Waterproofing & Aquafin IC
We have a brick rowhouse, c. 1892, which is at the end of a row, so exposed along the western side, as well as front & back. We made the mistake when we bought the place 9 yrs. ago, of applying Thoroseal to the basement wall, which has trapped moisture against the brick, in some…
We have a brick rowhouse, c. 1892, which is at the end of a row, so exposed along the western side, as well as front & back. We made the mistake when we bought the place 9 yrs. ago, of applying Thoroseal to the basement wall, which has trapped moisture against the brick, in some places causing mold, in other places deteriorating the brick and causing a lot of efflorescence. It’s not wet, mind you, but damp & musty in the summer.
We’ve had a few waterproofers come by to do an estimate & everyone has a different take on what needs to be done, but it comes down to 2 basic choices:
a) dig a trench along the exterior wall then install flashing and asphalt paper, and build an underground concrete channel to direct water away from the building. (Next door is a city-owned property so we’d have to get permissions plus be careful not to mess with their water and gas lines that run alongside our building underground.)
b) Strip off all remaining thoroseal, wirebrush walls thoroughly and apply Aquafin IC, a “cementitious” layer that bonds with the wall, and is apparently effective against both positive & negative water pressure–1/3 of the cost of digging the trench & would not involve the neighboring property. BUT having learned the hard way that Thoroseal, and sealants in general, are a really bad way to go for an interior wall, the idea of Aquafin makes me nervous, though I see it’s been around 17 years, very state-of-the-art & used in a variety of applications like swimming pools, fountains, water tanks. Also, from the website & product specs it looks like it is typically applied to concrete, so I wonder about its appropriateness for application on brick, particularly old construction.
Does anyone have any experience with Aquafin, or care to weigh in on which way would be best? Thanks!
I have Thoroseal throughout my basement with the same disastrous results you mention. What i want to know is how do you”strip off” the remaining Thoroseal?? I had the imporession that it had to be scraped off. True?
I went to a masonry workshop at cnyc housing workshop last weekend. The guy who gave the lecture said aquafin was the only good thing to put on. But I would agree with the above posts. I had water leaking in to my basement, the cause? My neighbors roof drain would overflow into my yard. snaking it out solved the problem, along with a updating the drain in my yard.
Brick needs to breathe. FInd the source of the water.
I second that. The problem isn’t the sealer, it’s the water.
Find the source of the water.
How is the water getting in? Is it soaking through the sidewalk? Is the sidewalk cracked? Are the joints sealed with caulking? do the sidewalks slope away from the building? Does the rear yard slope away from the building? Does your neighbor have a water problem and it is getting though the wall? No need to answer these but in my opinion I would think it would be best to stop the water from getting to the outside of the foundation rather then just keeping it from entering the house. As far as covering brick I believe it has to breath. The worst case may be that the interior product is so good that it traps misture in the brick and the whole wall starts to deteriorate further. I would address the water issue from the source but cost is always a factor so if you go with the easier interior job I would ask contractor B to not only warranty thier work but get a letter and warranty from the manufaturer for this specific application of the product.