Industrial, Commercial & Apartment Foundation Waterproofing For Saint Paul, Minneapolis and the Midwest

Great Lakes Waterproofing works on a lot of "oddball" projects, waterproofing foundations that other waterproofing companies are unable to do.   Most Minnesota "Waterproofing" Companies don't really waterproof, they allow water in the home or building collect it through a drain-tile pipe system and then pump it outside, this is called water management and should not be considered "Real Waterproofing."

This Edina Underground Tunnel with block wall construction and a concrete ceiling had water leaking onto the floor in several areas.  These areas had the signs of water moving through the blocks including bubbling paint, a crusty surface along with the visible water stains.  

Due to the size and location, a drain-tile system was out of the question and the owner went with our exterior foundation waterproofing solution using all-natural bentonite.  We were able to waterproof the areas where water was coming in, stopping it on the outside for Real Waterproofing.  With wet basement projects like this, we can target the areas for the greatest cost savings.

This Richfield Apartment Building had water leaking into one of the units, while not too bad, it only leaked during the big storms, it still needed to be fixed.  The Minnesota Management Company had two options, exterior waterproofing or interior drain-tile water management.  The company chose Real Waterproofing from Great Lakes Waterproofing.

We call these Minnesota Apartments "Garden Level," they only go down 3'-5' but this is a perfect application for exterior bentonite waterproofing.  Work was done in one day, on the exterior, the tenant didn't have to leave and the interior didn't need to be cut up for an interior drain-tile system.

Great Lakes Waterproofing's Portable Equipment is compact so we can get into tight areas without destroying the landscaping.  The bentonite injection wand and supply hose can be seen in this photo.

This 120 year old "brownstone" apartment building is pretty common around the Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the basement is about 6'-8' below the sidewalk and was experiencing a lot of water coming through the limestone foundation creating a wet basement.  Over time stone basement walls will lose some mortar and the joints will leak.

Great Lakes Waterproofing Exterior Foundation Waterproofing, using bentonite injections, once again proved to be the perfect solution to this wet basememt with stone walls.  We don't need a lot of space, we try to work within a foot of the foundation wall and the waterproofing equipment is placed in a more open area.

This Saint Paul MN Condo Building also had a limestone foundation, a perfect candidate for exterior bentonite injection waterproofing.  We slowly went down the wall to seal off the areas water was moving through the wall.  Real Waterproofing is when you stop water on the outside, before it moves through your wet basement wall.

Since most work was done outside, the tenents didn't have to move and walls weren't ripped out.  There was about 24" of landscaping next to the building, plenty of space to work. 

This Duluth building was being converted to a quick visit hospital but the basement area was getting wet and that had to be fixed before the project was done.

On these old buildings, interior drain-tile systems is not a good option, the floors can be several inches thick and provide support for the walls.  These foundation walls are solid poured concrete which is not a good application for drain tile since most of these walls leak above the floor level, never making it to the underfloor drain-tile system.

Great Lakes Waterproofing Exterior Bentonite Waterproofing was the perfect solution, we sealed up the outside for Real Waterproofing.  The nooks, crannies, holes and cracks are filled with bentonite which naturally keeps water from flowing through.

Sure we do new construction!  Using products from CETCO, the world's leader in bentonite waterproofing protection.  Bentonite Membranes provide some of the best below-grade waterproofing.

This Blaine MN Building was going to be buried but the customer stored raw metal products in it and needed it to be very dry.  CETCO Swelltite, Hydrobars and Bentoseal were the perfect solution.  The tarps on the top are just for protection.

First Bentoseal is smeared on the metal left imbedded in the concrete wall, this will keep any water out if the metal rusts through the wall.  Bentoseal is also smeared at the wall/footing junction and a bar of raw bentonite powder is place on top of it.  Swelltite, a bentonite membrane is attached to the wall and capped off with a stainless steel termination bar.  When done correctly, these products will not leak, providing a permanent barrier against water.

This university building didn't have much below grade but they were still getting water on the first floor. Even though these walls are close to 2' thick, holes and cracks had developed.  Great Lakes Waterproofing Exterior Waterproofing Bentonite Injections provided the perfect waterproofing solution using all-natural bentonite based products, we stopped the water outside for real waterproofing.

Without disruption to students or faculty , we were able to do all of the work outside.  The plants took a little bit of a beating but in most cases Great Lakes Waterproofing can work around flowers and shrubs without damage.  Unless we have to drill holes through sidewalks or patios, our equipment does not make a lot of noise and we can schedule it around the students holidays.

Minnesota Schools can present different waterproofing problems like this gymnasium, an interior drain-tile system would have been cost prohibitive and anytime you remove portions of the interior floor, your taking away some of the structural integrity of the wall which uses the floor to brace the bottom section of the wall.

The school district tried to make an industrial "French Drain" System, you can see the rocks and drains on the left but it didn't help.  Large amounts of water were flowing down a hill to the left, hitting the all above and below the system.

Great Lakes Waterproofing solution was to waterproof the exterior  of the foundation using bentonite injections, filling in voids and pathways water was using to move through the wall.

Great Lakes Waterproofing Portable Equipment can be staged close to this area, if possible we need access to power and water but in remote areas we have industrial water tanks and generators for power.

