Waterproofing

Foundation Waterproofing

Building a home requires some very careful considerations. One very important consideration involves waterproofing your foundation. Many homeowners are under the assumption that their foundation has indeed been waterproofed when in fact it has only been damp-proofed.

There is a big difference between these two techniques. Damp-proofing may prevent a certain amount of water vapor from transferring into your basement, but in order to effectively protect your basement from water infiltration it must be properly waterproofed. In the past, builders paid little attention to waterproofing foundations.

Years ago builders did not even bother to apply a tar coating and they also did not have access to large sheets of plastic to retard the transfer of water vapor. This is why the basement of older homes typically has a dank moldy smell to it. Mold grows happily in environments fueled by the constant stream of moisture. In a basement, the moisture comes in through the water being carried in the soil surrounding the foundation. It enters the house through both the unprotected walls and through the concrete slab you walk across.

Waterproofing is the only way to permanently stop water and water vapor from entering your foundations walls. There are several different techniques used to accomplish this. Spray-on systems seem to work well when it comes to sealing off the pores of your concrete walls. Whatever you do, make sure you are waterproofing your foundations and not damp-proofing it. Damp-proofing is the cheap way out. It is cheap because it cost less and it is cheap because it fails to waterproof effectively. Damp-proofing typically consists of hot liquid asphalt sprayed on the concrete.

All About Polyurea

Polyurea is truly a remarkable coating. It is being used successfully for so many different applications today. Polyurea coatings and linings are more commonly applied over concrete and steel for corrosion protection and abrasion resistance. They also have tremendous advantages over conventional materials for joint fill and caulk applications due to their fast set nature, high elongation and durability/abrasion characteristics. Polyurea can be molded and shaped by spraying it into molds.

The main issue everyone must understand is that Polyurea by name is not a specific coating system or a specification, it is a description of a polymer TECHNOLOGY. A great technology that boasts so many different formulations and physical property ranges. There are pure polyureas (defined by the PDA) and there are hybrid polyurea systems, each possessing their own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

Polyurea cannot solve your protective coating or joint fill needs by itself. It must be specified and installed in combination with proper surface preparation and primers, correct manufacturer’s material formulation, proper equipment, quality control inspection and trained applicators.

Users must take into consideration that the proper combination of formulation, spray equipment, surface preparation, primers, training and application procedures is what leads to polyurea success.

Improper training, under-rated equipment and lack of material/substrate compatibilities and preparation leads to polyurea failure.