credible way of sealing walls nor floor from the inside if the house is old enough to have already had problems. Your solution, and you might not like this, is not to finish the basement because if you get more water in there, you won't be able to get at the wooden components that get soaked by it and the moulds that will grow there are not what you want to be ingesting in any way.
Courtesy of Ren Molnar, Construction Consultant at HomeFocus.com. I can also be reached at (613) 748-3003 and Home Focus phone-in is broadcast live 8 to 10 A.M. (central standard time) on Saturdays on www.cfra.com.
