House waterproofing

House waterproofing- a whole range of measures to protect it from the effects of moisture and water. It allows you to maintain the water resistance of the foundation, walls, roof of the house, ensuring their normal operation, increasing the reliability of the house, its durability. Waterproofing, as a technological process, begins with a zero cycle, during the construction of the foundation, and ends with roofing waterproofing. However, very often, even after these works, waterproofing work is carried out in the interior of the house.

Water can get into the structure of the house in several ways - it can be groundwater or wet soil that destroys its foundation, rain, snow, humid outdoor air that negatively affects the walls and roof of the house, condensate inside the house that collects in wet rooms, splashes in places water use. It easily penetrates into any microscopic cracks, spreads through cracks and pores in all directions, not only down to the base, but also up. Due to its chemical activity, water very often combines with other, more active substances, reacts with metal reinforcement in reinforced concrete structures, causing them to corrode. Periodic cycles of freezing - thawing, especially in spring and autumn, leads to an increase in the size of cracks into which water has entered, which leads to the destruction of the entire structure as a whole. Therefore, it is clear how important such a construction technological operation as waterproofing a house is.

At the first stages of building a house, it is necessary to pay great attention to the waterproofing of its foundation. To do this, on the top of the foundation, leveled with mortar, waterproofing from two layers of roofing is laid on cement or adhesive mastic. In buildings that do not have basements, the first waterproofing layer is placed between the foundation and the basement of the house, the next one is ten to fifteen centimeters below the ceiling within the boundaries of the basement wall. When building houses with basements, coating or glued waterproofing of the foundation is used. The first includes hot bitumen or cold mastic, which are applied in several layers with a thickness of not more than one millimeter. The second type of foundation waterproofing includes water-repellent materials laid on bituminous mastics.

Waterproofing the floor of the house is necessary to protect it from moisture from the basement or from the environment. Particularly effective for floor waterproofing are insulating compositions of the penetrating group, which include bitumen-polymer, bitumen-rubber mastics, various polymers and materials based on them. Polymer-based self-leveling floors are widely used for such waterproofing. Their use allows not only to protect the ceiling from water, but also to level the floor surface. Floor waterproofing is necessary mainly for the floor of the first (basement) floor, as well as in rooms with high humidity - bathrooms, kitchens, showers.

The roof is the part of any building structure that is most exposed to atmospheric precipitation. If the waterproofing of the roof is broken, other structures of the building may be damaged. To protect the roof, various mastics and roll materials are used, as well as membranes made of PVC, EPDM and others. Bituminous rolled waterproofing materials are laid in a hot way, which ensures maximum effectiveness of roof protection. The materials that are used for roof waterproofing also give it mechanical stability and soundproofing properties. The use of such an integrated approach reduces the cost of building a house.

Important when waterproofing a house and waterproofing walls. It prevents the appearance of fungus, regulates the level of moisture inside the room, and protects all items inside the house. The waterproofing of the walls begins from their base, when they are isolated from the foundation. Usually, for these purposes, roofing material is used, covered in several layers. Vertical waterproofing of walls is produced with coloring and antiseptic compounds. Such wall protection is only relevant when waterproofing the floor or foundation, because it is impossible to insulate the walls if their base is not protected.

Most people today prefer not to live in stuffy city apartments, but to build their own country house, where you can safely enjoy nature and clean air. Building a country house is always associated with many problems. Among other things, a rather significant problem is the competent waterproofing of the basement of a country house.

High-quality waterproofing of the house can not only make it more durable and protected, but also makes it significantly warmer.

House waterproofing, Real-Comfort waterproofing work

House waterproofing House waterproofing is a whole complex of measures to protect it from the effects of moisture and water. It allows you to maintain the watertightness of the foundation, walls, roof of the house,

Modern methods of waterproofing the foundation and basement in an already built house

One of the important conditions during construction is the protection of the supporting part from moisture. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that technology violations in this case are difficult to control without extracting the foundation. It may happen that during the operation of the purchased house, problems were discovered. Or another situation: the building was built in compliance with all standards, but it already has a fairly long service life and needs repair. In all these cases, it will be necessary to perform waterproofing of the foundation with your own hands on an already built house.

Isolation methods

There is no mention of additional measures such as foundation drainage or drainage. These measures relate to protecting the foundation from moisture, but, in fact, are not insulation. It is important that without these works, waterproofing can be meaningless, so you should not forget about them.

