Basement Waterproofing: Should You D-I-Y or Hire a Professional?

You have always been thinking of turning your basement into an extra living area, a play space for kids, a laundry room, or anything else rather than the dark and musty space in your home. Instead, you see a wet basement floor or have peeling paint on the walls or are worried as your stored items are all dipped in water in the basement area. On the one hand, you are worried about the flooded basement, and on the other hand, deciding whether to hire a professional or do it yourself is rather more overwhelming. 

How Do You Get a Wet or a Flooded Basement?

source: waterproof.com

In your dream home, the basement might be wet or flooded, and you might end up bearing a lot of maintenance expenses due to water. In a place where there is no proper daylight, moisture is bound to keep its existence, leading to greater damage like mold formation, which ultimately degrades your health.

Below are some of the reasons that can cause flooding or moisture in the basement. 

• Your builder might be the major cause of water intrusion where they might create faulty structures which do not follow the required grade and instead of water staying away from the basement, it might find ways towards underground. 
• Another reason is that the soil around the basement walls can create pressure, which leads to moisture infiltration into the basement. 
• Natural disasters like storms and even floods may be another reason for standing water in the cellar.
• You should be aware of bursts or cracked pipes around your drainage system, which might cause water to trickle down the basement walls.

Whatever the reason is, you must get rid of the water damage either by yourself or by a plumber or an electrician, considering the severity caused. You must not think of calling an electrician, but if the water is high enough to get hold of the wirings, you must immediately call them to have it repaired. 

Do I D-I-Y or Get a Professional? 

Basement waterproofing can be the least expected and may be expensive as well, as your basement has to go through the process of clearing water and then sealing the walls and floors. 

In order to save your pockets, you can definitely go for D-I-Y options, but that depends on how much damage has been done. In this article, you get to explore all the ways in which you can mend the basement yourself and also get ideas about the situations in which you will definitely have to hire a professional to have a dry area. 

Basement Waterproofing: D-I-Y Process 

source: centurywaterproofing.com

Basement waterproofing involves a complete process of cleaning up the wet area, mending cracks and holes, if any, and applying layers of waterproofing agents to seal the area to prevent further water penetration, as they might always find a way back. 

Here is a step-by-step method for you to understand the overall process if you are going for a D-I-Y, which can be applicable if the damage is low.

Step 1: No moisture

You must ensure that there is no water left in the basement area, thus having a dry area to work with. You can also use fans or humidifiers to control moisture inside the basement as it lacks access to proper sunlight and might have to wait for a few days if the wet area is large. 

Step 2: Cleanup

After you have a dry basement:

• Clean the areas with peeled coatings.
• Repair the holes around your basement walls and floor in both exterior and interior areas.
• Prepare them for treatment.

Not only should you clear up the space, but you should also ensure that the source of water around the area is detected so that it does not cause further damage. Make sure that there is not even a small crack or hole, which can help water trickle back again.

Step 3: Apply waterproofing agents

source: pinterest.com

Buy enough waterproofing coatings, follow the instruction manual for sealants, and apply them as per the given directions. Before you start the work, use protective gear like gloves and glasses so that you don’t get allergies from the sealants. Do not just focus on the moist areas; also, seal all the doors and windows so that water remains away from the basement.

Step 4: Recheck the area periodically

Once you have ensured a waterproof area, check the area in a timely manner so that you get to know about the insufficiencies and take timely precautions before moisture retains back to the surface. 

Why Hire an Expert for Basement Waterproofing? 

That was all about the D-I-Y process, but if you do not have the time and effort to go for it, you can hire a professional. Additionally, if you have a highly damaged area, it’s better to seek help from contractors, as they can protect your basement from future damage as well. You can look into some of the reasons below why you should think of going for a professional service. 

Experience and Expertise

source: armoredbasement.com

A contractor will walk you through all the processes easily and also detect the water source quickly, as they have the right knowledge, training, and certifications to work on these matters. They will also ensure that you don’t get troubled by the seepage again in the future and will efficiently finish the task by addressing all the issues. 

Guaranteed service

When hiring a professional, you can be assured that they will provide you with a good quality service accompanied by guaranteed results that would not have been there had you done it yourself. You can sit back and relax and feel safe enough that you successfully made a long-term investment, as there will always be experts to guide you even in the future. 

Safer option

source: virginiabasement.com

Rather than going for a D-I-Y, you will get a larger benefit from a professional in many ways. You don’t have to worry about treating the mold, which, if not done well, could lead to infections and escalated health issues. If you had to do the whole process yourself, the chemicals used for waterproofing could also get ingested in your body. The contractors will ensure that everything is done safely without degrading health. And if anything goes wrong, you always have your experts to guide you through.

Time and Cost-effective 

When you try to waterproof the whole basement yourself without any experience, you may take a long time to complete it as you will have to think and research all the appropriate waterproofing materials that could be used and the steps that need to be followed. On the contrary, a technician will do it in no time with their long history of experience and knowledge. 

You must also note that doing D-I-Y may not always be successful as the same problem might repeat itself, and when that happens, you will ultimately have to call a contractor to work for you, and here, you will spend quite a good amount of money on the same job. Instead, you can opt for a specialist who can handle such problems well, and you can save a lot of time and money for other important tasks. 

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