Over the years, your home’s basement has become practically a sieve every winter, and the water damage is pervasive. Thankfully, there are many basement waterproofing options in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Davenport, Iowa, that can help you keep your home safe. Understanding these techniques, both professional and DIY, can give you the best chance of keeping your home protected and ensure that you can finish your basement and use it for relaxation and more.

Professional Protection

Most types of high-quality basement waterproofing require professional help to manage correctly. Though some may be able to do some DIY repairs – which we’ll also discuss in more depth below – it is probably best to always get an expert to help you. Doing so can ensure that you get the best experience possible and prevent any damage that may otherwise occur during your repairs.

Exterior Grading

This process involves changing the dirt and ground surrounding your home to make it slope away from your home. In this way, water is directed away from your home’s foundation, minimizing the damage that may occur there due to water. It also helps to waterproof your house by taking water away from the home and ensuring that it doesn’t end up getting damaged as a result.

Hydroclay Injection

This unique basement waterproofing method injects a special type of clay into the cracks throughout your basement, providing you with a higher level of protection. This option is so good in the winter because the clay is not prone to expansion and contraction due to winter weather, meaning that you can usually get a pretty good level of protection out of this simple technique.

Gutter Installation

Though this technique doesn’t technically waterproof your basement, it does help out in a big way by taking water away from your home. This step is critical because it can ensure that water doesn’t pool around the surface of your home or damage other areas and seep into the foundation to cause cracks that may widen and cause real damage to your home that’s hard to repair without expert help.

Concrete Sealant

Concrete waterproof coatings are probably the most common and easy to use to seal up your basement and ensure waterproofing. You can apply this sealant to both the interior and exterior sides of your walls. Expert help with this type of basement waterproofing is usually advised because it can ensure that you don’t run into any confusion and keeps your sealant fully and evenly applied.

Other Professional Methods to Consider

There are a few other techniques that you can use to waterproof your basement this winter, each of which should be done by a professional. These simple methods include:

• Crack Repair – Hire experts to fix any damage that may be evident inside of your basement.
• French Drains – Use a French drain to remove water from your basement floor and perimeter continuously.
• Gravel Installation – Line up rocks along the outside of your home to prevent water from flowing into the ground.

If these steps don’t work or don’t think that you need this type of intensive basement waterproofing, you may need to do a little bit of DIY repair. This step can help ensure that you don’t end up needing professional help and can save you money at the same time.

DIY Repair Techniques

If you don’t want to hire professional basement waterproofing but want to protect your home just the same, you need to make sure that you consider a few different DIY methods. These techniques are designed to be relatively easy to handle on your own. For example, you can use caulk to fill in small cracks in your basement to keep them from getting bigger, stopping winter water flow. Try to apply this caulk evenly and wait for it to dry before you sand it down, keeping the surface of your walls even.

You can also clean out your gutters and downspouts every year, which stops them from overflowing and causing damage to your foundation. Don’t forget, though, that the humidity of your basement is also essential to manage because it can cause a general level of damage that may occur slowly but persistently. To fill this need, it is often best to get a dehumidifier or use various sealants to stop water from building in the basement and damage the walls that may lead to leaks.

Get the Help That You Need

If you think that you need high-quality basement waterproofing in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Davenport, Iowa, please contact us at Tomlinson Cannon right away to learn more. We serve this area with pride and can provide you with a myriad of different techniques that can give your house the protection needed to be safe from dangerous water this winter.