Basement Walls

[Tom Bender]

This wall got wet, then I fixed the problem. It has been very dry for 20 years but still looks wet. How can I make it look dry?

463055

[Gary Ragatz]

Bleach and a scrub brush?

[Jim Becker]

About the only way I can think of for "clearing that up" would be to put an appropriate coating on the wall, such as drylock or similar.

[Kev Williams]

Muriatic acid. To test, go to Home Depot or Walmart and pick up a quart of "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. The 10% strength stuff you can use full strength. Use a non-plastic bristle scrub brush.

The caveat is, it's messy and you need to rinse with water...

[Alan Rutherford]

...The caveat is, it's messy and you need to rinse with water...

Muriatic acid is not real good for your lungs. Make sure you have good ventilation.

I did the concrete floor of a basement with it many years ago. Probably a lot stronger than 10%. I did not remove my drill press and you can still see where the fumes rusted the column.

[Jack Frederick]

Not trying to make more work for you Tom, but in my MA home I had moisture issues in the basement. Got them taken care of. I used the UGL Etch and then their white paint. It really brightened up the basement and perhaps best of all, seemed to decrease the humidity in same

[Dave Zellers]

Agree with Jim & Jack. Any quality waterproofing cement based paint. But if you do that, you'll then have to build a rec room down there.

[Paul F Franklin]

You do have some efflorescence so some etching is in order even if you plan to paint. You can paint over efflorescence with dryloc, but it will eventually fail in those areas. I often try cleaning vinegar (30% or 15%) instead of one of the stronger acids first; it usually works well when the mineral buildup isn't too bad. You still need to use an organic vapor respirator with the vinegar and gloves, etc.