In preparation for finishing a part of my basement, I’ll need to seal one area of the cinderblock wall that’s weeping slightly with a waterproofing paint. The previous owner appeared to use a UGL product, but if I recall, he told me he used only one coat. Lowe’s has another product, Xypex HD-150 Concrete Waterproofer, that I’ve never heard of. It supposedly is a powder that is mixed with water and brushed onto wet concrete, where it “becomes an integral part of the concrete by forming a non-soluble crystaline structure deep within the concrete. Pores are sealed and water penetration is stopped.” Both the Xypex and UGL prducts require two coats (no big deal). UGL has latex and oil-based coatings. The Xypex costs almost three times the UGL, but if it is a superior product, the cost isn’t an issue. Has anyone used any or all of these? Any opinions or suggestions?
Thanks.
Edited 7/24/2004 9:44 am ET by OVERKNIGHT
Replies
Anythignyou apply to the inside walls in an attempt to make them waterproof ... is a waste of money. All you are doing is trapping the moisture in the wall. The waterproofing has to be applied to the outside surface.
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Agree with Ed, but add if it is only one area, look outside. The solution may be as simple as changing the drainage plane around the house. Make the water go away from the house through proper gadeing,and the use of french drains. If that doesn't solve the problem, excavate outside and do it right the first time.
Dave
What these guys have said is totally right. Sometimes a minor leak in a solid poured cretewall can be fixed with this type of product, but rarely with a block wall.
Look at it this way -
The water is outside in the soil. It is leaking through the outside surface of the block into the middle chambers. Then it leaks on trough into the interior.
So, it you seal the interior surface, where does that water go?
It stays right there in the inner hollow chambers until it finsds a place to bleed through. IOW, you just move the leak
So, study all the sources of water outside, on the ground and where it CAN go, ( because that is where it will go) and make sure that the drainage plane is sloped so that the onlyu place it can go is away from the house.
Otherwise, you will need to dig around the foundatin and re-work things.
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I got both products on my walls, but remember I do not have a basement The ugl waterlox is a good product but it would only work on the outside. and if you read the instruction of the other you see it has to be replace every year. Its not for ever.
The previous posters are all correct in that water ought to be blocked from the outside.
Having said that, I'll answer your question. A few years ago Consumer Reports tested various waterproofing paints. Drylock was the only one that really worked. They recommended the latex version.
Thanks everyone. I don't disagree with anything that has been written. This is the first water problem I've had in the basement. There is a sump pump, but it has NEVER run; in fact, it's dusty, that's how dry the basement is. The grading in that area could be better, but isn't bad, and yes, I ought to put an extension on the gutter drain so it discharges farther from the house. The dampness in the wall isn't very much, especially considering the amount of rain we've recently had; it has never come close to reaching the floor. I just wanted to do something to keep the wall more dry before furring strips and sheetrock go up. I had used a UGL waterproofing product a long time ago on a wall that was just occasionally damp, and as I recall, it did what I wanted/needed.
Thanks again.