Best way to seal my leaky house slab?


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Old 05-20-15, 04:28 PM
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Best way to seal my leaky house slab?

Hey guys. As my first house I bought an old garage converted into a house so I've got concrete block walls on a slab. It gets a little damp during heavy rains and especially in late winter during the snow melt. Gotta love clay soil. Just spent some money on grading and piping the gutters away and putting in a french drain.

Right now I have everything that's not concrete torn out of the bottom two feet of the house (sheetrock, floor, etc). I have 3 hairline cracks and also gaps between the cement block walls and the slab. I think I need to seal these up. I was also considering using Drylock or something similar on the slab it's self. What products will make a permanent repair? I'd hate to use some kind of caulk and have it peel away in 3 years. There are lots of expensive kits out there and I was wondering if they are worth it? Should I just pick up some quickrete caulk from home depot? Hydraulic cement? Pour another 2 inches on top?

Thanks!
 
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Old 05-21-15, 03:24 AM
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While Drylok can add a little protection - waterproofing always needs to be addressed on the exterior! Is all of the concrete slab above grade?
 
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Old 05-21-15, 04:12 AM
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How high is the water table? Does any water enter through the cracks? As marksr already said, the exterior is your first concern.
 
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Old 05-21-15, 05:21 AM
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"As my first house I bought an old garage converted into a house so I've got concrete block walls on a slab."
That could be a very poor start. If this was just a slab on grade garage, then there are no frost walls around the perimeter with associated drainage, insulation, or moisture protection. Basically, it may never have been intended to be living space. I know NJ doesn't have a lot of frost, but the concept involves more than frost protection.

"What products will make a permanent repair?"
Check to see if you have the above mentioned walls below the perimeter of the building. If you find just the edge of the slab, there was probably no appropriate sealing done between the blocks and the slab.

Before I put a lot of money into renovating that building I would start at city hall to be sure what you have was a permitted and inspected building. The renovations you are making may also require a permit. I realize it may be late in the process, but better to know now than some bank inspection later that sinks any future sale of the building.

Bud
 
 

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