On Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:56:04 -0400, micky wrote:
No, this is specifically about the 'interior' walls which aren't
inherently damp (although there's moisture in the air, so I should

Where is the dampness coming from if not the walls or the floor? It
may not be comng from the entire wall, but I'll bet a lot is coming from
the lowest 6 or 12 inches.

Mostly the north basement wall, which on the outside is at the bottom of
a slight slope, and has several "problems":

a) Some (but seemingly minor) damp at the 6-12" level and below,

b) A concrete block section which probably used to be a window years ago,

c) A concrete block section where the well-pump lines run through (and
possibly used to be a doorway when the house was built in the '40s - it's
about 3' wide and 5' tall, so complete overkill just for some water
lines),

d) A rough section in the cast wall about 3' from floor level and 3' long
which leaked in 6 or 7 spots (on the outside there's a concrete wood-
chute to one side and a 'trough' for another basement window on the
other, so I think water collects up against this section and doesn't
drain well).

.... I've tackled (b) and (d) with hydraulic cement before painting with
sealer, because I'd get rainwater visibly dripping through there during
heavy storms. I'm hoping that just the sealer alone will work for (a) and
(c), but time will tell!

The floor itself does get damp where things stand too, though, so I need
to seal that eventually (be it with paint, or plastic sheet and a floor
over the top), but getting that north wall dry will help enormously I
think.

The power of ugl waterproof paint is amazing.

Hopefully I'll find that, too! I'm hoping that it, along with the
cement, will knock most of the problems on the head. If I can cut down on
the regular damp a bit - and avoid actually having puddles in there after
heavy storms - I'll be happy :-)

My main worry is longevity, I think - I really don't know how long that
sealing paint lasts.

cheers

Jules