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HELP!

Epoxies etc. For Basement Sealing

Your Host and Tour Guide: Paul Oman, MS, MBA - Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc. Member: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers), SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings) "Professionals helping Professionals" This is a work in progress, based upon feedback from a few actual end users and musings by myself. I seem to shift back and forth from recommending a thin watery sealer to recommending a thicker, or even a paste-like epoxy. These days (03/2007) I'm leaning toward a multi-coat system. A few points up-front: 1) the surface can be damp (it probably is right below the surface), but the area the epoxy is being applied to must be very clean in order to achieve a solid, waterproof bond. This is very important. 2) if the water is actively flowing our of the cracks/walls, it will push aside the wet epoxy and open up an unobstructed path into your basement. 3) if sealing a crack or joint (commonly where the wall meets the floor), sealing one area may just move the water flow to the next path of least resistance - i.e. several inches or feet farther along the wall - perhaps to an area that was leak free before. You'll also need to coat perhaps six inches or so beyond the edges of the 'crack' or seam. 4) If your floor has been coated or sealed before you might have problems with a new sealing job. Some concrete floors are sealed with a 'waterglass' or wax/silicon based sealer. Not much sticks to these kind of surface especially when seeking an extremely tight and waterproof bond. Our Bio Vee Seal will also not work, as it will not soak into the concrete. Nothing sticks to 'silicon seal' either. Putting epoxy over an existing paint or epoxy means the bond will be only as good as it was on the old coating, now covered with the new epoxy. 5) If your basement is damp and musty, but has no obvious cracks or seams to seal, then the easiest and cheapest sealer is our non-epoxy Bio Vee Seal. (this product has its own web site - click here). This product soaks into the concrete and forms crystals inside the pore spaces of the concrete, thus reducing porosity and permeability. It leaves nothing on the surface of the concrete. A Clean Surface Clean is really important. The epoxy needs to bond to solid, clean concrete or brick, not a tiny layer of dust or crumbling cement that the water can easily flow around or under. Past water flow has carried with it dirt, clay and silt. When wet, which it probably is almost all the time, this dirt is hard to remove completely with any sort of brush. Keep in mind you want the epoxy to stick to the cement, not to the dirt in the crack or on the wall/floor. The cement on the wall, and perhaps even the floor, may have a surface layer of crystals and sand grains that are just lightly adhered to the surface. They need to be removed with a stiff brush. Don't forget ‘ordinary' dirt or silt that might be on the wall as well. Any calking, putty, stucco, ‘bondo' etc. needs to be completely removed - as these products tend to form a mushy, non-sticking, useless, soggy mass when constantly wet. If there is paint (but not oil, wax or some sort of silicon based sealer) on the floor or wall, the epoxy will stick to it, but the overall bond will only be as good as the bond between the old paint and the wall or floor it is sticking to. That bond may not be strong enough to hold back the flow of water. The epoxies will not stick to waxy or oily surfaces, including things like silicon seal. When you think you have the floor and wall clean, wipe them down with a paint thinner or some such non soapy cloth. You will be surprised as how much ‘dirt' this will pick up, dirt left behind by brooms and brushes. Products/Application: For obvious cracks in the wall use our Crack Coat™ epoxy paste..... This product is a two part epoxy that mixes up to something thicker than paint, but thinner than putty. It is flexible and can handle cold, damp surfaces. Works Find in our catalog - CLICK HERE or go directly to our ONLINE STOREFRONT. This product is unique enough that it has its own page - CLICK HERE. FIXING THE WALL/FLOOR SEAM - A common source for basement leaks Step 1) clean the surface. Sweep away dirt, etc. If possible let the area dry (better bond, easier to remove the dirt etc.) Step 2) Using a throw-away 2 inch brush, coat wall and floor (2-4 inches up/out on the wall and floor with our clear, watery, Low V epoxy (which will bond to a damp surface, smooth out rough spots, and act as a pimer). Let dry for a minimum of 1 day (no max time but sooner is better). Step 3) Using a throw-away 2 inch brush, coat the Low V (and maybe a bit beyond) with our Corro Coat FC 2100 F fiber reinforced epoxy. Apply a strip of our 4 inch wide fiberglass cloth over the wet 2100F epoxy (about two inches on the floor and two inches up on wall). Coat/saturate the cloth with more 2100F epoxy using the 2 inch brush. That's It! DISCLAIMER: The above comments are simply that, comments and ideas. The ability of these or other products to seal a basement or sump is not guaranteed as many factors beyond just the sealing product comes into play. Also visit: Epoxies for the Home More on basements: CLICK HERE ###

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