SUPERSEAL DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS: Installation Instructions. At the top is where you follow the specific pattern that repeats over and over. Exterior concrete sealer products are designed and manufactured to endure harsh environmental elements including; wind, rain, snow, sleet, hydrostatic pressure (pressure from below / behind the surface) and sunlight. My first plan was to excavate the dirt, dump it in the backyard, and then backfill the trench with that very same dirt. Give us a few details and we’ll match you with the right pro. I was initially worried about getting too much water into the cracks in the foundation wall, but eventually I realized that there wasn’t much I could do about it. Over the course of the project there was all sorts of weather, which is no surprise given how long it took me to get everything done. Small Plugs can be used to fasten corners and overlaps. Zip code. Put a SuperPlug 4-6 inches in from each corner, every 2 feet vertically. This prevents any soil and/or backfill material from touching the wall itself. The easiest way to get rid of dirt is to pay someone to take it away in a roll off dumpster. I can hear you now, "Tim, my builder did waterproof my foundation. Updated Electrical Paneling (2018), Exterior Foundation Waterproofing (2020), New Hot Tub (2018), Brand New Furnace + A/C (2020). The perfect product for a leaking basement wall or building foundation, Liquid Rubber Foundation Sealant works by creating a watertight seal to keep moisture where you want it. It prevents backfill material from touching the foundation wall and bridges typical wall cracks with ease and can be backfilled right away. Exterior waterproofing prevents water from entering foundation walls from the outside by hydrostatic pressure or cracks in the foundation, and is the only adequate method to prevent water penetration. KILZ L390201 Interior/Exterior Liquid Masonry Sealer Buy from Amazon Designed by a brand that won the paint brand of the year in 2015 in the Harris Poll EquipTrend Rankings, the KILZ L390201 interior/exterior liquid masonry sealer protects and beautifies your concrete and other masonry surfaces, while protecting and maintaining the details and color without changing color. The most cost effective is tar based and black in color. I made liberal use of the butyl rubber caulk since I had many areas where I poorly installed the foundation membrane. I may not have needed to expend such a monumental effort in excavating and then waterproofing my foundation had I been content with a little moisture. This is undesirable since it may cause cracks or even failure of your foundation in extreme circumstances. A little further down the page you’ll see that I poured self-leveling concrete on the footing to make it less rocky and more smooth to encourage the water to drain away. The principle benefit of the coating is that it fills the pores of the cement block, which prevents water from seeping in. I struggled mightily to position the membrane in such a way that I could accurately cut it. Where the stucco meets the top of the block foundation fall was very craggy, so I covered it with self-leveling concrete too. 8-10 feet and install another SuperPlug. But that would have been too easy! It has reverse dimples on the back that interlock into the top 4 rows of dimples on the membrane itself. Find a foundation waterproofing contractor near you. The water is sent through PVC pipes to a lower elevation, either to the street or to a far part of your property where is will be soaked up by the ground. Continue this process until all the membrane is hanging on the wall. The roll of bamboo barrier is thicker, but not as wide as the landscaping fabric, so I put it on top and adjacent to the house. Each plug has 5 dimples that interlock into the membrane providing superior holding strength over a single plug. In some areas I struggled to pull it taut, which resulted in folds. Provides superior strength and uses less Super Plugs and labor. Exterior basement waterproofing involves digging out the dirt around basement walls, applying a moisture barrier and installing a specially designed dimple board that deflects water away from the wall. The Dos and Don’ts of Waterproofing Basement Walls Troubleshoot the causes and find the solutions to wet basement walls – the sooner, the better, to maintain the integrity of your home. Positive-side waterproofing consists of installing a waterproofing membrane or layer between the substrate to be protected and the source of water. My initial plan was to backfill the trench with all the dirt that I labored to dig out, but I later learned that an ideal backfill material