Basement Flooring Guide

Contrary to common belief, the water damage to basement foundation is not only thru saturated soil surrounding the home, but also thru improper or insufficient drainage in the basement area. Water in the soil due its inherent nature of coming up to the top pushes the floor from below. The hydrostatic pressure so built up presses against all surfaces of the basements, including floor and walls. That’s why houses with imperfect waterproofing in the basement develop cracks on the floor and walls.

Under normal circumstances, groundwater or rainwater in underdeveloped areas continues to go down the soil due gravitational force. Sooner or later this water goes to join some underground reservoirs or another natural source of water like a spring, creed or river. When we build houses or buildings on such an area that had lot of groundwater beneath, there is a significant change of circumstances. Water that had hitherto been free to move in the soil meets with the resistance offered by foundations, and that causes problems to homeowners with improper drainage.

Hydrostatic pressure from surrounding saturated soil begins to build up gradually and presses against basement walls and the floor. This continuous pressure causes floors and walls to develop cracks and moisture seeps thru them, leading to build up of mold and mildew. If ignored, this can cost a lot of money for being fixed. That’s what makes it all the more important to improve drainage system prior to heavy rains because emergency repairs in case of an unanticipated flood will surely cost a lot more than simple preventative maintenance.

If we provide proper footer drain tiles around the footing of the foundation, the excess of water can be routed away from your home, thus preventing pressure on the floor and walls. Unless it’s too old a house, the foundation would have been provided with some kind of drainage system. Quite often, just repairing or cleaning of existing drainage suffices the purpose. That’s definitely cheaper than excavation and installation of new footer drains.

Very often the existing footer drain tiles of clay get obstructed or broken by accumulated dirt or tree roots. As a result, water is unable to move away from your home and hence all the complications. Drain cleaning companies can find the exact location of the blockage without digging all around your home by just tapping into a small portion of the drainage system surrounding your home.

It makes sense to get estimates from a few companies before finalizing your contract with a waterproofing company to take care of your damaged basement floor and walls. Rather than delaying the action, you should plan in time and take timely action needed for correcting your foundation and save yourself from the unnecessarily heavy expense that may be incurred to avert an emergent situation later.