The foundation must be reliably protected from water

The main problem arises for strip foundations in houses with a basement. The need for isolation may arise in the following cases:

• violation of technology in the construction of a house(neglect of waterproofing or its insufficient quality);
• material degradation over time(aging, repair required);
• groundwater level rise, as a result of which the strip foundation of the house is flooded in the presence of a basement.

Depending on the cause of the problem and its size, choose the appropriate option from the following:

• coating vertical insulation;
• rolled vertical insulation;
• penetrating waterproofing;
• injection protection of the foundation of a built house;
• use of diffusion membranes;
• mounted methods.

Waterproofing device, if it is missing, insufficient or out of order

Here it is extremely important to find out one thing: the insulation system is completely absent or only vertical protection has been neglected. It is worth noting that if the horizontal laying of the material was not provided for during construction, nothing can be done about it without dismantling the foundation of the house.

To eliminate the dampness of the basement and prevent the destruction of structures, work can be done from the inside or outside. The first option is more time consuming, since you will have to dig out the soil around the perimeter of the building, but more correct.

Moisture protection from the outside

In order to repair insufficient waterproofing or correct the situation in its complete absence by an external method, work is performed in the following order:

External way to protect the base from moisture

1. Digging out the foundations from the outside.
2. If there is no drainage around the perimeter of the strip foundation, you need to do it yourself. The location of the pipes in the ground is prescribed in such a way that they are 30-50 cm lower than the sole of the base and are no further than 1 meter from the basement walls.
3. The next step is to assess the condition of the foundation. If there are significant damages, they must be repaired. Seal up cracks, crevices and sinks with a cement-sand mortar. In case of serious defects, it may be necessary to strengthen the strip foundation of the house. The execution of such work depends on the degree of damage. If there are problems only on the surface, shotcrete will suffice, if the situation is more serious, do it yourself by expanding the sole or unloading the supporting part of the house.
4. Next, you need to choose a method of waterproofing. The cheapest option is bitumen coating. But this protection is suitable for low soil moisture and is not durable. The same can be said about the roofing material (roll pasting material). It is better to repair the strip foundation using more modern materials, such as linokrom, hydroisol, glass isol, diffusion membranes.
5. After the walls of the basement of the house are sheltered from moisture, you can build a brick wall around the perimeter. This will become an additional barrier in the ground. Having finished with waterproofing work, backfill with layer-by-layer compaction is performed.
6. The last stage of waterproofing is a do-it-yourself blind area.

Moisture protection from the inside

Do-it-yourself fragment of the strip foundation of the house is a laborious undertaking. If it is not possible to perform waterproofing measures from the outside, then the option remains from the inside. In this case, you do not have to work in the ground. The repair of the foundation is carried out from the side of the basement.

The easiest option in this case is the use of coating and roll materials. The method will not require large expenditures, but will be ineffective. Such actions will prevent water from entering the basement, but the construction of the strip foundation of the house will not be protected.

Protection of the basement from moisture from the inside

It is better to give preference to more effective measures when doing waterproofing with your own hands:

• use of penetrating materials;
• injection.

The effect of penetrating insulation is that the composition, getting into the thickness of the foundation of the house, crystallizes in the capillaries and prevents the penetration of water. Repair in this case will be quite effective, since the thickness of the walls of the basement of a private house rarely exceeds 60-70 cm, and some manufacturers claim that their compositions are able to penetrate to a depth of up to 90 cm. In this case, when performing work from the inside, even that part of the structure that is in the ground. Another advantage of this method is its low labor intensity. The disadvantage is the rather high cost of materials for processing.

An effective and simple method of base protection

Injection is a more efficient method than the previous one, but will require more labor. At the same time, the soil is strengthened around the basement walls. This means that not only the waterproofing is repaired, but also the supporting part of the house is strengthened. The work process begins with the introduction of injectors through pre-drilled holes to the outer edge of the basement walls. Through them, a solution for amplification will be supplied. The distance between the holes is assigned depending on the permeability of the soil and the viscosity of the composition for strengthening.

As mixtures for injection can be used:

Injection allows you to strengthen the supporting structure

• polyurethane foams;
• various resins;
• acrylate gels;
• liquid rubber compounds;
• cement-based mixtures;
• combinations of polymers.

If you need to strengthen the base at the same time as insulation, then cement-based mixtures are suitable. When solidified, they turn the soil into a solid stone foundation. The bearing capacity of the soil is thus significantly increased. Even if the foundation is damaged, this will not lead to uneven shrinkage and cracking.

