Hello everyone,
three years ago we bought a house and completely renovated it. Now that all the living areas are finished, I am turning my attention to the basement to make it usable as well, because at the moment it resembles more of a storage room.
While clearing out items like paint cans, furniture, boxes, etc., I immediately noticed something concerning. Wherever something had been standing on the floor, there is a damp spot underneath. Under the moving boxes, the boxes have become so wet from below that the floor has cracked and is almost disintegrating. On the walls, I have seen that on the lowest row of blocks, the plaster is completely coming off and there is a sort of “mold”? on the walls. When I tapped the walls, it sounded hollow and the plaster detached. However, this only affects the bottom row of blocks. Above that, everything is solid and shows no discoloration.
This issue occurs both on the exterior walls that are in contact with the soil and on the interior walls, but not in all the basement rooms—only in 2 of the 4 rooms. The others are dry at both the walls and the floor.
I have attached some photos for you.
Now the important question... what is causing this? Rising groundwater? Missing insulation under the concrete slab? Missing waterproofing where the house meets the surrounding soil?
AND what measures should I take now to get this problem under control?
Additional info: The basement currently has single-glazed basement windows installed, and there is no heating in the basement. The walls are NOT sandstone.
I hope you can help me.
Thanks and best regards
three years ago we bought a house and completely renovated it. Now that all the living areas are finished, I am turning my attention to the basement to make it usable as well, because at the moment it resembles more of a storage room.
While clearing out items like paint cans, furniture, boxes, etc., I immediately noticed something concerning. Wherever something had been standing on the floor, there is a damp spot underneath. Under the moving boxes, the boxes have become so wet from below that the floor has cracked and is almost disintegrating. On the walls, I have seen that on the lowest row of blocks, the plaster is completely coming off and there is a sort of “mold”? on the walls. When I tapped the walls, it sounded hollow and the plaster detached. However, this only affects the bottom row of blocks. Above that, everything is solid and shows no discoloration.
This issue occurs both on the exterior walls that are in contact with the soil and on the interior walls, but not in all the basement rooms—only in 2 of the 4 rooms. The others are dry at both the walls and the floor.
I have attached some photos for you.
Now the important question... what is causing this? Rising groundwater? Missing insulation under the concrete slab? Missing waterproofing where the house meets the surrounding soil?
AND what measures should I take now to get this problem under control?
Additional info: The basement currently has single-glazed basement windows installed, and there is no heating in the basement. The walls are NOT sandstone.
I hope you can help me.
Thanks and best regards
Thank you for the quick response.
That is quite a high price above 100 euros for a 25kg (55 lb) bucket, especially considering that if I finish the entire basement, I will have an area of almost 100m² (1,076 sq ft). Are there any other recommended alternative products?
I plan to lay tiles afterward, but I assume that doesn’t change the fact that such a large quantity will still be needed, right?
That is quite a high price above 100 euros for a 25kg (55 lb) bucket, especially considering that if I finish the entire basement, I will have an area of almost 100m² (1,076 sq ft). Are there any other recommended alternative products?
I plan to lay tiles afterward, but I assume that doesn’t change the fact that such a large quantity will still be needed, right?
External links are not allowed and will be removed immediately.
You should not use the 2-component bitumen sealant offered at your hardware store. It is only suitable for waterproofing from the wet side, not for negative waterproofing. Additionally, bitumen coatings are not permanently UV-resistant.
The Erika waterproofing membrane is theoretically possible. HOWEVER, it is definitely not suitable as a floor covering and cannot be tiled directly or similar. A screed must definitely be applied on top, and insulation might even be required in between for decoupling.
The proposed Remmers MB2K and other bitumen-free hybrid waterproofing products can be used here. They cost a bit more but are definitely permanently waterproof and durable.
A significantly cheaper option, as suggested from the beginning, is the flexible mineral sealing slurry. These are suitable for negative waterproofing on the interior side, resistant to impacts and scratches, UV-stable, and can also be tiled directly. They cost only about a quarter of the hybrid waterproofing. I have already described the application details and procedure in the first post. You can also get it at "your" hardware store as "MEM sealing slurry" for just over 1€/kg (about $1/lb). Similar products with comparable properties are naturally available from other manufacturers as well.
You should not use the 2-component bitumen sealant offered at your hardware store. It is only suitable for waterproofing from the wet side, not for negative waterproofing. Additionally, bitumen coatings are not permanently UV-resistant.
The Erika waterproofing membrane is theoretically possible. HOWEVER, it is definitely not suitable as a floor covering and cannot be tiled directly or similar. A screed must definitely be applied on top, and insulation might even be required in between for decoupling.
The proposed Remmers MB2K and other bitumen-free hybrid waterproofing products can be used here. They cost a bit more but are definitely permanently waterproof and durable.
A significantly cheaper option, as suggested from the beginning, is the flexible mineral sealing slurry. These are suitable for negative waterproofing on the interior side, resistant to impacts and scratches, UV-stable, and can also be tiled directly. They cost only about a quarter of the hybrid waterproofing. I have already described the application details and procedure in the first post. You can also get it at "your" hardware store as "MEM sealing slurry" for just over 1€/kg (about $1/lb). Similar products with comparable properties are naturally available from other manufacturers as well.
fragg schrieb:
better stay away, you will be banned here in no time. Thanks for the warning. I would like to comply, but unfortunately, I can no longer edit my post.
If any of the moderators are reading this... sorry, it won't happen again that I post external links.
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