Weeping concrete

[John Miliunas]

Yeah, so it must be sad or something, huh?:) Seriously, the concrete floor in my finishing area was obviously not very well done or prepped. Lots of cracks and splits. It's OK during the Winter, but from now until late Fall, there is obvious moisture "weeping" up, particularly in the cracked areas. Replacement is not an option, a$ it would be co$t prohibitive. Any recommendations to seal it up? It's not a high traffic area, but it is used regularly for finishing. I already purchased a bunch of those floor mats, which interlock with each other, but don't think I should just slap them directly on the floor. I've even thought of getting a sheet of visquene and putting it down and then put the mats on there, but I'm thinking I may run into a mold problem then. I'm open to low-cost ideas.

[Rich Konopka]

John:

Use Hydraulic cement for the cracks which is fast setting and works excellent in situations such as yours. You may also want to look at DRYLOC which is a paint used for moisture penetration in basements. They can be purchased at the BORG's.

HTH

[John Miliunas]

Thanks Rich! Would you know if I have to be sure that the areas in question first have to be dry before using either/both of the products? That in itself may be a challenge!:rolleyes: I've had a fan and dehumidifier running in there 24x7 the last couple of days, with just minor improvement. It's not as though there are puddles, but it seems to keep wicking moisture up about as fast as it dries.:cool:

[Karl Laustrup]

John, the orange borg has a product called Dri Core. Other places may have it also, like Menards, but I've never looked. It is 4x4 sheets of wafer board with plastic bottom. The bottom has nobbies that keep the whole thing up off the floor about 2" and allow air flow. I am using some in my basement to help keep stuff off the floor and still allow the water we get to move toward the sump pump. Seems like they are about $8.00 each. They are tongue and groove and you can even get leveler dealies just in case your floor isn't level or has low areas. ;) :D

Wouldn't hurt to check Menards price on these as well, as one will match the other in price, so you can buy from the one you want.

[Mark Singer]

xypecI think thats how you spell it:confused:

[Tim Morton]

Hey john...you might want to dig a little deeper and find out where the water is coming from. Is it a normal thing in your area for concrete to "weep". water on our concrete here in vemont is due to water not draining away from the house. Do you have any kind of french drain around your house or in your basement? Gutters? In the long run i think its important to find out how to get more water to drain away from the house.

[Mark Singer]

John,

This is the best stuff I found.....

http://www.xypex.com.au/

[John Miliunas]

Hey john...you might want to dig a little deeper and find out where the water is coming from. Is it a normal thing in your area for concrete to "weep". water on our concrete here in vemont is due to water not draining away from the house. Do you have any kind of french drain around your house or in your basement? Gutters? In the long run i think its important to find out how to get more water to drain away from the house.

Tim, I was hoping to stay away from "digging"!:D Seriously, good suggestions, though I think that may not be the issue here. It was like that from day-1 here. Since then, I've installed gutters and pretty much checked around the perimeter of the area. Among other things, the land generally slopes away from the area in question and it's not even below grade. It's a floating slab, on grade. Good thought, though! Thanks.:) :cool:

[John Miliunas]

John,

This is the best stuff I found.....

http://www.xypex.com.au/

Mark, I don't see anyone in the USA as being a distributor for them! Looks like they certainly have just about any solution under the sun for concrete, but I'm thinking that may be just a BIT cost-prohibitive if I'm trying to get the stuff from Australia!:eek: Know if anybody Stateside carries the stuff?:confused: :) :cool:

[Dick Parr]

John, a couple big bottles of thick CA gule might do the job. :D ;) It seems to work on everything else :rolleyes:

[Lou Morrissette]

John,

I've used both hydraulic cement and Dryloc under wet conditions and have had good results. The Dryloc however is not recommended for high traffic conditions. In your situation, covered with a floor mat, you might be ok using it.

Lou

[Matt Meiser]

John, a couple big bottles of thick CA gule might do the job. :D ;) It seems to work on everything else :rolleyes:

You mean drums?

Seriously, I'd check into Drylock. I've read good things about it before. I've never used it, and I don't know if you can use it on floors, but I'd at least look at their literature. Even if its not rated for floors, you could seal the concrete with drylock, then install a wood floor over that, either the tiles Karl mentions or a more traditional sleepers-and-plywood floor. That should keep the moisture out and give you the durability you needed. As an added benefit, the floor would be warmer in the winter.

One other thought--are you sure the floor isn't sweating due to temperature? My garage floor at my old house did that. The floor would be soaking wet in the spring when the ground was cold but the air temperatures climbed during the day. It was a similar situation with a floating slab. We were about 30' from a small creek and the garage floor was a good 5' higher than the creek bed.

[Peter Stahl]

The only way you'll get it to stop weeping is to stop the water from getting under it. I live in S. Jersey and we have a high water table so it could be a spring causing it. Don't know what you have going on. Don't think you can stop it unless you remove the concrete and divert the water somewhere else. Then you'll need a good vapor barrier before you repour it. Maybe all the snow you guys get just saturates the ground and it has no where to go and seeps under the slab. You might need a french drain to get the water away from the house better.

Pete

[G.C. Wagner]

John,
When I was still with BellSouth, we used a lot of hydraulic cement to stop running water in the manholes sometimes. It will definitely set up in water so you have to work fairly fast.