What to do when the groundwater level rises

Compared to the previous problem, this one can bring more trouble and require more serious investment. The way out in this case will be reliable drainage and dewatering. If the foundation is exposed to pressure, it is necessary to isolate not only the base, but also to repair the basement.

In addition to strengthening the insulation from the outside, additional measures will be required on the inner edge of the walls. In this case, caissons are often equipped, but construction can be started only after moisture has been prevented from penetrating the foundation, performed in one of the following ways:

• rolled materials with additional protection (for example, the construction of brick walls around the perimeter of the supporting part of the building);
• diffusion membranes (you need to choose those that have a perforated surface, they are designed for vertical protection);
• penetrating compounds;
• injection.

The most reliable, but extremely expensive method will be repairs using steel wall cladding from the inside.

For work, sheets with a thickness of 4-6 mm are taken.

The most reliable basement protection

First, they are cut and fixed on the surface of the floor and walls (on vertical structures, they should be taken out just above the groundwater level). The sheets are fastened together by welding. To the floor and walls - with the help of special anchors. They are driven in such a way that a small space remains between the protected surface and the steel sheet, which is filled with cement mortar through the holes in the sheets. After completion of work, these holes are closed with steel plates for welding.

Waterproofing the foundation with your own hands, when the house is already built

Is it possible to perform waterproofing of the foundation and basement in an already built house. All methods: from the simplest to the complex of events.

Internal waterproofing of the house

Measures for its arrangement are carried out without fail in any building, regardless of its purpose and design. And they are carried out in a complex way. Moisture protection is needed throughout the building, although the method of work and the materials used may differ depending on which part of the house is equipped.

Some individual developers believe that internal waterproofing of the house is optional and can be neglected. Someone wants to save money, someone wants to complete construction faster. There are even opinions that this is generally an unnecessary matter if the climate is favorable, the soil is dry and the subsoil waters are deep. And they are all wrong.

Why do you need internal waterproofing

In any house, at any time of the year, the owners strive to maintain a certain, comfortable and constant temperature. And it always differs from the outside temperature. No wonder the rooms are heated in winter, and air conditioners work and windows swing open in summer. All surfaces of the building structure (foundation, external walls, roof, floors in some rooms) are, in fact, the boundary between two zones with different temperature conditions.

Therefore, there is such a phenomenon as moisture condensation. And it happens from the inside. An example is wet wallpaper. What is the risk?

First, almost any substance is capable of absorbing moisture to some extent. Hence, lack of internal waterproofing leads to a reduction in the service life of building elements, finishing materials (especially insulation), as well as equipment and things in the house. By the way, many building materials become less reliable in conditions of high humidity. The design values ​​included in the project may not be sufficient.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that many different engineering communications are equipped in the dwelling (water supply, gas supply, etc.). Not all of their elements and components are made of plastic. Therefore, it is inevitable occurrence of corrosion processes. And if we add to this that most fasteners (staples, nails, screws) are also metal, it becomes clear that they will not last long under such conditions. Internal waterproofing protects them as well.

Secondly, in the premises, over time, a stable the smell of dampness, mustiness, rot. And no fragrances will help here.

Thirdly, the biobalance established in the house will begin to be disturbed. This will require better heating in winter, which will additional energy costs.

Fourthly, a humid environment contributes to the formation and development such unwanted "guests" as mold, fungus, various insects, slugs. Getting rid of all this will be very difficult.

It is considered effective internal waterproofing horizontal. The fact is that moisture, no matter what material it comes into contact with, gradually rises up. For example, on a concrete slab - up to 3 m. Therefore, waterproofing work begins from the very foundation of the building, from the foundation. Its finishing is the very first stage of such work. The method of vertical isolation is applied in some cases. This is protection against moisture penetration from the outside.

Practice shows that the best effect is achieved by combining these methods with subsequent impregnation and painting of surfaces.

Materials for arranging waterproofing inside the building are used, as a rule, of coating, impregnating and gluing type. An example is masks. bitumen, liquid rubber, penetron and many others.

Waterproofing the foundation of a built house

Unfortunately, there are cases when the house has already been built and occupied, and here it turns out that the waterproofing of the foundation has either not been carried out, or it has not been done well. This is indicated by constantly wet walls in the basement, and even puddles that form at their base. Wall decoration quickly becomes unusable, and the half-measures taken do not bring results. This is one of the options when you need not only to think about the current situation, but also to carry out the necessary moisture protection measures. Do it yourself, or hire a repair and construction team, everyone decides for himself. Further in the article, situations will be considered when it is desirable or necessary to waterproof the foundation, and what activities can be done with your own hands.

