Basement Flooring Guide

Basement floors that are made of concrete have a high chance of being corrupted by moisture. It’s because of the water in liquid or vaporous form that enters into the basement through floor resulting in mold, mildew and the accompanied unpleasant odor. Paint can’t remain in good state in humid conditions and gets peeled off or causes blisters to appear in a matter of time. As a consequence, any kind of carpeting on such floors is bound to collect moisture and get damaged in the process. But, there are ways to seal a basement floor against moisture and gas leakages.

Sodium Silicate Vapor Impermeable Concrete Sealers

It is best to use a sealer with sodium silicate for such applications, as it is impervious to vapors emanating from the interior of a concrete floor. These sealers prove to be better than surface film sealers as the latter still allow water and its vapors to penetrate thru the concrete. Water in vaporous form gets collected beneath the surface of the sealer and as the pressure continues to builds up, blisters begin to appear.

Sodium silicate penetrating sealer works better as it is capable of penetrating thru the concrete up to a depth of four inches. On entering the concrete it reacts with free elements of concrete to give a crystalline structure and seals the microscopic pores on the concrete floor. The concrete gets dense and hardened on curing. That keeps water and its vapors on the exteriors of concrete and can be wiped off or it gets evaporated on its own if there is no covering on the floor.

Gas and Vapor Transmission

When the microscopic pores of the concrete get filled, gas and vapors are unable to penetrate thru the concrete. They can no more migrate from the surrounding soil to the basement area.

Stops Efflorescence

You would have observed a chalky white material appearing on the basement floor. This is known as efflorescence. This is formed as solid salts leash out of the concrete and getting deposited on the surface of the concreter after water gets evaporated. Though a normal process, the application of penetrating concrete sealer stops it altogether.

Advantages of using Penetrating Sodium Silicate Vapor Impermeable Concrete Sealer

* Puts an end to water vapor transmission
* Eliminates water seepage
* Reduces gas and vapor migration
* Makes the surface paint worthy
* Doesn’t cause any change to appearance
* Concrete becomes hardened

Easy Application

Concrete sealers offer the easiest of application and can be applied by just using a brush or roller. However, many people prefer to do it with a pump up garden spray with a flat fan pattern spray tip. That way you get the most even coating of materials. However, you need to make sure that the basement floor is thoroughly clean and dry, devoid of any oils or grease prior to its application.

The leakage in your basement can be controlled by the application of waterproof masonry sealer. You can conveniently get it from any hardware store. This powder is soluble in water. You make a paste of this powder with water and apply on the wall. On getting dried up, it acts as a barrier of moisture. Of course, you’ll make sure that the surface is thoroughly clean before you decide to apply the solution. Having mixed the sealant, follow the instructions of the manufacturer to get desired results.

Any cracks or holes in the wall can be filled by using masonry sealers. This is a very simple job. The mixture is straightaway applied and left to dry. You should understand it’s very important to fill up all the holes and cracks before proceeding with the application of paint; else the final finish may not come to expectations.

It’s good to have some useful tools and materials in stock at home for carrying small projects and you are not required to rush to hardware store every time you want to complete a small renovation or repair job. Some of these tools are wire brushes, trowel, sponges, spanners and screw drivers of different sizes paint thinners and sand and cement.

In case you just want to provide protection to brick work or concrete wall, simply coating them with masonry paint should do the trick. It prevents walls from leaking. As usual, the application of any paint should be preceded by a thorough cleaning of the surface to be painted. Wire brush comes handy for such cleaning. The prepared walls need to be coated with a coat of primer before application of paint. Primer helps to get a smoother finish and prolongs the life of final coat of paint.

Even small projects can make your home a more comfortable place to live in, as they offer better protection from harsh weather conditions. While undertaking any repairing project you should plan it in detail and spend the required time for its completion rather than rushing it up.

All these improvements make your home more desirable and welcoming and possibly add to its value too, should you decide to sell it anytime. There are many homeowners who lack interest in undertaking any renovation project or even to properly maintain the present one. Usual reason is that people take it for sure that such projects are very expensive. It’s not unusual for many home owners to go for a second loan for execution of such projects, but that’s not really appreciable as taking loan sets in the debt spiral.

Most homeowners don’t seem to realize that all such projects for keeping the home in good shape aren’t really too expensive. And, quite a few don’t take much of time also. The expensive projects are usually confined to the bathroom and kitchen.

Replacements with expensive parts work out cheap in the long run than continue having a leaking basement. Another welcoming feature is that most of these projects are easy to do DIY kind of projects and don’t require any special skills or professional help for their completion. For instance, one could conveniently install a shower for under five hundred dollars. Showers are not difficult to install and come with user manuals giving detailed instructions for installation in an easy to understand language.