Masonary (Block, Stone, Brick & Tile) Walls

If your foundation walls are not solid concrete, the approach to making it waterproof is significantly different. 8" of poured concrete is inherently waterproof and will generally only leak where there is an identifiable crack or hole, MASONRY wall types however are by nature more porous. Water is readily absorbed into the wall and can flow through the walls (within the hollow blocks or between the stones/bricks) and create pervasive and difficult to isolate areas of seepage.

As a result, epoxy injection and traditional exterior membrane repairs are not appropriate for these types of structures.

There are only two permanent ways to waterproof a MASONRY foundation wall:

1. Excavate outside: this should only be undertaken after careful consideration as there is a fair chance that excavating the soil could disturb the integrity of the existing wall and could lead to more substantial wall repairs in addition to the necessary waterproofing work.

The exposed wall should be cleaned as well as possible, parged or tuck-pointed as needed, and then have a drainage material applied over the wall, leading to a new exterior drain tile system.

2. The alternative, and more commonly used method, is to install an INTERIOR SUB-FLOOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM. Typically weep holes are drilled into hollow blocks and a wall membrane is applied over the interior walls ensuring that any wall seepage is channeled down into the system and subsequently to a sump pump.

These systems are more quickly installed and can provide a permanently dry and usable basement.