In alt.home.repair on Sun, 27 Feb 2005 00:05:45 GMT "Wally
Korzenieski" posted:

Looking for some advice. My house is about 30 years old and the basement
walls (typical concrete block foundation) are damp in spots. Certainly no
streams of water coming through the blocks, just a bit of dampness,
especially during the wet season. I'd like to apply one of the common water
proofing materials to all the walls but half the walls were painted by a
previous owner. All of the waterproofing materials I've checked out indicate
they should be applied to bare concrete or block, not painted surfaces.

Any suggestions for sealing up basement walls, especially those that have
been painted?

Back around 1962, my mother rented the house she used to live in, at a
reduced rate because the guy promised to do repairs, especially those
related to the wet basement. Instead, he reported us to the building
department for having a wet basement. (The one flaw in that story is
that he came over only a week or two before he moved out and paid a
month or two's rent, catching up maybe, I don't remember.)

So now the building department was after us and the inspector told my
mother instead of hiring a contractor to buy some waterproof paint.
She did, and I painted it, and it wasn't wet after that. Amazing.

If anything, I would think paints have gotten better in the last 40
years.

What about a belt sander to take the paint off the high spots of the
cinder block. That's about half of the surface and maybe it will hold
based on half. Use as coarse as they sell and you should be able to
move quickly. Wear goggles and a respirator. Warning: I've never
done this.

The building inspector (or chief of the building department, I don't
knwo which) went on to be president of my fraternity's national
organization, and mayor of Indianapolis maybe. My mother only talked
to him over the phone. but thought he was a nice guy. Burt SerVaas.

Thanks.

Wally Korzenieski




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