How to waterproof a basement or cellar. Part 1 of 3

Waterproof a basement cellar to make it habitable
The task of making a basement or cellar habitable should not be under estimated. We take on the damp in the huge basement of a hotel in Bath.

A Shifta can be hired for the dig-out and discharge it into a skip.	This Wykamol heat reflecting damp proof membrane holds back the damp.	The cellar floor has been dug away and the old lath and plaster removed.
A Shifta can be hired for the dig-out and discharge it into a skip.	This Wykamol heat reflecting damp proof membrane holds back the damp.	The cellar floor has been dug away and the old lath and plaster removed.
The outside ground level will be lowered in front of the window to form a light well.	The perimeter drain will catch any moisture that trickles down behind the membrane.	The shingle forms a drain into the holes in the drain channel.
The outside ground level will be lowered in front of the window to form a light well.	The perimeter drain will catch any moisture that trickles down behind the membrane.	The shingle forms a drain into the holes in the drain channel.

If the basement is to become a habitable room it must be 100% damp free. This is done by forming a waterproof membrane around the walls and floors known as tanking. Water penetration below ground can be notoriously difficult to control; it is not unusual to find basements where two or three different basement sealer systems have been applied (e.g. bitumen, cellar paint, renders) all of which have failed for one reason or another. There is any number of basement waterproofing products on the market but choosing the right one for your building isn't easy.

The choice is between sealing the walls to stop water coming through by using a surface coating or letting the damp come through the walls and then pumping it out again. A lot depends upon how well drained the land is. If there is no sign of water coming through under pressure then you may be able to coat it with waterproof render but if there is water coming through under pressure the best bet is to let it.

Wet basement tanking systems such as plastered on cement render or slurry will only work if the brickwork is fairly stable. If you have older brickwork with a flaky or friable surface that won't support a wet tanking system against hydraulic pressure then it is best to look at membranes. This really accounts for most cellar conversions particularly in properties with a high water table.

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Waterproof a basement cellar to make it habitable