is impermeable. Addition coating(s) on the wall is not required but provides additional protection. Instead of dealing with the indignity of moving the dirt twice, I could have excavated and dropped the dirt directly into the dumpster. The basic process is to dump a mound of dirt and rocks on the top filter (the 1/2″ hardware cloth), push the soil through the screen with your hands, remove the top filter with whatever rocks are left, repeat pushing the soil through the bottom filter (the 1/4″ hardware cloth), remove the bottom filter with whatever smaller rocks remain, and then you’re left with the filtered dirt. A better backfill material is gravel, which doesn’t collect water so it drains well. A mini excavator, such as a Bobcat, would have saved me a lot of time and labor, even though I ultimately decided against renting one. Although my application was below grade, I still wanted to cover it with a protective coating. Top 10 Foundation Waterproofing Contractors near you. Hopefully the slope of the backfill around my house is good enough to prevent water from collecting around my foundation. Eye protection, Ear protection, gloves, hammer, Tool belt, tape measure, marker, chalk line, utility knife, ladder, caulking gun or putty knife. Search. • Part # SZ78201 Exterior Waterproofing Services Waterproofing the exterior of your home, is the most effective way to stop water from penetrating your foundation wall. I found that a pair of scissors, a straight edge, and a joint knife were sufficient for cutting the sheets and getting them to stick to the foam. It adheres to all sorts of surfaces, which made it perfect for disguising my butyl rubber caulk mess. You can use the Membrane Cap throughout your entire job. Protect your home with SUPERSEAL in 3 easy steps: Unroll the membrane, fasten to the wall, and back fill. I covered the barrier of fabric with a further layer of gravel that I graded away from the house. JavaScript must be supported by your browser and needs to be enabled in order to view this page. The Multi-Purpose Ladder is the Best Ladder for DIY Home Use, excavated and dropped the dirt directly into the dumpster, a propane torch to expedite the drying process, DrySeal Premium Rubberized Foundation Coating, extruded polystyrene (XPS) as external insulation, blade designed especially for soft materials, Department of Energy Crawlspace Insulation, Ultimate DIY Guide to Exterior Basement Foundation Waterproofing, Part II: Increase Attic Intake Ventilation to Drastically Cut Cooling Costs, Part I: Increase Attic Exhaust Ventilation to Drastically Cut Cooling Costs, How to Air Seal Recessed Can Lights from the Inside, Several tons of pea gravel (surprisingly difficult to dig into with a spade), A mysterious length of electrical wiring, connected to nowhere so far as I could tell, Lots of roots, often to plants that no longer exist. Unbeknownst to me there are many grades of gravel and purportedly the best for backfilling a foundation are #57 or #67. This was the one good opportunity to put in a french drain since I had excavated around the perimeter of the foundation and below the footing. It may seem counterintuitive to drill holes into the wall, but the only alternative to mechanically fastening the membrane is to use an adhesive and I’m not convinced that would work. I searched high and low for a good adhesive, but I’m not convinced that one exists for joining high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to extruded polystyrene (XPS). Once I started thinking about the project it became likely that I would go ahead and do it. HILTI GX 120 https://www.hilti.ca/direct-fastening/electrical-%26-mechanical-fastenings/r3697, HILTI G3 https://www.hilti.ca/direct-fastening/drywall-applications/3538128, Ramset Trakfast http://www.ramset.ca/product/47/trakfast-gas-powered-tool, You can also use 1 ¼ inches Tapcon screws ( 1 ¼ inches x 3/16 inches hexagon head is best). The trench I dug was of varying depths and I couldn’t figure out a good way to measure the slope. This is more time consuming than a nail gun but works well if it you are doing a small job or it’s a onetime use. Exterior waterproofing is designed to stop water from accumulating around the foundation. From acid stains and colored sealers, to concrete cleaners and etchers, we have everything you need to start and complete your concrete project. The dampproofing is only as good as its application, as the above photo can attest. Giving a stronger hold which can reduce the amount of plugs need at the top. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) slowly degrades with exposure to sunlight. (See detailed instructions for more details). When water seeps into your home from parts of the foundation, an exterior drain may be the best solution. To fix this I just slathered the DrySeal everywhere, for better or worse. It was a slog and in hindsight I should have saved myself a step and went directly from trench into dumpster, although as previously noted that would have been difficult given my intermittent schedule. Don't leave form-tie … Make sure that you have all the tools and material necessary to complete the job. While I was in the middle of excavating I learned that soil isn’t a good material to use as backfill for a foundation due to its permeability. Both are fastened every 6-8 inches butting each piece together as you go. Dampproofing with boards to insulate foundation and protect dampproofing membrane.Jaco Waterproofing. Enough to keep the membrane tight against the wall. Waterproofing keeps out both moisture and water. If that fails, may my waterproofing job repel any water that accumulates in the neighboring soil. To prevent water from accumulating near the foundation I covered the gravel backfill with two layers of fabric. I do not have many photos of the intermittent excavation of my foundation, unfortunately. Certainly many people live for decades with damp basements. It is available in 1 and 5 gallon pails and also in caulking gun tubes. Try to get the bottom plugs as close to the footing as possible to prevent the membrane from moving around while the drain work and backfilling is being done. Fits into individual dimple. All rolls are 65.5’ long and are available in 10 different roll heights ranging from 3’6” to 13’2”. Both were laughably inefficient and made no difference once I cleaned the wall with the pressure washer. This creates a  W  pattern . The majority of exterior waterproofing involves basements, but of course any structure that is vulnerable to moisture from the outdoors can be waterproofed. This makes for less digging and is safer since the dirt walls aren’t likely to collapse and trap me. Initially I tried to prevent the water from accumulating in the trench by covering it with a tarp, but that didn’t work very well, so by the second big rain I decided not to do it anymore. Exterior Foundation Waterproofing Is A Long Lasting Solution. I could only find #57 so that is what I used to fill my trench. I made sure to thoroughly cover the washer and Tapcon screw heads lest any water sneak in. This was the messiest and stinkiest part of the project, but the coating went on easily enough. Water enters a basement through the soil that is surrounding the foundation and expands. He found some suspicious drywall and with a meter measured an abnormal amount of moisture within the wall. “Know what’s below. when installing an interior weeping tile system for a concrete block / cinder block wall is not the best waterproofing option for a leaking basement The DimpleGrip and the Membrane Cap are in a bundle with 10 pieces that are  4 feet long equaling 40 linear feet. Waterproofing is important because excess water poses structural risks to your home and health risks to your family. I left it under the tree and told myself that I’d deal with it later. Liquid Rubber Foundation Sealant A nature-friendly coating that cures into a waterproof membrane. My reasons for not installing a french drain were twofold. When you come to an inside or outside corner you can put a slice in the membrane at the bottom to allow the rest of the roll to wrap the corner without cutting the whole roll vertically. Digging is a lot of work, so I would only do it for a couple of hours a day, if that. The principle benefit of the coating is that it fills the pores of the cement block, which prevents water from seeping in. Walls should be reinforced to keep cracks tight and the concrete should be well consolidated. The second product I applied to my foundation wall was DrySeal Premium Rubberized Foundation Coating. There’s a natural gas line on the side of my house, so I dutifully called 811 before starting the project. This clay-like substance is a good material to use as foundation waterproofing due to its ability to absorb water until it expands to its full capacity. Foundation Sealer. One difficulty to securing the membrane is folding and cutting it to accommodate the many right angles of a foundation. This water can move through your basement or crawlspace floor. Pretty sound idea, right? When a home is being built, a waterproof coating is often applied to the foundation. There’s a pretty large conifer in the backyard, so it made sense (at the time) to dump all the dirt underneath it, thus saving the lawn. The remedy for all of these problems is the same – install an exterior waterproofing