Where is the water coming from? If you notice the water is leaking from a crack, you must first seal the crack. Is it a horizontal or vertical crack? Is the leak coming from a seam or an expansion joint? Contact a concrete crack repair kit specialist or seal the crack yourself with a crack repair product.
- Once the crack is sealed a sealer can be applied to protect the concrete from future water damage. We recommend a sealer that can prevent vapor transmission and can resist hydrostatic pressure. Also the sealer should be able to prevent the growth of mold, mildew, efflorescence and dangerous radon gases.
The best all in one basement sealer for preventatively sealing, meaning the basement does not have any active moisture issues, is the Lithi-Tek 9500. All the benefits and densifying properties of a silicate sealer with all of the waterproofing characteristics of a siliconate sealer. It is a chemically reactive sealer that fills all the pores and capillary voids creating a denser substrate to eliminate the transmission of water. Also, since it is a penetrating sealer, it penetrates deep into the slab and a chemical reaction occurs with the calcium and free lime in concrete. It hardens into a gel, filling all the pores of your concrete while still allowing it to breathe. This gel hardens and becomes a part of the concrete, creating a denser harder surface. Efflorescence, mold, mildew and radon are eliminated and water is prevented from damaging the basement.
If the basement has experienced active moisture issues it is best to use a two step process. First use the Lithi-Tek 4500 as a primer, followed up with the Siloxa-Tek 8500 seven days later. The combination of the two products will help to prevent any future water or moisture from traveling through the concrete.