When does the need to waterproof an existing foundation arise?

One of the cases has been discussed above. Why could this happen? There may be several answers.

1. During construction, waterproofing was not done, since at that moment the soil was dry, no groundwater was observed. As time passed, the situation changed, the result was not long in coming.

1. The waterproofing of the base of the built house was carried out, but not with the material that meets the existing conditions (for example, with high soil moisture, they decided to get by with bituminous mastic or waterproof plaster).

1. Vertical waterproofing was carried out with high quality, but the drainage system was not taken care of, and the area is swampy. Under such conditions, without moisture removal, not a single created hydrobarrier will be effective for a long time.

In what other cases may insufficient waterproofing work be manifested in a completed building?

Suppose there is a small, by today's standards, house on an unburied foundation, which is made on the basis of stone or blocks, that is, it is not monolithic. If you do not take care of the removal of water of atmospheric origin from the base of the house, with heavy rainfall, the soil on which the foundation sole rests will get wet and become pliable. Since the foundation is not monolithic, some sections sag, which is manifested by cracks appearing on the surface of the walls.

Let's consider another option. The house is old, and for some time now the walls have begun to fill with dampness from the inside near the floor. Outside, if the wall is not under the cladding, it is also noticeable that the surface is wet closer to the plinth and moss or mold is already starting to grow in some places. What can you think about? That's right, over time, the waterproofing between the base (base) and the wall fell into disrepair. Something needs to be done, because during the period of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the wall is very wet, causing the finish to deteriorate and fungus to start.

Waterproofing of a buried foundation in a constructed building

It should be noted right away that the upcoming work is very large-scale, so you can’t hope to complete the entire volume with your own hands. The plan of action in the presence of such a problem is as follows:

• sampling of soil along the perimeter of the building in order to provide access to the foundation surface;

• cleaning the base of the house from adhering soil and assessing its condition, possible causes of getting wet and making a decision about the upcoming set of waterproofing measures;

• carrying out the necessary work and filling the soil;

• installation of a blind area around the perimeter of the building.

The complex of waterproofing measures depends on the problems discovered during the “opening”. If there is no hydro-barrier coating on the surface at all, it must be done. Which material to choose in this case depends again on the conditions found. If the soil moisture is moderate, and the water from below is not suitable, you can get by with a relatively inexpensive, in every sense, rolled hydroprotection of the surface. If the fact of approaching groundwater is detected, additional care must be taken to equip a full-fledged drainage system.

Example of laying a waterproofing membrane

In the case when the waterproofing material is applied to the foundation surface, however, it passes moisture, it is worth using the installation of an additional, more reliable hydro-barrier (film membrane, for example). There is no point in applying another layer of the same product that was used originally. If one layer has not coped with the task, there is no guarantee that the second one will be more effective in given conditions.

Important! If a situation has arisen when waterproofing for some reason does not fulfill the functions assigned to it, it is necessary to accurately determine the cause of this phenomenon. There can be many factors, from the use of low-quality material to hidden hydrological features of the building site. Only a competent specialist of the corresponding profile can understand this. It is not advisable to draw conclusions on your own, and make decisions in this case.

Protection of an unburied foundation from excessive atmospheric moisture

The situation described above happens quite often with both old houses and new buildings. In both cases, if we exclude the incorrect calculation of the width of the sole of the base, this occurs due to the accumulation of excess atmospheric moisture in low places near the foundation. That is, there is a deepening of the soil relief, where, after rains or melting snow, extensive puddles constantly form. There is a deep oversaturation of the soil with moisture, which is why a reliable support disappears under the foundation in this place.

How, in this case, to remove moisture from the base of the house? There are two ways to fix the situation, or rather a combination of them:

• diversion of water to another place (outside the site or to a specially created underground reservoir) by creating surface drainage;

• arrangement of a wide solid blind area.

Do-it-yourself drainage can be made from any durable pipe made with weather-resistant material, directing it from the problem area to the slope. It is possible that for this it will need to be buried in the ground. Another option would be to build a concrete gutter that would serve the same function.

Even if drainage is done, it is worth taking care of creating a blind area that will prevent atmospheric precipitation from saturating the soil near the building itself. Moreover, the arrangement of such a structure does not have any special technological difficulties, therefore it is quite possible to make it with your own hands.