membrane to create an impermeable water barrier on the outside of the foundation. The basic pattern is;  Put a plug 8 inches down from the top and install a row of SuperPlugs every 16 inches horizontally. Remember though, exterior wall waterproofing cannot prevent water from moving deeply below your foundation walls. Super Plugs fastened 12-16″ OC and Membrane Cap for sloping areas. I would not have attempted this project if I had a full basement. Within the year there were areas of discoloration and blistered paint, so obviously something was wrong with the foundation wall. SUPERSEAL Dimpled Membrane is made from tough, long lasting plastic that keeps exterior moisture out. (also recognized as foundation mastic, roof patch, or plastic cement). This is just another small project that pops up while you’re doing a bigger project. Obviously I’m not an expert, so be skeptical of any advice you read here. It’s a better tool for the task than just a shovel. Determine the final grade height and snap chalk lines. Used mostly for contractors with a nail gun system. This sheet of plastic provides a barrier between the foundation and the surrounding soil. They would prefer to haul away refuse that can easily be dropped off at the county dump. Why not, right? To secure the membrane to the foundation I drilled a bunch of holes into it with a rotary hammer and then screwed Tapcon anchors (with nylon washers) with a hammer drill. Ensure you have enough membrane, plugs, and molding strips to complete the area that you are protecting. I didn’t bother with them due to the unnecessary expense, as well as the fact that I purchased two different rolls from different manufacturers, so I’d have interoperability issues. The membrane can sit directly on top of the footing or extend out to the edge of the footing. Liquid Rubber Foundation and Basement Sealant - Indoor & Outdoor Use - Easy to Apply - Waterproof Coating - Black, 5 Gallon 4.6 out of 5 stars 685 $109.95 $ 109 . To secure the second layer of 2” XPS insulation I applied a generous bead of foamboard adhesive. Then 8 inches down for that row of plugs install another row of plugs every 16 inches in between the plugs above. Lack of social weekend social engagements? Call before you dig.” And be extra careful with that shovel! For Higher Volume orders contact us directly at info@superseal.ca, (Premium System) The first step in installing an exterior waterproofing membrane is to start digging. I did this with great hesitation since every new hole is another point of failure. Just a reminder that if you’re going to DIY a foundation waterproofing project you’re going to be rained out, especially since the project will bleed from one season into the next. What’s worth mentioning is the guy did a poor marking job and was at least a foot off. Compare. This method is labour intensive and time consuming. Concrete cracks at the weakest point and that is almost always at the bottom of a window opening. A better material for backfilling is gravel because it doesn’t absorb any water. • Part # SZ81179 I had leftover DrySeal, so I generously poured it on the foundation footing. Good for sealing foundations. The only alternative is to score the foam with a utility knife and then snap it apart, but that becomes difficult with a large sheet. You may think you’ve stopped the water from getting into your home, but in fact it’s found a way in again. of hydrostatic pressure equivalent to water pressure at a depth of 22 ft. A good tool for plant removal is a mattock because it has enough heft and a sharp edge to cut through roots. Incorporate into the drain system at the footing. It is better if the membrane is installed prior to installing perforated pipe and the drainstone. There are so many time-delay booby traps that can spring on you months or years after you move in. This can be found in the roofing or foundation section at most local lumber yards and Hardware stores. Exterior basement waterproofing helps keep your basement dry and your foundation structurally sound. It’s especially frustrating when the nice days are during the work week, while the inclement weather occurs over the weekend. 1 roll of membrane requires approximately: Requires Membrane Cap for all edges and SuperPlug fastened 8″ OC. More Options Available. Consult with local building official if one is involved, as they determine what they will accept. (HINT: We often recommend to order both types DimpleGrip Molding & Membrane Cap if your job has both level and sloping areas), Membrane Cap is a piece of plastic 4 feet long and only 1 ½ inches wide that seals all open edges. Use a suitable mastic or tar for patching tie holes, honeycombing, protrusions, etc.