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marson marson is offline
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Default Tar paper vs. Plastic for foundation wall waterproofing

On Jun 16, 10:08 pm, wrote:
Dear Readers,

I've a block foundation wall with full basement. After heavy rains,
water seeps in from one part of the wall and has bubbled the paint
about 6" above the floor and seeped up along the edge between the wall
& floor in the same area.

I want to excavate the exterior, install a sloped perf pipe drain
along the footing, apply a dampproofing coating to the exterior wall,
and apply either tar paper or plastic sheeting over the
dampproofing.

Is tar paper better than plastic to waterproof the wall? If plastic,
what thickness? The thickest plastic I can find at HomeDepot is 6mil,
but I'm concerned that it might tear.

All suggestions appreciated!

-Anthony M. Falcone


I have seen plastic work. Use two layers--the outer layer gets pulled
down as the backfill settles. I would think felt would be hard to keep
on the wall during backfill. However, as long as you are going to the
expense of digging it up, why not use a peel and stick membrane? WR
Meadows Sealtite or Bituthene 4000 are a couple of many brands.