The concrete floor in my garage often gets damp in the summer, making the garage feel damp and producing some black mildew on the plywood walls – that’s the only thing I can attribute it to anyway. I am fairly sure that no vapor barrier was put down before the pour (house is 20 yrs old). There is an unfinished room above the garage, no mioisture issues there. We do park in ghe garage in the winter – house is in Maine.
I’d like to seal the floor to keep the moisture from getting in. I think epoxy would fail due to the moisture issue, so I’d like a clear penetrating treatment.
Any experiences with these products, ones to use, to stay away from. Sucess or failures? Appreciate the advice.
Chris
Replies
Greetings red, Welcome to Breaktime.
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again which will increase it's viewing.
Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
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Chris, if there is no vapor barrier down, you will have little effect from any sealer that I have ever used, and I admit that it has been a few years since I was in the business of selling them.
The problem is that he moisture will just push the sealer aside when it comes throught he concrete. The barrier would have prevented that, but no help to you now.
John
Don't know a single thing about it at all, but Xypex comes to mind. It penetrates into the concrete and forms a crystalline structure that blocks moisture, so they say. Have seen it at lowes some time back. http://www.xypex.com.au/support/papers/200211121471.htm
Edited 8/17/2008 8:51 am ET by MarkH
Have you tested to be sure the source of the moisture?
If summer is when you see most of it, there is a 90% chance that it is from condensation. Your slab is almost always cooler than the air. Warm moist air moves over it and hits that cooler condensing surface and water drops out of it.
To test, find a spot where yo see a lot of this and catch it when it is dry - or run a fan or hairdryer for a while to dry it. Then take a 2' x 2' square of plastic and tape it down to the crete with duct tape or packaging tape.
In a day or two look again.
if the moisture is under the plastic, then it is from weeping up through the crete. If it is on top, the source is condensation.
Needsless to say, be sure your gutters are cleaned and the grade slopes away from the foundation so rain is not trapped into the ground under the slab.
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