Removing paint from cement and Drylocking?
#1
04-10-15, 10:55 AM
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Removing paint from cement and Drylocking?
I have a few questions regarding Drylock and removing paint. I bought my first house about 4 months ago and now that it's spring time I am dealing with some water in the basement that seems to be coming right through the cement floor and a few cracks on the walls. My kids have been waiting patiently for their playroom to be set up down there but I need to waterproof it first. I plan on Drylocking the floor and walls but on the Drylock site it says to remove any existing paint from the walls.
My first question is are there any tricks to removing paint from the cement walls? About half of it has flaked off but what paint is left doesn't want to come off very easily.
My second question is if Drylock actually works or if there is a better way of waterproofing for around the same price? I have heard from many people drylock does work but just want to make sure before I spend the money.
My last question is some people have told me to just use a regular paint roller and brush for applying Drylock and other have said I want to use something like a broom or a concrete brush. If anyone has any experience with this it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for any help and sorry for the long post.
My first question is are there any tricks to removing paint from the cement walls? About half of it has flaked off but what paint is left doesn't want to come off very easily.
My second question is if Drylock actually works or if there is a better way of waterproofing for around the same price? I have heard from many people drylock does work but just want to make sure before I spend the money.
My last question is some people have told me to just use a regular paint roller and brush for applying Drylock and other have said I want to use something like a broom or a concrete brush. If anyone has any experience with this it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for any help and sorry for the long post.
#2
04-10-15, 12:10 PM
Drylok is a good product and while it can help - it is not a cure all!!
Moisture issues are always best addressed on the exterior! Sometimes redirecting downspouts and/or minor grade changes are enough. Drylok is applied with a brush/roller just like any other paint coating except it's a lot thicker than regular paint and a full/thick coat needs to be applied for it to have any effect. It is formulated to be applied over bare masonry.
The best way to remove paint from masonry is with a pressure washer [sometimes along with paint remover] but rarely is that a good option for interior walls
The best you can reasonably do is to scrape and wire brush off all the existing loose paint. Sometimes drylok is enough to make the walls dry but that is really a job best done on the exterior side of the foundation. IMO drylok should be used as a primer for painted masonry rather than as a waterproofing type coating.
Moisture issues are always best addressed on the exterior! Sometimes redirecting downspouts and/or minor grade changes are enough. Drylok is applied with a brush/roller just like any other paint coating except it's a lot thicker than regular paint and a full/thick coat needs to be applied for it to have any effect. It is formulated to be applied over bare masonry.
The best way to remove paint from masonry is with a pressure washer [sometimes along with paint remover] but rarely is that a good option for interior walls
The best you can reasonably do is to scrape and wire brush off all the existing loose paint. Sometimes drylok is enough to make the walls dry but that is really a job best done on the exterior side of the foundation. IMO drylok should be used as a primer for painted masonry rather than as a waterproofing type coating.
#3
04-11-15, 02:23 PM
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Since this was my first time buying a home I tried to be extra thorough but I never thought to find out where I was on the water table...lesson learned. Right now the ground is so saturated I have a few inches of standing water in some spots in the backyard so I guess I am lucky to have such little water actually making it in the basement. I guess I will get started with the wire brush and power washer. Hopefully the drylock will hold up for a year or 2 until we have the funds to properly waterproof. Thanks for your help
#4
04-11-15, 02:34 PM
Don't waste your money. Drylok doesn't stand a chance against a high water table. You would be better off with a couple of sump pumps. You might have to pick another place for the playroom.
#5
04-11-15, 02:49 PM
Member
If the water is coming up from the floor, a sump pump is the only thing that will keep it dry unless you want to dig around the outside of the house.
Take care of any grading issues and make sure gutters are running away from the house as well.
Take care of any grading issues and make sure gutters are running away from the house as well.
#6
04-11-15, 02:54 PM
Member
Sorry, never going to work.
It's not made for floors and is never going to work over old paint.
As mentioned waterproofing all needs to be done outside.
Waterproofing the foundation.
Making sure you have working gutters running away from the foundation, not just dumping at the base of it.
Grade sloping away from the foundation.
May even need a french drain.
No mulch against the foundation.
No flower beds forming ponds against the foundation.
It's not made for floors and is never going to work over old paint.
As mentioned waterproofing all needs to be done outside.
Waterproofing the foundation.
Making sure you have working gutters running away from the foundation, not just dumping at the base of it.
Grade sloping away from the foundation.
May even need a french drain.
No mulch against the foundation.
No flower beds forming ponds against the foundation.
#7
04-15-15, 06:09 PM
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The Drylock not working isn't what I was hoping to hear. Unfortunately there isn't much I can do about the grading. The property is nearly flat with the front yard having a very slight slope towards the house and the back doing the same so it's like the house is sitting in the middle of a bowl. We do have a sump pump that handles the majority of the water but little leaks were appearing here and there and they run from the sides to the sump pump in the middle so the whole basement gets a little bit of water from a few small leaks. There is a small gully at the end of my yard I was going to try to work out a french drain into this summer and hopefully that will help. To waterproof the walls from the outside I would imagine you dig up the foundation and use some kind of plastic sheet but how would you waterproof the floor from the outside?
#8
04-15-15, 07:08 PM
Member
Waterproofing the walls down to the footing and installing a membrane on the outside would solve the problem as any water that reaches the house will quickly drain away in the drain tile. It is not a cheap fix though.
#9
04-15-15, 07:12 PM
You have the basic idea but it's a membrane that is used to seal the foundation, not plastic. Your problem is the high water table. Since you can't seal the bottom of the house, you need the sump pumps. I would relocate the existing sump pump & add some others.