Great Lakes Waterproofing has worked on a lot of underground Minnesota Parking Areas, usually located under 3-5 story apartment buildings, with wet floors and walls.  This Hopkins MN Building had basement water everywhere, they even had an original drain-tile waterproofing sytem but all of the water was not being collected and ended up on the floor.

The solution was exterior foundation waterproofing using all-natural bentonite injections, the waterproofing work was done outside without any disruption to the tenants.  Buildings with spancrete ceilings might require a little more work than normal, as you can see they leak from the top down and all areas may need to be addressed.

This school had an below-grade area with a work-out room, pool and shower area with water issues.  After looking into all of the options, the school district decided to go with exterior bentonite waterproofing injections.

Holes needed to be drilled through the concrete (they will be filled when done) and a slurry of thick bentonite is pumped through the wand going down 10'.  The bentonite will follow the water pathways and fill voids, once fully set up but still flexible, it will stop water from moving through the wall on the outside for Real Waterproofing.

The sidewalk area also had hollow voids which collected water and provided an unobstructed path to the building, you can see a small pile of bentonite coming up near the right side of the brick column, this will all be cleaned up when done.

This Woodbury Dentist's Office had water coming in through this side of the building, Great Lakes Waterproofing was able to offer exterior waterproofing on this side only.

Interior drain-tile waterproofing was not an option, the work area could not be shut down, equipment moved and then rebuilt without causing a major disruption to the owner and customers.

The area was sealed with bentonite based products including hydraulic cement and Bentoseal, stopping water on the outside for Real Waterproofing!  The landscaping was put back and the customer now has a dry basement.

A local Saint Paul Hospital had a courtyard area with landscaping and a wet basement in this area.  It's common to get a lot of water collecting in enclosed areas and it can't get out.

The solution to stopping the water, for Real Waterproofing, was to seal the area with all-natural bentonite using Great Lakes Waterproofing Exterior Waterproofing Injection System, you can see our injection wand next to the building, the pumping and mixing equipment is portable and did not disrupt traffic.

By injecting waterproofing benonite next to the foundation, the water will not penetrate the basement walls through cracks and holes, just like when new.  Now the water follows the designed path towards the parking lot.

We try to do as little damage as possible with our exterior foundation waterproofing, in most cases, no digging is required and we can clean the area using water.

This Minneapolis, MN Building had a nice classic brick walkway, we removed bricks where injections were done (the tan stuff is our Bentogrout), once the area was satisfactorily pumped, the bricks were replaced and the area was clean up.

Our waterproofing pumping and mixing equipment was set up in a area so traffic could still move through the doorway if needed, with little to no disruption to the students.

Bentogrout Bentonite for basement waterproofing was the perfect material for this project, mixed into a chunky slurry we can pump it up to 16' below grade (more if needed).  Bentonite will fill voids that are common along exterior foundation walls that are now filling with water and moving through cracks and holes.  This all-natural material gets to the consistancy of Silly-Putty, preventing further moisture intrusion into the wet basement.

We worked with a water flow engineer on this project, interior drain tile waterproofing was out of the question.

President Benjamin Harris's Home was waterproofed by Great Lakes Waterproofing.  After looking through all of their options the owners decided exterior waterproofing using bentonite would be the perfect solution for this older structure.

Very old buildings like this usually have block stone walls with degrading mortar.  Exterior waterproofing fills voids and water pathways, preventing water from moving through the walls.

No damage or work was done inside the structure, keeping it all original or as found.  Exterior waterproofing is perfect for historic structures.

This Bloomington MN Office Building has another two lower levels underground, the bottom basement area wasn't getting wet but the floor just below grade was, about 10' down.  It would impossible to install a drain tile system on this floor so the owner went with Great Lakes Waterproofing Exterior Foundation Waterproofing.

All of the waterproofing work was done outside with no disruption to the tenant and no digging was needed saving the garden area.  The area was fully cleaned at the end of the waterproofing project.

The building had developed voids around the foundation which collected water, over time the water was moving through utility connections and seams between concrete panels.  Great Lakes Waterproofing was able to fill these voids using bentonite waterproofing preventing future water intrusion into the basement.

This utility room was part of a factory recently converted to condominiums and is typical what we see with these older structures.  The foundation walls of this corner has had additional work done over the years with the addition of the blocks added on top of the original poured foundation, maybe there was a fire or the top part of the wall became unstable but it pretty common to see these foundations leak, when wet concrete is added to dried concrete it's called a "cold joint."  This joint can have very small pores that allow water to move through creating a wet basement.

If you look closely on the floor you can see two piles of benotogrout waterproofing slurry, which is slowly flowing down the wall near the utility panels.  Our guys are pumping material on the exterior which is filling the water pathways and working it's way through the wall, just like the water used to do.

Once the exterior bentonite waterproofing is done, the basement will be cleaned and the inside holes will be filled with concrete.  A drain tile system would not have worked in this situation, the wall was leaking about 3'-4' above the floor level and in some of these buildings the bottom floor is up to 18" thick providing structural support for the foundation wall.

If the building  or home has a deep basement or there's something on the surface that doesn't allow access, we can waterproof the wall by injecting bentonite through wall.  Holes as small as 1/2" are drilled through the walls and bentonite is injected to the other side.  Great Lakes Waterproofing has used this method in elevator pits and parking ramps.

By filling voids and the  water pathways with all-natural bentonite, a barrier is created between the wall and moisture.  Once the process is done, the holes are sealed with a concrete product.