How do you waterproof basements? 

When it comes to your home, a wet basement is more than just an inconvenience but it’s a threat to your foundation and potentially your family’s health. As waterproofing experts, we don’t believe in one size fits all fixes. The right solution depends on whether you’re dealing with minor dampness or major flooding.

Here is your guide to how the professionals keep basements dry, safe, and healthy.

Table of Contents

1. The Two Main Approaches
2. Interior Waterproofing 
3. Exterior Waterproofing
4. The Expert’s Professional Process

The Two Main Approaches

There are two ways to think about waterproofing: managing the water once it gets inside, or preventing it from ever reaching your walls. Most high quality systems today use a combination of both. We want to make sure your basement and crawl space stays dry forever. By stopping water on the outside and giving it a clear path out on the inside, we protect your home from every angle. By installing both approaches it not only fixes the leak but it keeps your foundation safe and dry for the long haul. 

Interior Waterproofing

Interior waterproofing is often the most cost effective and popular method for existing homes because it doesn’t require digging up your yard.

• Interior Drainage Systems: We create a trench along the perimeter of your basement floor and fill it with gravel and lay a polypropylene perforated sheet all along the trench. This catches water that seeps in and directs it into the sump pump.
• Sump Pumps: The heart of the system. Water from the drains flows into a sump pit, where a high powered pump ejects it safely away from your home. Our bread and butter is a sump pump with a side discharge which can give you more space in your home. 
• Vapor Barriers: We install heavy duty plastic liners on the walls to direct any seepage down into the drainage system, keeping your space dry and mold-free.
• Crack Injections: For specific leaks, we use pressurized epoxy or polyurethane to seal foundation cracks from the inside out.

Exterior Waterproofing

Exterior waterproofing stops water before it touches your foundation, though it is often more labor intensive.

• Excavation: We dig down to the footer of your home to expose the exterior foundation walls.
• Waterproof Membranes: We apply a seamless, rubberized coating or heavy duty sheet to the outside of the walls to create an impenetrable barrier.
• Exterior French Drains: Drainage pipes are laid at the base of the foundation to move groundwater away from your homes foundation.
• Grading & Gutters: We ensure the soil slopes away from your home and that downspouts aren’t dumping water right next to your foundation.

The Expert’s Professional Process

When you hire a pro, here is the step-by-step journey to a dry basement:

1. The Diagnosis: We send an expert to see what is going on in your basement or crawl space and identify the root cause for the flooding.
2. Surface Prep: We clean the space and remove any debris. 
3. The Fix: We install the chosen system (interior, exterior, or both).
4. Final Inspection: We test the sump pump and ensure the discharge line is clear.

Don’t Wait for the Next Big Storm

If you see white powder on your walls or notice a musty smell, your home is sending you a warning. These signs mean moisture is already soaking into your foundation and affecting your air quality. It is much cheaper and easier to fix these small issues now than to wait for the next heavy rain to cause a flood. Taking action today stops mold and wood rot before they get expensive, saving you thousands of dollars in major repairs later on.