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Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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Posted by diymostoftime (My Page) on Wed, May 3, 06 at 23:10
I am currently refinishing my basement. I painted the concrete walls w/ that DryLoc waterproofing paint before I put up my 2 x 4 walls. I saw the demo at Home Depot and it sold me on it. It wasn't fun to do (that stuff smells) as well as it takes some time but it's done and over with.
Now, the question is what do I do with the bare concrete floor?
I will be putting carpeting in half of the basement w/ a nice pad for comfort.
In the other part of the basement I plan to put Mannington laminate planks that look like real wood. Under this I will use the recommended vapor barrier per Mannington recommendations.
My question is before I do the above on the floor, should I coat the concrete floor w/ one of the special floor paints that also have a waterproofing effect? Or would this be a waste of time and money as the floor will be covered and water does not rest under the floor like it runs on the outside walls????
Thanks in advance for your advice.
P.S. - I like to do it right the first time. If it isn't done right the first time, why bother at all. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I know there was some discussion on this topic before. Try doing a search for Dryloc and/or Dricore. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| Do not put Drylok on the floor! It will crack under the water pressure. You can use Drylok's clear masonry sealer, but it is not a waterproofer, just a moisture barrier. (I used to be a customer service person for this company). For more info on what products of Drylok's to use, call their 800 number and ask to speak to a lab technician. They get a million calls about the same thing all day so they are very helpful. Their number is 1-800-UGL-LABS. They have techs available from 8:30-4:00 eastern time. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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I have same ? and have been researching
will drylock - after cleaning masonary fieldstone walls
floor will be carpet on finished side and vinyl on utility Here's what I found thus far
1. 2 part expoxy - expensive for product
2. Thoro seal
3. Paint store owner just told me to use Zinser (?sp) primer which will act as vapor/moisture barrier and only $19/gal Let me know I'm following up |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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I am leaning towards leaving the concrete floor as is. For the following reasons:
1) in other discussions, they stated that if you ever tile, don't do it - i don't know if i will but just in case
2) why do the extra work and spend the money if it isn't needed - no one is staying do it due to xyz (walls are a little different - i used dryloc simply because of the home depot demo as well as rain will hit the outside walls - rain won't hit the basment floor |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I would strongly suggest you do not use padding in the basement. I did and a flooded basement (long story) made me have to remove everything. I could have saved the carpet had I not used the pad (any carpet person will tell you NOT to use paddiing in the basement as it holds moisture). if you are looking for comfort, use the under carpet heating systems. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| You've probably completed the project by now, but, for those who are referring to this for help with the same type of project... After (or even before) you begin your project, build up the landscaping around your home. Even if all you do is dump more dirt around the perimeter of your foundation, do it. Make sure it's at least two feet taller than it was. This may cost you $100, depending upon the size of your home and how much dirt you use... but it's totally worth it. I'm living in a turn-of-the century home, and I have always had water in my basement. I get rivers. This spring, I built up my landscaping... put dirt around the house... and I've not had nearly as much water as I normally have. This past week, we had 10 inches of water fall on us in less than a 24-hour period. My neighbors who had finished basements were tossing out the contents of those finished basements... and I was just dealing with small rivers which had come in. Mind you, I haven't even started my waterproofing project, except for building up the landscaping. It's a must. Trust me. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I am from columbus, OH. I just finished the dryall and ceilings in my basement. I was checking the local homedepot and other carpet stores.My main concern is water proofing the concrete floor of my basement. We want to install carpeting in our basement, one homedepot guy suggested a thicker carpet padding with a vapor barrier before laying down the carpet will take care of any water from the cement floors. The other guy from rite rug wants to install a $.80/sft vapor barrier, and wants to do it as soon as I can get it. I am looking at different options for water proffing or atleast water transfer prevention before getting any carpetting there. Here are some of the options I have researched so far.. 1. ThermalDry- it is not sold in any retail stores, but only installed by some basement finishing system companies.
like 2 to 2.40/ sqFt intalled. I have 800 sqft to finish so its a costly option. 2. BondPrep from ICI paints - a water proofing floor paint. 3. 2 part Epoxy is not a waterproofer but a surface finisher.
