How to Fix Wet Basements: Three Steps for a Dry Basement and a Healthier Home

Wet basement? Read on for three vital steps that can help you keep water out of your home and get your basement safely dry once again.

If you're dealing with a damp or drippy foundation, your basement can become practically unlivable. Regardless of whether you use your basement for storage or have finished living space down there, a wet basement can be a major hassle, not to mention a health risk. The good news is that there are three easy steps you can follow to help keep water out of your basement and keep your home dry, safe, and healthy!

Foundation Repair

Water, by its very nature, will always take the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, that means when there are cracks in your foundation, the water will always go through your home rather than around it. This simple fact is what makes foundation repair such a critical step in any basement drying project. Over time, it's normal for small cracks to appear in your foundation walls. But these spaces also offer easy ingress for water. By sealing up any cracks or fissures in your foundation with a crack filling sealant, you can effectively block water from your home by making it easier for the water to go through the surrounding soils rather than your foundation.

Basement Waterproofing

Once the foundation cracks are repaired, you may assume that the water has no way into your basement, but not so fast! Filling cracks and fissures with polyurethane sealer or hydrophobic membranes can take care of the larger openings in your foundation, but water can actually seep through in other ways: straight through the concrete block itself or even via spaces between the foundation walls and slab. If you've completed foundation crack repairs, and you're still seeing water in your basement, the next step is basement waterproofing. Depending on the severity of the issue, you may need to coat your basement walls with a waterproofing paint, install an interior French drain system, or complete additional waterproof basement measures. At this point, you may want to consult with a foundation contractor to learn a little more about the options available to you in terms of basement waterproofing and which solutions may be most appropriate for your specific wet basement problems.

Mold Remediation

If your wet basement has already developed a mold issue, then you'll need to eliminate that bio-organic growth as the final step in your basement repair project. Continuing research illustrates an ever-growing list of health concerns and ailments that can be caused or exacerbated by the presence of mold in your home, so eliminating all existing mold is critical for the health of your family. Stopping the water from penetrating your foundation should eliminate the moisture required for new mold to appear, but a thorough mold removal effort will be necessary to remediate any previously existing mold problems.

When you have a wet basement, getting it dry can seem daunting. However, with these three straightforward steps, you'll be able to reclaim your damp basement as usable, valuable real estate in your home once again.