Hi guys,

About 2 years ago, I removed my basement carpet because I was getting
floods underneath. When I removed it, I saw that the entire slab was
filled with cracks - probably over 100 cracks. Water was coming in
through all the cracks. I live in Staten Island NY where there is a
VERY HIGH water table. Anyway, I had a contractor tell me it was
because I had cracks in my walls. He ripped down my paneling, found a
crack and filled it. The next day, I had the same problem. I bough
hydraulic cement and filled all the cracks. The water stopped. I
then installed a sump pump.

Fast forward to now, the water is back. I now know that hydraulic
cement is only a temporary repair. I will now use an epoxy injection
such as Emecole 555. Finally, here is my question. What can I do to
propoerly address all the cracks in the slab? When I look at it, I
feel like it needs a thick layer, say two inches or so, of some sort
of cementious or epoxy product. What can I do to stop this water
problem? I was originally advised by a few contractors to either fix
the cracks in the wall, install sump pumps, install a french drain,
etc. I did two out of three and neither worked. I want to avoid the
french drain if possible - I dont want to do it myself and dont have
an extra $4000 to pay to a contractor who will offer no guarantee that
this will solve my problem. Please help me out. Thanks.

Lou