I Just fixed a couple of leaks in my lower area of the house (split level) with DryLoc (sp?) and it worked fine. I used the hydraulic cement first and then coated the area with the DryLoc paint product. I found them at Lowe's.

Be sure not to mix more of the cement than you can use in 3 or 4 minutes or it will set up while you're trying to put it in the crack.

Gerry

[John Shuk]

John,
I think the bottom line here is that any treatment you use on the concrete is going to be the last line of defense. The real key is keeping it away in the first place. I think you might have to dig. Otherwise it's like trying to put a band-aid on cancer. It just don't work. I wish you the best.
John

[Mark Singer]

John,

There are US distributors....In this area White Cap carries it. It is the best thing to keep water out! I used it where we had a wood floor and water coming through the slab...worked great!


Mark, I don't see anyone in the USA as being a distributor for them! Looks like they certainly have just about any solution under the sun for concrete, but I'm thinking that may be just a BIT cost-prohibitive if I'm trying to get the stuff from Australia!:eek: Know if anybody Stateside carries the stuff?:confused: :) :cool:

[John Miliunas]

John,

There are US distributors....In this area White Cap carries it. It is the best thing to keep water out! I used it where we had a wood floor and water coming through the slab...worked great!

Thanks Mark! Think I'll have to try and "google" it!:) :cool:

[John Weber]

John,

Tough call. Our garage weeps on very wet days, not bad at all, but I can tell. However the shop was added about 40 years after the main garage was built and never weeps at all. I agree with the others, I would try and find the source, you don't want a mold or hidden problem if you put something that just covers up the problem.

Thanks - John

[Terre Hooks]

Before putting some majic remedy on the top, you might want to find out where the water is coming from, like someone else has suggested.

Hydraulic pressure is not something to play with, especially long term.


Do you have some poor drainage around the house? Is there some roof runoff that is not draining away from the house? Maybe this part of the shop/house is on top of a spring? Leaking water line?

Most places require that there be no joints below the slab with water piping, and it should be soft copper. Some places permit joints with silver solder.

[John Miliunas]

Many thanks for all the suggestions. I dropped a line to xypex to see if they have any local distributors and if they would sell the stuff retail. Otherwise, I think I may try the hydraulic cement and Dryloc.

I understand what the rest of you are saying about "finding the source", but that's really not economically feasible at this time. There are a number of mitigating facts though, which rule out many possibilities. First, the area is not attached or even very near the house. No worries about water lines, as there's no plumbing out there. :( There are rather steep drop-offs nearby on at least two sides of the area, pretty much ruling out a spring. Downspouts from gutters are channeled away from the building. Besides, doesn't appear to be more or less with rainy weather. I do have some hydraulic cement, which the previous owner had left with his 30 or so cans of mainly used and dry paint cans. I'll try it in a test area and see what it does. Can't hurt, I figure.:rolleyes: Thanks again!:) :cool:

[Jim Becker]

There are rather steep drop-offs nearby on at least two sides of the area, pretty much ruling out a spring.

Not so. You can have a spring at the very tippy-top of a mountain! What matters is how the rock layers are arranged and the pressures involved to push out the water. In fact, in a development around the corner from where my previous residence was located, folks needed two sump pumps in their basements to keep them clear of water...and all of those houses were at the highest point of a hill.

[John Miliunas]

Not so. You can have a spring at the very tippy-top of a mountain! What matters is how the rock layers are arranged and the pressures involved to push out the water. In fact, in a development around the corner from where my previous residence was located, folks needed two sump pumps in their basements to keep them clear of water...and all of those houses were at the highest point of a hill.

:eek: Yikes! Weren't aware of all the particulars. I guess the logistics for one is plausible, then, but I'm not about to dig the whole thing up, that's for sure! :rolleyes: Then again, maybe I COULD have running water in my shop!:D At any rate, I kind of doubt it, unless I have a total misunderstanding behind the concept of a spring. (Which IS very plausible!:rolleyes: ) I would think that if that were indeed the case, and due to the fact that there are actual cracks in the concrete, it would lend itself to puddling of water. None of that, just dampness. I checked again this morning and the dehudifier and fan do seem to be catching up with it a bit. If I get done with outside projects and still have enough egerny left, I may try a small area with the hydraulic cement and see how it does.:) :cool:

[Jerry Olexa]

John, now I know why they call you "Spring"..:D Im no expert but hear the hydraulic cement does wonders! If not ,put in a mock wooden floor...Hope that works for you...

[David LaRue]

John,


There is a good article on how to create a dry wooden basement floor (over concrete) in Fine Homebuilding March 2005 " The Stay Dry, No-Mold Finished Basement" The author Andy Engel goes into detail on how to create a dry floor with Expanded Polystyrene ridgid foam & two layers of plywood. This is likely a whole lot cheaper than a commercial solution.

Dave

[John Miliunas]

John,


There is a good article on how to create a dry wooden basement floor (over concrete) in Fine Homebuilding March 2005 " The Stay Dry, No-Mold Finished Basement" The author Andy Engel goes into detail on how to create a dry floor with Expanded Polystyrene ridgid foam & two layers of plywood. This is likely a whole lot cheaper than a commercial solution.

Dave

Thanks Dave! I'll look into that, as well! I just know I need to do something to get a nicer surface in there and that sounds like yet another option.:) :cool: