| Basement floors can be a problem to live with and to finish if you have moisture problems. There are several ways of dealing with the moisture, including filling cracked basement floors, sealing the basement floors, using a dehumidifier and/or sump pump, and laying moisture barriers for basement floors — prior to installing your flooring choice. |
Sealing basement floors is very important. Although most people may think that it is unnecessary because there is carpet or other flooring covering it, sealing your concrete or cement basement floors can prevent mold and mildew from developing and can help your flooring to last longer. Basement floors are especially susceptible to moisture because they are underground and the concrete is directly touching the dirt. Unsealed concrete will act like a sponge and wick water into the basement, and this can cause various problems in your home, including mold, mildew.
A large percentage of homes may have a water problem in their basement and the inhabitants may not even realize it! Mold, algae, and mildew growth can cause health problems for all the members of your family and can even cause death if a person is exposed to it for a long period of time. This is why it is of utmost importance to seal your basement floors to make sure that this will not be a factor in your home.
How does water enter your basement? There are a few different ways. Cracked basement floors are one of the ways that water can get into your basement. Water can be moved into your basement through your concrete floors if they are not sealed. Humidity could also cause a moisture problem in your basement. The first thing to do is to make sure that as much water as possible is moved away from your home via French drains, gutters, grading, filling cracks, and drains. Dehumidifiers and sump pumps can be invaluable in some areas to further keep moisture at bay. Then you will be ready to learn how to seal basement floors and walls to keep your basement moisture, mildew, mold, and algae free.
Seal your basement floors and walls to keep water from the ground soaking into the concrete. There are many different options for sealing basement floors. Read the instructions on the sealant that you choose to make sure that you know how to seal your basement floor and to ensure that it will work just as it is designed to. Applying the sealant as directed will help your floors to be dry and mold, mildew, and algae free for years.
Sealing your basement floors will also help your flooring to last a long time. This way you will be able to put down any flooring that you choose without having to worry about it being damaged by moisture or water. There are also moisture barriers for basement floors that are available for use in addition to sealing the basement floors. Using both methods will allow you to have peace of mind in putting down your new flooring.
If you are having moisture problems in your basement, you will want to take up the existing flooring to try to determine where the moisture is coming into your basement. If you have more than hairline cracks, then you will want to mix up some mortar to fill the cracks. Make sure that all cracks are filled before you seal the floor. If there are not any cracks, then moisture may be coming from the ground underneath your flooring. Applying a sealant will definitely help if this is the case.
Sealing basement floors is a way to take care of your health by preventing mold, mildew, and algae and will help your flooring that you lay down over your concrete to last much longer. Keep the moisture and water away from your basement by sealing your concrete basement floors to help your health and your flooring budget!
basement floor has been lightly painted years ago. Inspector when we moved in said it had water underneath. We have used a dehumifier and get lots of water. We put in heat. How can we seal the floor?
If you are getting that much water from the air, and the concrete is showing evidence of water, you may need to do more than seal the floor. You may need to look into a sump pump or French drain to remove water from the area.
Once you have the water problem fixed you can seal the floor using any number of available products.
I have a new concrete patio. it is a fully covered patio that should not get wet. it is about 15×26 in size.
The problem that I am having is that I am finding myeslf going out onto this patio with my socks on to bbq and find my socks soaking wet…. I kept thinking “how can this be, it’s covered!”
Is it possible that this slap is wicking up water throug it from underneath? How do I put a stop this? thank you
You didn’t mention what the weather was when your socks were getting soaking wet. Yes, concrete can absorb ground water and get damp, or even wet. But even covered patios can get wet when it rains, if there is any wind (I speak from experience).
Options I see you have include:
* retrofitting a French Drain around the edge of the patio — expensive
* install a “flooring” on top of the concrete that will keep you away from the damp concrete but will let the moisture evaporate so it won’t cause mold — the flooring could be a lattice, raised teak, or some outdoor-proof wood
* lay Raven Industries vapor barrier on the concrete and install brick or stone for a new floor look
* don’t wear your socks outside — either take them off or put shoes on ;~> Just kidding; you really want to use the patio any time and with any footwear.
Let us know what you did.
I found a good site for helping correct basement water issues. It helps you figure out what is causing the problem and gives good advice on how you can fix it http://www.b-dry.com/wet-basement-analyzer.html
I have a concrete basement floor that had been tiled, the tiles were glued down. We’re removing the tiles and planning on installing carpet. I was thinking of sealing the concrete first. I have already cleaned the floor with heavy-duty cleaner, but the glue is still there. My question is, can I apply a sealer over the glue, or do I have to somehow figure out how to remove the glue before sealing the floor?
Thanks!
My thought is that sealing the glue just adheres it one more time/way to the concrete. That doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me. The reaction I have though is that your carpet is going to be lumpy. Does that matter to you?
And why are you sealing the concrete — is it for moisture proofing the space?
Thank you for your reply. I don’t think the carpet will be lumpy because the glue is pretty thin, and we are putting down a high end pad. I want to seal the floor because I noticed a very slight musty odor that I believe is coming from the floor. It is barely detectable. I did a moisture test (with saran wrap and tape) and no condensation appeared, so I don’t think I have a serious moisture problem. I just want to be sure the floor is sealed so we don’t develop problems with the carpet in the future. So do you think it is ok to go ahead an apply the sealant over the glue? Is there a brand you recommend?
Glad to hear you’re putting quality padding down. That will help the life of the carpet.
That musty odor is indeed telling you something about the humidity in the basement. In addition to sealing the floor you may want a de-humidifier so you don’t have poor air quality or mold.
Why don’t you visit my article on vapor barrier paint to see if you get ideas for your floor sealing. And yes, I think it’ll be fine. At least I don’t see any reason to not seal over the glue with what I know today.
I am going to be putting a ceramic tile floor in our basement in front or our french doors. The rest of the floor will be carpeted. Do I need to put something under the tile or can it go directly on the cement? Also, if I do this now (upstate NY~cold) will it adhere properly?
You don’t need to put anything like vapor barrier, if that’s what you are asking about. And if the basement is heated the floor temperature should be fine, though the ground is cold so the curing period may be a bit longer.
If you want to insulate the floor before tiling and carpeting there are several ways to do that. You can read about them on this site. It’s a good idea, in my opinion, to insulate the floor to keep you and your feet warm when using the space.
we have a store room in our basement and we noticed some moisture problems in that room so we sealed the floor with radon loc. We then laid tile and grouted the floor. In a few areas the grout isn’t drying, does this tell me that we still have a moisture problem. Note after we sealed the floor with two of their sealers we let the floor dry out for about a month before we tiled.
I agree with your assessment that you seem to still have a moisture problem. The question is where the moisture source is coming from.
I trust you followed the directions of the two products for the two different coats you applied. Did you conduct another moisture test before you laid the tile?
Is water/moisture coming in from the side, like an adjacent space through the basement wall? Is there a drip from above?
Have you tried putting a space heater in there to raise the temperature of the room to help the grout dry? What about a dehumidifier to help too?
I recently noticed that a musty smell in my basement (formerly garage) and when barefoot, the carpet feels damp. The house is a 40-year old split level w/ a heat pump, so of course it’s always cooler down there. I plan to get a dehumidifier in a couple of days and was thinking about pulling up the carpet and using a sealer, then underlayment on the concrete floor to help w/ the moisture. Am I on the right track or would that be overkill? Thanks.
When it comes to harboring mold, which your basement is or will be doing soon, you can’t be too careful. In addition to removing the carpet and padding, you need to find the water source. You could have a rising water table or it could be as simple as a leaking water heater.
Read my articles on Moisture Proofing floors to help guide you in your basement reflooring. You don’t want to have water issues contribute to health issues, much less construction issues.
I live in a condo that is on the first floor built over a concrete slab. A few years ago, I installed Pergo flooring in the kitchen, and within 6 months it began “lifting”. I now want to replace my carpeting in the living and dining areas, and replace the kitchen flooring. If I seal the concrete, will this solve my moisture problem? I also just purchased a dehumidifier as well? I would appreciate any advice!
I’m gathering you glued your Pergo down instead of floating it. You want to check for efflorescence which looks like a white powder on the concrete; that indicates you have moisture coming through the concrete which is bringing salts up to the surface. Sealing the floor will probably take care of that problem.
Another approach is to lay Raven Industry’s moisture barrier film (see all related articles) and float your Pergo, maybe with an underlayment of cork to help insulate the floor.
Good luck.
A few years ago we put an underlayment down in our basement and put vinyl, peel and stick tiles down. Today we pulled up the tiles and the underlayment and underneath we found a damp area. This is the only spot in the basement where we found this problem and we are unsure of how to proceed. Can we take care of this problem ourselves or do we need to call in a pro??
I just bought a house with the basement unfinished. Its been 3 months with a few showers and I have noticed no problems. We just had a heavy storm drop a good ammount of rain in a short period, this time the moisture did come into the basement. The basement wall is block with a concrete covering about 1″ thick, the floor is concrete, depth unknown, with tile on top. The water appears to have either A)filtered in through the block and flowed behind the concrete covering down to the floor or B) came up through the floor … though I am leaning towards A since the moisture only appears on the flow towards the outside wall … the grade where the largest ammount of water came in is fine on the outside with working gutters and extensions. I have only a week away from getting carpet installed and have to be out of my current residence at the end of may so have very little time to address this issue as I thought I didn’t have one since other storms procuded no moisture … the storm left a small shallow pool of standing water in two areas and other areas where moisture came in but looks like it dried or it moved and pooled to the two spots … My question do you think since this only appears to happen with heavy storms and the ammount of water really isn’t alot is a dehumidier enough to deal with the moisture in the short term until I can address the larger problem since time is really a factor for me? I thought about sealing the base of the concrete covering that meets the floor but am concerened that that may just direct the water elsewhere that I may not be able to readily detect. Any other solutions you could recommend?
Hi Shannon,
It’s really up to you/your budget if you want to call a pro in directly. Chances are you could seal your floor yourself and that would take care of the problem……then again, it might not if the moisture is coming from elswhere and somehow traveling to the area you found the water. My guess? Since you didn’t mention any water trails, it’s probably happened just the way you’re figuring.
Another thing to consider, if you do hire a pro vs. doing it yourself, at least the pro is supposed to have the experience to figure out what’s going on and how to fix it properly which takes a lot of the guesswork out of the equation.
Good luck!