It rained heavily yesterday. Today the paint on the concrete floor is bubbling up where there is a crack. The paint is probably very old; it has worn off in places.
It’s not just the floor that is a problem. Things on a shelf are showing rust and mold after less than a year.
How can the water/humidity problem be fixed? If it is not a DIY project, what kind of contractor should I call?
Janet
Replies
Move the garage to Arizona.
Janet
You seem to be plagued by problems lately.
Slab dampness means water around and probably under the slab. Is this garage above grade? buried into a hillside? have gutters that just dump out next to the foundation?
Any garage in a moderately wet climate is a moisture sponge, and having things rust is not at all unusual. About all you can do is the usual suspects: Tend to drainage, improve ventilation, elevate valuable equipment off the floor.
The garage is up against a three-foot-high retaining wall. The area immediately behind the wall is now a lawn, and behind that is an uphill slope. The previous owner said, "There was no level ground. I took out more than a dozen trees, then hired a landscape architect. They lifted a bobcat grader up over the retaining wall and carved away the leftover brush and made a level spot that is now the lawn. They must have carted a ton of large stones out of the yard."
There are gutters that empty next to the garage, but the driveway is pitched to channel the water away.
The bubbling paint was kind of stretchy while it was wet. Does that indicate a latex paint?--because I didn't think it could be used on concrete floors. Also, one of the cracks looks like it was patched.
Janet
Probably special paint for garage floors.
You probably need to drain that uphill side better. Ideal would be to excavate and install footer drains, but often just tending to the grade so no water can stand within 10 feet or so is sufficient.
Well............
If the retaining wall was waterproofed and tiled at least around the garage and out................
and the rest of the garage foundation is waterproofed and tiled............
and the gutters catch the water and get it away from the garage b/4 it percs into the ground..............
and there's a moisture barrier under the slab..........
then it might get dry and stay that way.
As far as the paint lifting/bubbling, it is being pushed off because of the transmission of moisture up and out of the slab. That the paint is rubbery means only that the paint is holding together well, but the bond to the slab is gone.
Could be old oil that caused poor adhesion-it is a garage.
or moisture migrating up and out. The same goes for top patches to a cracked slab. Unless that patch adheres well to the crack and no moisture pushes it up-it will last............at least until the slab moves apart from the cracks.......again.
Will repainting keep out the seepage, or is it just for looks?
Janet
It's just for looks, and to make it easier to sweep the floor.
It will keep out the seepage until........
the moisture in/under the slab pushes it off like it is doing now. You must intercept the water b/4 it saturates the soil under and around that slab, and direct it away. Otherwise, the hydro pressure coupled with poor adhesion will just push off most any coating.
Will repainting keep out the seepage, or is it just for looks?
Janet
I would guess that the bubbling paint is indicative of under slab moisture as the others have indicated. However, even without that issue, a garage that built into the side of a hill like yours is a bit like a basement. It's going to be cool & damp in the summertime. Things will rust if you don't do something about dehumidification.
Our garage is in the walkout part of our basement. Only part of one wall is built into the bank. It is well drained & has never had any moisture problems through the walls or the floor. Until I put a dehumidifier in there, though, metal was rusting & mold was growing on leather & wooden items.
Since, IMO, you're still going to need a dehumidifier if you use the area for storage, you could start with that step & see if it cures most of the problems before investing in any remedial work around the perimeter. Just a suggestion.
I would think it depended on whether there was somewhere to sweep stuff under.