Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [waterproofing]

637 questions
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I have a basement floor with lots of moisture, can I paint or seal it to make it waterproof?

My basement has a slight dampness issue, where if I leave things on the floor they will get wet. There are no leaks and no standing water, the moisture seems to be wicking up through the concrete. I conducted a simple test to make sure moisture in…
Tester101
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Does this downspout design make sense?

I've recently started smelling a musty smell in my upstairs bedroom. The bedroom closet just happens to be where the downspout from the main roof drains onto the roof for my garage and creates a kind of corner in the roof. As I have been looking…
philmonroe
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5 answers

How can I monitor my roof to detect roof leaks before they cause damage?

A lot of questions have been asked about how to locate a leak in a roof, but you can only locate a leak that you know exists, and the first noticeable sign that there is anything wrong might be drywall damage in your living space. By this point, the…
interfect
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Is it better to waterproof a basement from the outside or the inside?

Is it better to waterproof a basement from the outside or the inside? I've heard different things about this. We have a home built in the 40's on a cinder-block foundation. One side of the house is inaccessible without removing our driveway.
Kyle
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15
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4 answers

French Drain: Why do I need 3" of rock bedding beneath the pipe?

I'm having issues with a leaky basement in the Portland area. There's dirt, mud, and vegetation outside of my foundation wall, and it's absorbing lots of rainwater. 4 feet of it is inside my property line, but my neighbor has a wide grassy driveway…
M -
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14
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1 answer

How do I correctly install ceramic floor tile?

How do I correctly install ceramic floor tile? There's lots of talk about using backerboard and waterproofing membranes, what an acceptable floor deflection is, different grout and thinset additives, ect... Starting from subfloor-less 16"oc joists,…
Mazura
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How important is Tyvek/house wrap for a house with metal siding?

I'm building a tiny house and it will have metal siding. My dad has worked a lot of construction and says he's never installed a house wrap for a metal building in his life. Most info I can find online says if it's climate controlled it needs…
Mark
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1 answer

Does tar roof patch on EDPM rubber roof cause damage?

I applied Henry 208 roof patch on my EDPM rubber roof. It looks fine and seems to be holding up, however I'm concerned that it may react with the EDPM chemicals. I have heard this can happen with certain materials, and I'm wondering if I should cut…
Danny
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10
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4 answers

Can I create a water proof barrier to keep my garage & home from flooding?

Every couple of years, the area where I live gets a huge storm. The result being that the flood of water that collects in the streets overpowers my driveway and runs down to my garage. I put in a large drain a few years back (6 inches) which for…
user2316614
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What should I do about my rendering & damp-proof course?

I have a house that was built around 1890 and is of brick construction with a rendered band running around the base which also forms square edged columns around the front door. Until recently the house had a concrete front garden that met the…
Gideon Purser
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1 answer

Flooding In New Construction Building

This weekend, water was observed flowing up, through the floor and through other joints, into the building - making a swimming pool we didn't ask for! Some Background We currently have a project constructing a shop/garage in the Texas hill country.…
losthorse
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7
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1 answer

Attaching a pergola (or deck) to vinyl siding

Building a structure which is attached to a house usually involves a plate which is bolted to the existing building, typically a 2x8, or 2x10. I understand how to structurally attach this, my concern is working with the existing vinyl siding. If I…
Scivitri
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5 answers

Can I erect a barrier to keep water out of my garage?

Within the last year, I have purchased an 80+ year-old house. The house has a sealed blacktop driveway that runs parallel to the house. The house has an integrated garage with swing-open (horizontally opening) doors. The garage floor is about 2-3…
San Jacinto
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How best can I seal up an old coal door?

Alongside my house is an old coal door that was never properly sealed. Some caulk was added around the metal exterior door, and a piece of plywood nailed over the interior opening (more to keep out critters than water, I believe). As you can see…
Joe Shaw
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7
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2 answers

What are these vents in the foundation mortar for?

Throughout the interior side of my 1925 brick foundation are little metal vents embedded in the mortar at irregular intervals. Neither our home inspector nor our real estate agent knew exactly what they were for. The vents are about the size of a…
Joe Shaw
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