Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926..

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.

leza wang writes:

Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath
it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor
is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was
build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that
(cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it
nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking,
shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the
water.

???

What water.

If the floor periodically floods, you need to stop that before
you attempt to do anything to beautify the floor.

Yes, that is cement.

There are lots of ways to make it look good, it depends a lot
on what you want and want to spend:

https://www.concretenetwork.com/phot...rete-floors_1/

--
Dan Espen

On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

On Sun, 25 Jun 2017 11:53:56 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:

Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.
Looks like concrete - the only way to make it look good is to cover
it with something. Likely too saft to grind and polish like terrazo.

On Sun, 25 Jun 2017 11:53:56 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:

Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.

Leza. I can't tell exactly. That floor resembles tiles/stone or
similar with lines at 12 inch by 12 inch. Is there grout along the
horizontal and vertical lines?

If so, it could be cleaned up and used as is.

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water problem is really solved first.

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will be used for.. And as someone else posted, make sure the water problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my basement. Thank all once again.

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 8:03:06 PM UTC-4, leza wang wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my basement. Thank all once again.

Yes, they have paint and solid stain formulated for concrete. Whether it will stay or peel depends on your water problem. If the water comes from a crack in the wall and doesn't amount to much or stay long, you could be OK. But if it's coming up through the floor, the paint will bubble and come off. The water problem should be identified and fixed.

On 6/25/2017 8:02 PM, leza wang wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my basement. Thank all once again.


I painted my basement floor 40 plus years ago with floor paint from
Sears and have not had to repaint. It has gotten wet a couple of times.
I had some old carpeting pieces but they got stinking wet so floor is
just bare. Before painting I had mopped the floor with dilute muriatic
acid to remove dust and give paint a clean surface.

leza wang writes:

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and
underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not
sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of
something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is
that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to
keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it
better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and
vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps
dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will
be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water
problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not
want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not
hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any
special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start
melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no
matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is
a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my
basement. Thank all once again.

Most likely, the melting snow raises the water table and you are getting
seepage. Epoxy paints are good on concrete, but NOTHING will last
long with getting soaked with water.

You need to solve the water problem.

They make some laminate flooring now that's supposed to be water proof.
If it gets wet, take it up, dry it, put to down again.

Still recommend solving the water issue.

--
Dan Espen

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 9:02:50 PM UTC-4, Dan Espen wrote:


On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and
underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not
sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of
something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is
that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to
keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it
better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and
vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps
dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will
be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water
problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not
want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not
hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any
special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start
melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no
matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is
a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my
basement. Thank all once again.

Most likely, the melting snow raises the water table and you are getting
seepage. Epoxy paints are good on concrete, but NOTHING will last
long with getting soaked with water.

You need to solve the water problem.

They make some laminate flooring now that's supposed to be water proof.
If it gets wet, take it up, dry it, put to down again.

Still recommend solving the water issue.

--
Dan Espen

Thank you for your reply all, but how to solve the water problem? It is very inconsistent. We had very heavy rain last week but my basement was so dry! that was my observation, it gets wet in spring when the temperature goes above 0, it wont happen so often but 3-4 times a year. Thanks a lot.

On 6/25/2017 10:16 PM, leza wang wrote:


Thank you for your reply all, but how to solve the water problem? It is very inconsistent. We had very heavy rain last week but my basement was so dry! that was my observation, it gets wet in spring when the temperature goes above 0, it wont happen so often but 3-4 times a year. Thanks a lot.


Rain may be running off quickly while snow melt is getting trapped and
has time to soak in. You may need someone with foundation knowledge to
look at it.

On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.

On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43:40 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.

How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.

The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.


How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.


Ice & xnow builds up on the ground and forms an ice dam -
perhaps from foot traffic - even if only a few inches deep -
it might affect the natural run-off during the springtime melts -
creating a puddle near the foundation which has nowhere to go
but down. If the homeowner monitors the sump pump activity
- it will provide a good time to examine all the various
basement wetness causes - hence solutions.
As suggested - foundation grading is a common culprit.
A couple times over the years when I've seen some winter puddling
near my foundation - I've hacked a small run-off trench into the ice
with a pick-ax, just in case.
John T.