We make a blind area with our own hands

To make high-quality concrete protection of the foundation structure from excessive surface moisture, you will need the following materials and a set of tools:

• components for the preparation of concrete (crushed stone of a medium-sized fraction, sand, portland cement);

• gravel (large gravel);

• board for the manufacture of formwork;

• metal or polymer coarse mesh for reinforcement;

• concrete mixer;

• rule;

• Master OK;

• plaster float;

• earthwork tools.

Creation of a cement blind area with reinforcement

The work steps are performed in this order.

1. Dig a trench and select soil around the perimeter of the building (width about 80 cm, depth - about 20-25 cm).

1. Fill the bottom of the trench with large gravel with a layer of 10-15 cm, pour sand on top so that its top is slightly below the soil level.

1. Moisten the bedding with plenty of water and mount the vertical formwork. Lay the mesh for reinforcement.

1. Prepare concrete in a ratio of 4:2:1, where, respectively, fine gravel (screenings), sand and cement M-400. The consistency of the solution is semi-liquid.

1. Pour concrete between the house and the formwork and level it in two perpendicular directions.

1. When the concrete sets a little, grind the surface with a plaster trowel.

Important. If the blind area is done in the summer season, you need to protect the concrete from quick drying. To do this, the concrete structure (after the mortar has set) must be covered with a dark plastic wrap or some kind of dense cloth. When covered with a cloth, it is advisable to moisten it daily. Under these conditions, concrete will gain maximum strength, which will greatly increase the durability of the blind area.

We solve problems with waterproofing a long-built house

Previously, the choice of materials for creating hydrobarriers in construction was not so great. To be more precise, there was no choice at all. There was only, that is, cardboard impregnated with oil products. So it was used to create a hydrophobic gasket between the wall and the plinth. The service life of roofing paper is not that great, even in conditions where it is tightly sandwiched between two surfaces. That is why in buildings that were erected 50 or more years ago, bridges appear where waterproofing has ceased to be it, through which moisture from the basement passes to the bottom of the wall.

What can be done in such a situation? Raising the building to lay a fresh waterproofing layer is unlikely to succeed. There is only one way out - to protect the foundation together with the base from moisture from the outside, from where it is suitable in most cases. It is problematic to isolate the sole of the base, firstly, and secondly, there is not much point, since groundwater rarely reaches such a level (we are talking about a shallow base), the problem here is excess moisture of atmospheric origin.

Now about how to get out of this situation. The foundations that were made a long time ago were in most cases poured on the basis of natural stone, so the outer surface is unlikely to be even and uniform. Therefore, it is better to use not those materials that are intended specifically for moisture protection, but somewhat different ones. It is best to use hydrophobic derivatives of polystyrene (foam or extruded polystyrene foam). If you prefer polystyrene (it is cheaper), you need to purchase it with a density of at least 35 kg / m2.

Protecting the base of the house from moisture with polystyrene foam

In addition to the mentioned sheet polymer (thickness can be used in the range of 30-50 mm), the following materials are useful:

• special mounting foam for gluing polymer plates;

• dowels with a mushroom cap.

The tools needed are:

• foam gun;

• perforator with a 10 mm drill and a hammer;

• a construction knife or a hacksaw with medium teeth and a small divorce;

• roulette;

• level (water level);

• tools for earthworks.

1. Dig out the base to the sole and clean it as much as possible from the soil.

1. Starting from the bottom, glue the surface with expanded polystyrene plates, applying mounting foam to the outer surface of the foundation and basement. The pattern of fragments of the desired size from polymer plates is made with a knife or a hacksaw.

1. The seams between the sheets are completely filled with foam, without gaps. Above the ground level, the expanded polystyrene plates are additionally fixed with dowels (in the corners and in the center of the plates). In the underground part, this should not be done (the soil will press down).

Next, the soil is poured back into the trench, but not completely, since after its shrinkage it will be necessary to make a blind area, as described above. The above-ground part, after arranging the blind area, can be plastered in the classical way (cement-sand mortar) or modern types of finishes intended for the basement (tiles, decorative plaster) can be applied.

The advantage of this method is that the base is protected not only from moisture, but also from the effects of external temperatures. This will make the walls drier and the floor in the house much warmer.

Do-it-yourself waterproofing of the foundation of an already built house

Do-it-yourself foundation waterproofing on an already built building. Protection of buried and external foundations. Installation of blind area. Possible problems.