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It might surprise most homeowners to learn than approximately 15 gallons of water evaporates from the basement concrete every single day, making it the largest contributing source of the moisture in the home.

"Seal the concrete and protect your investment". Every concrete basement is a source of moisture and radon gas penetration, yet many basement finishing companies are not aware of this and fail to property treat the concrete (or they use the wrong product) before finishing the basement. This is a costly mistake.

In some cases, the basement has to be torn out after just a few years due to the mold and mildew growth caused by moisture trapped behind finished walls and flooring. Every Southern Basement Company project addresses these issues from the very beginning and we consider this to be the most important part of our process. If you read nothing else on our website, be sure to thoroughly read this page. Understand that we are not talking about water leaks, but water vapor and radon gas. Every basement has these issues, new house or old house. This is not common knowledge, you won't find this on most basement finishing websites,  and it's very, very  important to understand the subject matter:

Poured concrete hardens and cures by reacting with water. Yet almost half of the water added to the concrete is surplus and has to evaporate. As this surplus water evaporates, it leaves behind a network of capillaries or pores. These pores constitute 12% - 18% of the concrete by volume, sometimes more. The diameter of the pores is much smaller than a human hair, but much larger than radon atoms or water molecules. These capillaries allow radon gas, water vapor, liquid water, and other gases to enter into your home.

So what's radon gas? According to the EPA, radon gas exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. It's an invisible and odorless radioactive gas and is produced during the nature disintegration of radioactive heavy metals uranium and thorium, which are dispersed throughout the Earth's crust. Dig up the top 6 feet of an acre of land and you will find about 50 pounds of uranium. Each year, the average person receives more radiation from radon at home than from all other natural and man-made sources combined.

This radon gas naturally moves into the disturbed soil and gravel bed surrounding building and home foundations and then through the cracks and pores in the concrete. Radon is also water soluble and gets indoors by water mitigation as well. Water is drawn indoors by the capillary action of the pores in concrete or pushed by hydrostatic pressure (seepage), usually during heavy rains.

Concrete is highly alkaline (ph. 9-11), and these alkalis disintegrate exterior waterproofing coatings, which are only guaranteed for 5 - 10 years. The plastic sheet under the concrete slab (used as a vapor barrier) gets eaten by lime from the concrete. As soil and gravel settle, water and soil gases pool in the void right underneath the slab.

Water mitigation gradually leaches the capillaries, and makes the concrete more and more porous. As concrete ages, the seepage of liquid water, water vapor, and radon gas steadily increases. Water carries dissolved alkalis from the concrete and the soil. Water vapor condenses on cool surfaces or when trapped under a covering, and activates the alkalis in the concrete.

The alkalis dissolved in the water attack fatty acids in paints and adhesives. All paints or surface sealers will eventually peel or blister. If you install floor tiles, sheet vinyl, or linoleum, it will trap moisture and the glue will disintegrate. The alkalis even attack carpeting, floor coverings, and the concrete itself. Lime from inside the concrete form efflorescence, a whitish mineral powder which easily lifts paints and floor tiles. You've probably seen this white powder before on basement concrete walls.

Even if your basement looks dry, moisture is pouring in as an invisible vapor and by evaporation of water seeping through capillaries. It might surprise you to learn that the basement is by far the largest source of moisture in your home, evaporating 15 - 18 gallons of water a day into your home. This moisture promotes molds, mildew, dust mites, and other biological air contaminants which cause allergies, asthma, and other health problems.

Mold thrives in carpeting, upholstered furniture, drywall, wood paneling, or most of what's in your finished basement. Mildew munching on cellulose (paper or cardboard) produces volatile organic compounds, and that is what we detect as the musty "basement smell". Dehumidifiers are commonly used in basements to control the moisture and humidity, but they consume lots of power and release that energy as heat which adds to the air conditioning load. In the long run, dehumidifiers draw in more moisture from the ground through the porous concrete, making it more porous and accelerating it's deterioration.

Yes, this sounds pretty bad, but this is the truth about what you are really up against when finishing off a concrete basement.  If the problem outlined above is not properly addressed at the very beginning, then the entire project has potentially been compromised and future problems are inevitable. Beyond the possibility of tearing our the basement within a few years time, there is the greater health risk of exposing your family to mold, mildew and radon gas. This is completely preventable and does not have to happen.

The Southern Basement Company uses an exclusive commercial grade deep penetrating concrete sealer which penetrates several inches into the concrete. This sealer reacts with the lime and alkalis, forcefully expands into the capillaries and hardens as an insoluble material. In other words, all of the problems listed above are addressed via this one application. This is the first step in our basement finishing process, and it sets us apart from the other companies out there. Yes, we could finish a job a little faster and reduce our costs by omitting this one step, but we want your basement to last a lifetime. Besides, it's the right thing to do.

TM

Clibasement finishing   +   design studio