How to waterproof stucco covered basment walls


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Old 05-06-17, 05:16 PM
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How to waterproof stucco covered basment walls

Hi,

I recently moved in to a house with an unfinished basement. During heavy rains I noticed that water was seeping through some parts of the walls. Some of these areas have very small hairline cracks. I was planning on using Drylok extreme waterproofing paint. However I realized that the walls already have a stucco covering.

So my question is, Can I paint the Drylok over the stucco walls?

I've read somewhere that it might cause water to build up under the paint and bubbles to form.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
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Old 05-06-17, 06:51 PM
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Waterproofing is best done on the exterior. Think about it... what is water pressure going to do to an interior coating? And which side of a basement wall does a wet wall need to dry toward? The interior side. Put a vapor barrier on the interior side of the wall... can it ever dry out? No. Will that create problems? Possibly, maybe even likely.

IMO, interior products are made for DIY'ers who believe that it can be done the easy way. The companies that make the waterproofing products protect themselves within their limited warranties... such as by putting surface preparation on you, the one using the product, by excluding structural cracks from what is covered, and the blanket "other unforeseen conditions" clause. In reality, they know their product will fail for any number of reasons. And it's likely most homeowners will not prepare surfaces correctly prior to applying it. And guess what their warranty will provide? Another gallon of product. Oh, it didnt work? Well here's another gallon... don't expect it to work either.

In some cases, interior coatings can damage the foundation by trapping the moisture, weakening the concrete, causing conditions that promote spalling. If you want to do it, that's up to you, but don't expect a miracle.

I'm not knocking the product, just helping you be realistic about what to expect. It might help control minor dampness... but isn't going to stop leaks from a rising water table, for example.
 
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Old 05-06-17, 07:05 PM
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Thanks for the information. I actually used it before in the basement of my previous home. But that was applied directly to the bare concrete walls. It worked great and was always dry afterwards. My concern was how it work applying it over the stucco that is currently on the walls.
 
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Old 05-06-17, 07:14 PM
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This is directly from their instructions:

"DRYLOK Extreme may be applied over
previous coatings in sound condition, but the
warranty is void."

So... why include that ironic bit in the directions? To sell a product that may or may not work. I.e. yeah we'll stand behind it... way behind it.
 
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Old 05-06-17, 09:01 PM
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I hear n some places that stucco describes a ok r a texture but stucco is Portland cement plaster. What makes stucco such a good exterior is e drainage behind it. Moisture enters the stucco in any of several different ways and hits th moisture resistant barrier and runs Dow the wall between th cement plaster and the moisture barrier. Your metric wall hasn't barrier. The cheapest most effective way you can dry your basement walls is withdrawing utters and positive drainage of the grade around the house. Make sure to get th moisture away a from thefts idea of the house and if that doesnotsolve the problem then other means from the outside can help.
 
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Old 05-07-17, 03:13 AM
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Drylok can be applied over stucco and it will likely stop the water at that point but as already mentioned you don't want the water to get that far into the foundation! If the water gets that far it will look for another way thru; a thin spot in the coating, a loose spot of stucco where it can collect until it builds up enough pressure to bust thru or any other path it can find. As stated above waterproofing is achieved on the exterior side of the wall! While waterproofing the wall and installing/repairing drain tile requires excavating the foundation, often just rerouting the downspouts and maybe changing the grade to direct water away from the house is sufficient.
 
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Old 05-07-17, 08:16 AM
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My post no 5 above does not make sense. My fingers outrun the display. Gutters downspouts and grade work outside will often solve your problem. Maybe more reply llater on a real keyboard.
 
 

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