On 6/26/2017 6:53 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:

The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.

How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.


I thought about that and it is possible. The ground right next to the
foundation may not be freezing for the first 6 to 12 inches allowing the
melt to seep rather than run down a path. Not sure if just grading
would cure that though, some sort of waterproofing may be required.

leza wang writes:

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 9:02:50 PM UTC-4, Dan Espen wrote:


On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and
underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not
sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of
something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is
that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to
keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it
better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and
vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps
dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will
be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water
problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not
want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not
hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any
special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start
melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no
matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is
a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my
basement. Thank all once again.

Most likely, the melting snow raises the water table and you are getting
seepage. Epoxy paints are good on concrete, but NOTHING will last
long with getting soaked with water.

You need to solve the water problem.

They make some laminate flooring now that's supposed to be water proof.
If it gets wet, take it up, dry it, put to down again.

Still recommend solving the water issue.

--
Dan Espen

Thank you for your reply all, but how to solve the water problem? It
is very inconsistent. We had very heavy rain last week but my basement
was so dry! that was my observation, it gets wet in spring when the
temperature goes above 0, it wont happen so often but 3-4 times a
year. Thanks a lot.

I knew that was going to be your next question, but I think it's near
impossible for online help with that. You really need someone
knowledgeable to take a first hand look.

I had water issues in my current house so I looked at a lot of
causes and cures. Bad gutters, grading issues, sump pump placement
and depth, lots of things could come into play.
In my case I had a french drain installed
in an existing basement. No more water problems.

If your water table elevates during a thaw, the water can
enter the house right up through the slab. That's what I had,
puddles forming right in the middle of the room. It looked
to me like the previous owner tried to solve the problem with
gutter outflow directed into a dry well. He also tried Drylock
water proof paint. That may have helped but heavy, sustained
rains still caused water to accumulate.

--
Dan Espen

On Mon, 26 Jun 2017 03:53:24 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43:40 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.

How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.
The eaves troughs direct rainfall from the roof away, and thawied
ground lets water spak away - frozen ground does not let the water get
away, and water pools against the foundation where there is no frost
due to poorly insulated foundation. Common problem. grade away from
the house and very good chance the problem goes away.

On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 10:43:29 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jun 2017 03:53:24 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43:40 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.

How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.
The eaves troughs direct rainfall from the roof away, and thawied
ground lets water spak away - frozen ground does not let the water get
away, and water pools against the foundation where there is no frost
due to poorly insulated foundation. Common problem. grade away from
the house and very good chance the problem goes away.

I think we may have a winner here. It makes sense.

On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 10:43:29 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jun 2017 03:53:24 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43:40 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.

How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.
The eaves troughs direct rainfall from the roof away, and thawied
ground lets water spak away - frozen ground does not let the water get
away, and water pools against the foundation where there is no frost
due to poorly insulated foundation. Common problem. grade away from
the house and very good chance the problem goes away.

I'd also add that she should go outside during a heavy rain and actually
see what's happening with the water. I've been surprised to find that
there is a problem with what looked fine just by observation when it's
not raining. In my case, it was a piece of corrugated pipe shoved onto
one of the leaders. When it rained heavy, the water managed to come out the
top of it, right at the foundation.

On 6/26/17 5:53 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43:40 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi
The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.
How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.

My thought was about the timing. A heavy rain could fall into
ground that isn't saturated. It could evaporate and soak in before the
next one hits. Snow runoff could
sit for weeks without much chance to evaporate or soak into frozen ground.

On Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 6:17:12 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/26/17 5:53 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43:40 AM UTC-4, Dean Hoffman wrote:
On 6/25/17 1:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi
The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build in 1926.
I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here
http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9
My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.
Thanks a lotl.
The water problem might be something simple. Does all the
ground surrounding the house slope away from the house? It could have
settled over the years. Even a few inches right against the foundation
will matter.
How would a grading issue only cause melting snow water to enter the basement
but not heavy rain water? I'm not saying it's not a grading issue, just curious as to
how it would cause the symptoms that Leza is experiencing.

