Answering Your Top 6 Questions About Basement Waterproofing in Louisville
Basement waterproofing in Louisville is an excellent investment in any home, helping to protect the structure’s foundation while ensuring a clean, dry space. If your home has a basement and you haven’t yet had the space waterproofed, check out these top 6 questions about the process so you know you’re making the best decision for your home’s overall maintenance and condition.
How Does Basement Waterproofing in Louisville Protect a Foundation?
Homeowners often tend to forget that a home’s basement walls and floors make up its overall foundation. The basement is simply the area between those walls, often used for storage or even added living space.
Foundation concrete absorbs water from the soil and moisture from the air around it; that moisture then softens concrete, breaking down it’s cement binders. This increases the risk of cracks, chips, gaps, and other such damage. Waterproofing your home’s basement walls and floors helps protect it from absorbing moisture, reducing the risk of foundation damage.
Is Basement Waterproofing in Louisville Needed Before Finishing?
If you’re thinking of finishing your home’s basement with drywall, ceiling tiles, flooring, and other such surface materials, it’s vital that you first invest in high-quality waterproofing. Remember that drywall isn’t waterproof itself, but is made of wood and paper that actually absorbs moisture and humidity! Without waterproofed concrete behind it, basement drywall might show unsightly water stains and even crumble and crack over time.
Floor tiles and other materials also need a waterproof surface under them. Excess moisture loosens grout and caulk, allowing tile to slip out of place. If you’re thinking of simply painting a basement concrete floor during finishing, note that excess moisture can risk peeling paint or otherwise interfere with its color.
A finished basement also needs waterproofing to ensure a clean, dry space, safe for occupying. You can’t really enjoy your finished basement if it’s musty, damp, or otherwise humid and unpleasant! To protect those finished materials and provide a comfortable space in the basement, invest in high-quality waterproofing before finishing.
Do You Need Louisville Basement Waterproofing for Unfinished Spaces?
If you’re not planning on finishing your home’s basement, why invest in waterproofing? There are a few excellent reasons to consider this service no matter your plans for your home, and protecting the foundation from the risk of water damage is just one! The money you pay for waterproofing is offset by the foundation repair costs you avoid over the years.
You might also consider basement waterproofing in Louisville if you have appliances and personal items in the basement. Excess moisture trapped in a basement can risk rust forming along a furnace, water heater, and your washer and dryer. That humidity also traps dust that can get caught inside those appliances, making them work harder and shortening their lifespan.
Many homeowners also use their unfinished basement for storing personal items including tools, sporting goods, car parts, off-season clothes, books, and important paperwork. Waterproofing helps protect those items against damage, as tools and sporting goods left exposed in a damp basement might rust or rot rather easily.
Even if you store your items in rubber or plastic bins, mold, mildew can soon develop and spread. Paper items such as books are especially prone to water damage when stored in a damp, musty basement. To ensure your personal belongings are always dry and in good condition, invest in basement waterproofing for your home even if you don’t plan on finishing the space.
Can You Waterproof a Basement From the Inside?
Shop any home improvement or hardware store and you’ll see lots of DIY basement waterproof solutions, including paints that protect basement walls and floors while adding a pop of color in the space! There are also specialty coatings you can apply that help keep moisture out of the basement and ensure the space is dry and clean.
While these coatings are an excellent choice for protecting items in the basement and avoiding a musty, unpleasant environment, exterior coatings are more effective against foundation damage. Foundation concrete absorbs moisture from surrounding soil, as said, and those exterior coatings provide a layer of protection against potential water damage.
Does Basement Waterproofing in Louisville Kill Mold?
Waterproofing a basement helps protect against mold growth in a home. If basement walls and floors let moisture into the space, this can increase the risk of mold growth and see that mold spread along structural framing, drywall, and other surfaces very quickly.
However, basement waterproofing itself doesn’t kill mold once it starts to grow and spread. Bleach, steam, and other such solutions are often used to kill mold spores and keep them from spreading. If you notice excessive mold in your home, schedule cleanup and removal and then invest in basement waterproofing, as needed.
Is Basement Waterproofing in Louisville Worth It?
Basement waterproofing in Louisville usually costs around $1500 to over $2000, and a foundation contractor might recommend having this work repeated after 10 years or so. With that cost in mind, a homeowner might wonder if basement waterproofing is worth it.
Before you decide to forego this service, remember that exterior basement waterproofing protects a foundation against cracks and other damage. Filling in minor foundation cracks is not expensive but more severe damage might call for underpinning or house leveling, and these services often cost thousands of dollars in total! A house settling on a damaged foundation might also suffer interior wall cracks, buckled floors, and roof cracks, all of which are also costly to address.
It’s also good to consider the cost of repairing or replacing items in the basement that might get affected by excess humidity and dampness in the space. Your costs for replacing a rusted water heater and mildewed off-season clothes, for example, might be far higher over the years than your basement waterproofing costs.
Professional basement waterproofing in Louisville is also more than just a quick fix but will protect those foundation walls over time. Your home might then be more valuable to potential buyers if you should ever decide to put it on the market! Investing in waterproofing then means a clean, dry space and a home in good repair, making your waterproofing costs an excellent investment in the space.
