Concrete sealer

[Nino Maini]

Hey guys, It has been along time since my first post http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=47530

Since that time I have come back to USA, purchased my first new car and just closed on my house two weeks ago.

I have a nice basement that gets no standing water, but does have some scaling on the walls and floors and has a musty smell. I want to make it into a workshop, so first step is to seal the concrete.

What is everyones thoughts on Drylok style products vs the chemical style sealers (http://www.wetsealers.net/concrete_s...0_conseal.html) From my research the chemical stuff is the better choice, but I have found a least 6 different companies all stating they are the best....

[Sam Shank]

I've read and heard good things about this one:

http://www.radonseal.com/cleaners/universal-cleaner.htm

[Jeff Bower]

Nino, first welcome back! Before you start sealing the basement walls have you already made sure everything outside is right to help keep water out? Think, grade of soil around foundation, clean gutters, drain pipes moving water away from house, etc.

I fixed these problems first on a place I lived once and no more water was leaking in after.

[Kyle Kraft]

I have used the Drylock stuff on 3 houses, and have been very happy with the results. However, I had textbook water control on the outside. The main reason I used it was to prevent moisture migration and brighten up the basement.

[Jerry Clark]

The first thing I would do is add a de-humidifier to the basement. This will help control the moisture, reduce the smell and the rusting of expensive tools.

[Al Willits]

Also had very good luck with these products.

http://www.akonallc.com/index.html

Al

[Nino Maini]

Thanks guys for all the tips. Yes the outside is all set. The footing drains are strong. So far, I see no evidence that water goes into the basement, it is only moist. Yes I have a de-humidifier which is running 24-7.

The radonSeal guys are about 20 minutes from my house, so maybe I will give them a visit

[Craig Kershaw]

I used to work for a construction company that specialized in concrete repair; one of their specialities was waterproofing for watertreatment facilities. Drylock is a decent product but has a low PSI rating . It will bond with concrete or block walls but the amount of moisture/water that it will hold back in terms of pounds per square inch is fairly low, on the order of 10 - 20 psi. Another product with a much higher rating for PSI is two part epoxy. You could use the garage floor epoxy paint from HD or if you want to spend more money you can use the stuff that industrial waterproofing companies use. You can buy two part epoxy for waterproofing that can be applied to damp surfaces, but of course it will be pricey. Like most things you get what you pay for. Either is a challenge to apply but both will yield far greater results than drylock. However, the most successful way to solve any kind of serious basement moisture problem is by dealing with things on the outer wall of the foundation. I would suggest you exhaust all the simple things - does all the slope fall away from the house, are the gutters sending water away from the house, etc.

[Nino Maini]

Thanks everyone. From everyones input and more searching on the net, I'm going with Endur-o-seal. To protect the basement will be a little expensive, but will worth the money

http://www.enduroseal.com/