My thought was about the timing. A heavy rain could fall into
ground that isn't saturated. It could evaporate and soak in before the
next one hits. Snow runoff could
sit for weeks without much chance to evaporate or soak into frozen ground..

Two coats of drylock on the slab floor and cinder block walls may not keep out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity that seeps through everyday.
m

Two coats of drylock on the slab floor and cinder block walls may not keep out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity that seeps through everyday.
m

Thank you all. I will consider Drylock but before that I want to ask you a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now because of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it with pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean it please?
Thank you

leza wang posted for all of us...



On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 9:02:50 PM UTC-4, Dan Espen wrote:


On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 6:59:15 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:31:01 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 6/25/2017 2:53 PM, leza wang wrote:
Hi

The floor of my basement use to be covered by a carpet and
underneath it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not
sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of
something else. My house was build in 1926.

I took a picture of this floor. you can see it here

http://tinypic.com/r/243nccm/9

My question, do you know from that pic which kind of floor is
that (cement or something else). Also any recommendation how to
keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it
better looking, shining etc. I had to remove both the carpet and
vinyl because of the water.

Thanks a lotl.


Looks like concrete, just marked up from the tiles. You can tap it with
a hammer and it should be very hard and have a sound of solid. Thump a
concrete wall for an example.

Is the water problem solved? If so, I'd put a cheap laminate floor
down. It will look good and be fairly easy to clean.

Looks like concrete to me too. Painting it is one option. It keeps
dust down and will make it look nicer. Also depends on what it will
be used for. And as someone else posted, make sure the water
problem is really solved first.

Thank you all for the help. Yes painting is a good option. I do not
want to put anything else for now. I like it that way. I mean not
hardwood, tile etc. Now my question what kind of paint? is there any
special paint for that?

About the water, the water come inside my basement when the snow start
melting, only then I see water inside my basement. If it rains and no
matter how strong the rain, my basement keeps dry. So I thought it is
a crack in the foundation that allow the melting ice go inside my
basement. Thank all once again.

Most likely, the melting snow raises the water table and you are getting
seepage. Epoxy paints are good on concrete, but NOTHING will last
long with getting soaked with water.

You need to solve the water problem.

They make some laminate flooring now that's supposed to be water proof.
If it gets wet, take it up, dry it, put to down again.

Still recommend solving the water issue.

--
Dan Espen

Thank you for your reply all, but how to solve the water problem? It is very
inconsistent. We had very heavy rain last week but my basement was so dry!
that was my observation, it gets wet in spring when the temperature goes
above 0, it wont happen so often but 3-4 times a year. Thanks a lot.

You WILL have to determine where the water problem is coming from. Lay a
piece of plastic on the bare floor and leave there for a few days. If it
gets moisture underneath then it is coming underneath the concrete. It could
be a spring underneath the slab that gives the problem. Also look at the
foundation walls, could it be coming through there. Do you have a floor
drain? Do you have a drain around the foundation? I would presume a house
built in '26 would not.

--
Tekkie

On Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:09:10 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:

Two coats of drylock on the slab floor and cinder block walls may not keep out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity that seeps through everyday.
m

Thank you all. I will consider Drylock but before that I want to ask you a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now because of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it with pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean it please?
Thank you

Leza,

There are any number of commercial adhesive removal products which you
can buy. I would look on Amazon and in Home Depot. None of these
products are effortless and I have never found one that worked very
well without significant odor.

You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation
and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet,
installed right over the existing adhesive.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage
or will it be a living area?

You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation
and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet,
installed right over the existing adhesive.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage
or will it be a living area?

It is not strong sticky, but when you walk bare feet you feel it a bit. I really prefer not to add anything (carpet, hardwood, tile) I like it that way, so painting it would be great idea, for cleaning and for looking good too. I should not care about the smell as you said. I think I will try the Thinner. Thank you.

On Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:09:10 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:

Thank you all. I will consider Drylock but before that I want to ask you a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now because of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it with pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean it please?
Thank you

There are a few product varieties for cleaning / etching the concrete.
Sulfamic Acid tile and grout cleaner is a mild acid. There is another
that is milder acid. Citric based product used by BEHR floor coating.
Anhydrous crystals.

