How do I waterproof basement walls if I can get all the paint off?

  • Thread starter Mike1027
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Mike1027

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Mike1027
How do I waterproof basement walls if I cant get all the paint off? Is there a paint that can go thru a layer?
In our basement we have walls that have 20-30 year old paint on them. We tried to get it off with no luck. The only places that came off was at the seems of the cinder blocks. Is there a paint that can penetrate a layer of paint and water proof? If not what paint would you recommend? We do have a bit of moister in the basement.
 
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We have used a gel based paint remover that sits on for 1hr and then you should be able to wipe the paint off but it didnt work at all.
 
Paint remover and heat guns work well in tandem. What sort of paint - gloss? You might be able hire a sand blaster where you are - messy but effective.

Basements and cellars are notorious for damp but simply improving the air circulation can help. Are you planning on using it for a bedroom or living area?
 
In my experience with paint removal, from the wrong side of the law, high pressure water hoses are used to blast even the toughed graffiti from urban walls.

If all else fails, Hammerite won't.
 
Ok so we went to Home Depot and got some mortar and caulk to fill in the cracks. After some assistance from an employee we decided that removing the paint would be very difficult without using a sand blaster or pressure washer. So we purchased 2 gallons of bear ultra.($31 a gallon! Holy Crap!) After getting home we filled the cracks in. Its drying right now. Hopefully tomorrow we can paint the walls.

BTW we are turning it into an office and rec room. Its not the biggest basement. Its about 7' tall ceilings. We are just waterproofing the walls right now If you want I can update you as we start to frame it up.
 
Since you have cinder blocks, you'll want to get a special kind of paint that goes on and acts as a sealer, which is possibly whats on there now. It will prevent the moisture from seeping through the mortor and block.

Next, you'll want to head outside. Make sure all down spouts are pointing away from the head, and if you have too, put extensions on them to make sure they run as far away from the house as possible. You want to keep ANY water from sitting/draining beside the foundation where it will eventually work its way into your house. Weeping tile is another great idea, although its rather expensive and sometimes hard to put in yourself.

You'll want to run a dehumidifier in the basement, atleast for a while (couple of months if you have too) in order to watch the level of humidity/moisture you get through the walls. You don't want water sitting behind the drywall without you knowing it.

If none of that helps to cut down on the water/moisture from getting through the foundation, you only have 2 options left. A water proof membrane/weeping tile/sub pump combo which goes in the house and pretty much guarantee's no more water getting into the basement (I've personally done it many times with no one coming back to complain about water in their basement)...or...dig up the dirt outside of your house and seal and membrane the entire outter wall of your foundation, will stop the water, but also cost 10X as much as the other option.

I worked in concrete and foundation repair for half a decade. Just be lucky its only some moisture getting in and not a waterfall or dirt.
 

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