4. RadonSeal, looks like a viable option, $250 for product and shipping along with sprayer. The local ICI paints guy got this BondPrep for concrete floor water proofing, we are going to try this. Wondering what "diymostoftime" or "jejvtr" did for his/her basement floor? I will follow this discussion, please add your comments or suggessions. Thanks. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I haven't done anything yet. I am still deciding. I am leading towards doing NOTHING. Simply in case I or next homeowner decides to pull up the carpet and install tiles. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I had just put in carpet from HD with the upgraded Ultra Berberbond padding which has a plastic vapor barrier on one side. Well... torrential rain storm hit and two weeks later, had to pull out everything! I have never had water in the basement in this 10 year old home. I would not put carpet in the basement if you have any chance of water at all. I will be tiling the floor up now. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I don't know about painting the floors. I do know that our basement collects a lot of water on the floors during the 'rainy season', but that is mostly due to leakage from the walls. We have been looking into some type of waterproof/resistant flooring because we're planning to use the space now. We know to stay away from traditional carpet, but tiles aren't really an option for us because of the way our basement floor is. It would cost an ungodly amount of money to compensate for how uneven it is. Anyway, looking into I've run across a product that I'm seriously considering. The company is Water Recovery Carpets & Tiles, and they're selling something they claim doesn't absorb water like other carpet tiles. They interlock like puzzle pieces (stating that there is no need for any sort of glue as their product is real interlinking tiles and won't come apart if you hold a chain of them up in the air) and are easy to pull up if they get wet, and will dry withing a few hours and then can be put down again. They're EVA Foam Tiles, so warm and not cold, but I have doubts about the actual possibility of this so-called 'easy' drying. We'd have to move the furniture to pull them up. In your case, however, where your walls are sealed and there is little chance of large amounts of water, this product sounds like the best thing. (The site also says that, due to the products composition, they won't mold, so that's something too.) Good luck with whatever you choose to do, and I hope this helped. The website address is waterrecoverycarpets.com |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I thought about doing the epoxy system that is sold for doing garage floors and throwing some rugs down. I would love to have a cushy carpet floor and home theater system down there but I think I will go with the rugs and possibly the floor epoxy. They sell flakes and color chips you can put in the epoxy for different looks. you could mask off lines in the floor and make stripes or a pattern so it does not look quite so industrial. If you sell the home down the road then it can be pitched as a craft/woodworking or hobby area that is easy to clean or as living space that is low maintenance and would be easy to deal with if there was flooding. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I had an insurance adjuster out here earlier this week to look at my wet basement and she said do NOT waterproof your concrete floors. You do need to allow some weeping because if there's a flood, the water pressure will build up under the foundation, no place to go, and your entire foundation could shift. She said to just clean it and leave it alone. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| Do not use the garage stuff if you get any type of water or have pets that might sprinkle some. Our basement had some minor seepage issues in summer if it was very wet and humid. We also had two elderly cats that are now gone. The cats were incontinent and anywhere they peed, the floor peeled up even if we cleaned it. The floor also came up in a few other places, rather it peeled Now that the cats are gone we are looking into finishing the floor |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| I'm in the same mess. My basement is partially finished. I have not had any running water (thank God!) in my basement but do have a damp cinderblock wall. House is 12 years old (including foundation). I am putting in an interior french drain system with "Basement Solutions". I have Dry-Lok on the unfinished wall which I am going to pay someone to remove! The problem is that moisture gets trapped between the cinderblock and the DryLok and then, IT BUBBLES! Putting nothing on your walls is best. I need to now find a flooring solution for the finished portion, of which hydrostatic pressure has forced moisture up through the floor and has discolored a portion of my (soon to be thrown out) rug. French drains going in there, too, but I don't know what type of vapor barrier to put down before putting down either carpeting or tiles, although I'd rather have carpeting. Any suggestions would be helpful. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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I'm almost finished my own basement renovation project. Since the concrete floor was painted years ago, sealing over it is useless. Instead, I've been looking into subfloor options.
I eventually decided on Superseal All-in-one subfloor. Like Drycore it has plastic dimples to raise the floor off the concrete but is only 1/8" thick and doesn't require a plywood top. Its relatively cheap at $150-175 for a 332 square foot roll; just roll it out, cut and tape. Lay a carpet pad right over it.
Good for borderline cases without flooding/pooling water risks but allows the concrete to breathe a little if vapor is an issue.
If you're worried about major flooding, I wouldn't go with carpet or wood flooring; maybe epoxy or some sort of laminate or plastic tile system.
If you're only worried about vapor/humidity then a subfloor option seems the way to go.
From what I understand, sealing the floor won't ever stop water from passing thru the concrete and evaporating into the air; the hydrostatic pressure is too great. So the better solution is to allow a space for the vapor to collect and reabsorb into the concrete. Dimpled/cleated Subfloors purport to accomplish this.
Laying plastic sheeting or waterproof carpet padding on the concrete may allow the vapor to condense and collect as standing water.
You can check for vapor/moisture problems by duct-taping a square of plastic sheeting onto the concrete and checking in a day or two for moisture. If the plastic is wet, you have a problem. If its dry you may be ok but take into consideration season; in my neck of the woods the ground freezes in the winter so performing this test now would probably come up dry anyway.
Check out the Superseal at . I'll report back in July with performance results:) |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| Lowes and other stores sells a floor epoxy paint kit with flakes and color chips. You can use masking tape on the floor and make stripes or a pattern. We did this to a garage and the effect is very nice and has lasted for years so far with heavy usage. Makes for a smooth finish easy to clean basement floor. Could get slick if wet though, don't recommend around pool areas. |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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| you have made a basic error in finishing your basement - dryloc will push off your walls sooner than later and an that point will not be accessable behind the finished walls - what we do for an area to be finished is to cut a channel in the floor at rhe cold joint 3" wide and 1 to 2" deep - your finished wall should be framed out at least 3#" from the foundation wall - that channel is directed to a sump well - before you frame install a heavy gaue poly from the sill plate of the house to under the floor plate in tha basement - that will give you a positive vapor barrier regardless of what happens down the road - as to the floor if you have hydrostatic pressure under the slab the finish you have on will also push off in time - do not put down a floor without installing a sump pump to relieve the pressure or you will be ripping everything out within 5 yars (if that long) - Jack @ www.aaahomerepair.com |
RE: Should I paint/waterproof my basement floor?
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Amy
(akalvig@yahoo.com) Over the years, my husband has built up a dirt berm around our basement that has helped considerably with water coming into the basement. It is unfinished, but we wish to paint the floor, which is just concrete. Does gravel also work in place of dirt? I'd like to add gravel around the foundation to discourage both water and critters from coming in the house. |
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