Follow directions. Look in Home Depot for the epoxy floor sealer but
you really do need to find and fix the source of water intrusion.

Always put acid in water, not the reverse.

In article ,
says...


It is not strong sticky, but when you walk bare feet you feel it a bit. I really prefer not to add anything (carpet, hardwood, tile) I like it that way, so painting it would be great idea, for cleaning and for looking good too. I should not care about the smell as you said. I think I will try the Thinner. Thank you.


If you use thinner make sure it is not flamable. Especially if you
spread it out over a large area. Whatever else you use, make sure it is
ok to use it in an enclosed area.

In article ,
says...


Thank you all. I will consider Drylock but before that I want to ask you a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now because of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it with pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean it please?
Thank you


Maybe a pressure washer. Just do not run a gas powered one in the
basement.

On Tue, 27 Jun 2017 12:39:44 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:



You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation
and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet,
installed right over the existing adhesive.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage
or will it be a living area?

It is not strong sticky, but when you walk bare feet you feel it a bit. I really prefer not to add anything (carpet, hardwood, tile) I like it that way, so painting it would be great idea, for cleaning and for looking good too. I should not care about the smell as you said. I think I will try the Thinner. Thank you.

Actually, you should care about the odor, especially if it is a toxic
or flammable product. If I were in your position, I would buy an
adhesive remover which is made specifically for the job and even then
I would well ventilate the area in which I were working and possibly
even wear a real respirator.

On 6/27/2017 3:39 PM, leza wang wrote:


You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation
and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet,
installed right over the existing adhesive.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage
or will it be a living area?

It is not strong sticky, but when you walk bare feet you feel it a bit. I really prefer not to add anything (carpet, hardwood, tile) I like it that way, so painting it would be great idea, for cleaning and for looking good too. I should not care about the smell as you said. I think I will try the Thinner. Thank you.


Be very careful. The fumes can easily cause an explosion or fire. This
is especially important if you have gas with pilot lights.

On Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 2:54:17 PM UTC-4, Stormin' Norman wrote:
On Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:09:10 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:

Two coats of drylock on the slab floor and cinder block walls may not keep out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity that seeps through everyday.
m

Thank you all. I will consider Drylock but before that I want to ask you a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now because of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it with pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean it please?
Thank you

Leza,

There are any number of commercial adhesive removal products which you
can buy. I would look on Amazon and in Home Depot. None of these
products are effortless and I have never found one that worked very
well without significant odor.

You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation
and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet,
installed right over the existing adhesive.


+1. Could save a lot of work.

If she wants to paint it, I would start by buying a small can of solvent and testing a small area to see how well it works. Someone mentioned acid, which is great for etching bare concrete, but IDK about getting the adhesive off. I suppose it could get under it and remove a layer of concrete and take it off that way, so it may be worth a try.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage
or will it be a living area?

..

On Tue, 27 Jun 2017 12:39:44 -0700 (PDT), leza wang
wrote:



You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation
and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet,
installed right over the existing adhesive.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage
or will it be a living area?

It is not strong sticky, but when you walk bare feet you feel it a bit. I really prefer not to add anything (carpet, hardwood, tile) I like it that way, so painting it would be great idea, for cleaning and for looking good too. I should not care about the smell as you said. I think I will try the Thinner. Thank you.
MAKE SURE ALL sources of ignition are eliminated. Shut off ALL
standing pilot lights, and do not operate any switches. Make sure
there are NO static sparks, and do not let 2 hard items colide,
causing a spark Also make sure the basement is well ventilated, with
fans blowing air IN to force fumes out.
Failure to follow these important safety steps COULD blow you, your
house, and the houses of your neighbours to kingdom come.

On 06/27/2017 08:57 PM, wrote:
Failure to follow these important safety steps COULD blow you, your
house, and the houses of your neighbours to kingdom come.

Kingdom Come? That's not too far from me.

https://goo.gl/maps/83PJXrk6wU52