Waterproofing Stone and Limestone Foundations
Homes, Businesses, Schools
Some of the oldest foundations are made from stones, we usually see round "field stones" or square limestone in the Midwest. While the stone is fine, after decades, the mortar used starts to disintegrate and feels sandy to the touch. Water starts working it's way through the joints and sometimes even the porous limestone and you end up with a wet basement area.
Why Do Limestone Basements Leak Water?
Waterproofing Limestone Wall with Bentonite Exterior Waterproofing
Just like water, Bentonite, pumped around the exterior of the foundation, will move through the larger holes in the wall. Over time the bentonite will thicken, not harden, and form a barrier against water. Exterior waterproofing is Real Waterproofing because it stops the water outside of your basement. Older homes in Minneapolis and Saint Paul may have these stone or limestone basement walls, Bentonite Exterior Waterproofing is a great solution to your wet basement.
Great Lakes Waterproofing will sometimes seal these inside holes and clean up the area. Dimple board and plastic sheets should not be used in these stone-wall basements, they just capture the water and direct it to a sump basket which just pumps it back outside. Exterior water damage to the wall continues and a breeding ground for mold and mildew might be established.
Ok, sometimes we have to do work on the inside, this wet basement foundation went deeper than most basements and the only way to hit the wet areas was to pump through the walls. Using the same process, a chunky slurry of Bentonite Exterior Waterproofing is pumped throught the walls, void-filling the outside dirt and stopping water outside of the basement. No need for a sump pump and basket, Real Waterproofing stops water before it moves through the walls, usually at a fraction of the price of a drain-tile system.
Wet Limestone Basement with DryLok Waterproofing Paint
Oops, looks like we have a failure with the waterproofing paint. Unfortunately coatings on the inside will rarely fix inside basement leaks especially when the mortar starts to fall apart. The paints have a hard time sticking long term and with more than minimal water pressure. They do look great if your trying to brighten up the basement but in most cases, they are not an acceptable Real Waterproofing Product.
This basement was exterior waterproofed, the chunky bentonite sealed up the water pathways, holes and voids, stopping the wet basement issues.
Fixing Other Waterproofer's Work
While this foundation isn't Limestone, the other part of this historic building is and this poured concrete basement wall has to be around 100 years old, maybe more. This was about 12' down from grade level with a patio area above which made going through the inside necessary.
Previous waterproofers had put in a drain channel pipe leading to sump basket and pump. They had then put up plastic sheets on the wall to channel water down to the pipe. This doesn't waterproof the walls, this just brings the water in and it gets pumped right back outside. Unfortunately this wet basement was getting mold from the humid conditions, ideal for mold and mildew growth.
While pumping a chunky mixture of Bentonite, water could be seen coming in through the many holes in the wall. Eventually the benonite will fill the exterior voids and the water will stop moving through the basement wall.
Bentonite Exterior Waterproofing for Old Stone and Limestone Walls
It looks like Great Lakes Waterproofing has made a mess in this 150 year old wet basement but we call it "finding the sweet spot" one of the many holes in this basement wall leaking water. The bentonite will thicken up and cork up this hole, a concrete patch will be applied on the inside of the basement wall and the homeowner can enjoy their walls without a silly plastic wall barrier put up.
