Stained concrete overlays are great for basements and wine cellars

Any basement below grade can have moisture issues Even new construction with a properly installed moisture vapor barrier can have wet basements. The floor may be dry but moisture can wick through the concrete walls.

When moisture wicks through the concrete mold forms creating unhealthy air quality. You will not notice depreciated air quality at first but when you visit the basement with less frequency that’s a telltale sign.

When basements are finished it’s often for the kids. Basements are great for kids. Kids like basements, it’s there own space. When the kids stop using the basement it’s usually a sign of diminished air quality.

One of the best solutions for preventing moisture before building out a basement is to apply a topical moisture barrier. The epoxy waterproofer is a Do It Yourself basement project. The epoxy waterproofer comes in part A which is mixed with part B and rolled on the surface. It can be rolled on floors and walls.

The epoxy waterproofer is a thick concrete coating and will prevent moisture pressure up to 40 PSI which is a high level of moisture pressure. Typical acceptable levels for most flooring products are 3 psi.

I’m not going to say that moisture will be eliminated but epoxy water proofer is the cure for wet basements.

Other solutions for preventing wet basements are functional gutters, french drains and sump pumps if necessary.

If you are planning on building out your basement consider applying a decorative concrete skim coat over the epoxy waterproofer. This is undoubtedly the best basement flooring solution.

If this is your plan you can broadcast sand on top of the wet epoxy. The next day sweep up the excess sand. You’ll now have a moisture barrier with some tooth that the concrete skim coat can bite onto. What a great floor. Material costs will end up being about $2.50 -$3.00 per square foot and you can put area rugs down for warmth.

This system is the best solution for wet basements. a way to cure a problem and ad valuable living space to a home.

Decorative Concrete Kits (www.decorativeconcretekits.com) a site for the Do It Yourselfer carries these products.

It really is the ultimate floor if your looking for basement flooring ideas. This floor had wall to wall carpeting which was removed. Wall to wall carpeting just doesn’t cut it in basements. It is great until it starts getting damp and mildewy. Then slowly you stop going down to the basement. It’s the mildew.

This floor was resurfaced with a concrete overlay with a light brown pigment mixed in. Then waterbased concrete dyes were sprayed on with hand pump sprayers. First a sienna color than a bark brown color. The layering gave it that worn leather look. The combination of Siena and dark drown gives it a mahogany color. For less reds the first color could be a lighter brown with a layer of the dark brown on top.

Not hard to achieve. A do it yourself kit will run you less than $2.00 per square foot with all materials and tools.

The dark browns give a rich look, very high end. Great curb appeal result. Wears well doesn’t show dirt.

Exposure to mold will cause headaches, dizziness, memory loss, fatique, nausea, shortness of breath, permanently scarred lungs and numerous other unhealthy symptoms.

Mold frequently starts in the basement with wet basement floors.. Moisture perpetuating mold can come through your concrete floor and foundation walls. Moisture gets in wood beams, drywall and carpet. It can also get in insulation and celing tiles. Dry mold can get airborne and tracked through the rest of your house on shoes and clothing.

There are a few preventative measures that you can take.

1. Gutters – A good gutter system will move water away from your home. It’s critical to keep as much rain water away from your foundation. Water can easily work its way along a foundation wall and under your concrete floor. Once it can’t go much further the water collects and starts to push through the concrete. This is called hydrostatic pressure. The pressure is so great it will wick through the air holes and capillaries in concrete. Moisture vapor will become airborne and mold will grow. Basement black mold thrives in cool dark areas and loves to settle in carpets or anywhere it can live.

2. French drains – these are drains around the exterior of a home filled with gravel that directs ground water away from a foundation.

3. Epoxy Waterproofer – specialized epoxy that is applied to concrete floors and walls including brick, stone or concrete block. It will withstand a massive amount of moisture pressure. Works as a topical moisture barrier for basement waterproofing

4 Cracks - properly filling cracks is important. I’ve seen water bubbling through cracks after a heavy rain.

5. Area Rugs - if you want a carpet to keep the floor warm area rugs are the solution. Area rugs can be periodically removed and cleaned or discarded and replaced. Keep furniture off the rugs if possible. The easier they are to roll up the more frequently you’ll have them cleaned. Wall to wall carpet. Forget it. You’ll never replace it and the glue is very difficult to remove. Tack strips ruin the cement near walls.

6. Dehumidifier – a dehumidifier will help control moisture in the air. It will run more frequently during the summer.

7. Bionix - this is a mold killer. Actually this is an encapsulated bacteria that eats bad mold. Use it to wash down floors and walls.

8. Decorative Concrete Floors – concrete overlays can be applied directly over the epoxy waterproofer and then sealed for additional protection.

French Drain

After the concrete was poured the builder covered the slab with drop cloths and cardboard to protect the slab during construction. Because the concrete takes 30 days to cure the slab could not be sealed.

The house gets built, painted etc. The last thing to do was to remove the basement floor covering and seal the slab and the house would be done.

However the drywall guys got drywall compound on the concrete in a few spots. Of course the client wasn’t happy and would not release the final funds until the concrete slab was finished.

The solution was to apply a single very fine skim coat, then color the floor with concrete dyes and seal the floor. The floor was 1500 square feet and completed for $900.00 or 60 cents per square foot.

Great result, client was happy and the contractor got his final check. Check out the photo.

Over the weekend I received a photo of a basement concrete floor installed by a do it yourselfer. Never had this guy done this before. I was pretty jazzed to see the results since he bought all the products from DecorativeConcreteKits.com website which I started a year ago.

Check out the picture below. He did the job in 2 1/2 days for about $1,150 in product and materials. His floor is 650 square feet so about $1.75 per square foot.

He mixed a color called Interno, light yellow, into a concrete overlay and applied 2 coats.

Then a pattern of tiles with border was set using 3/8 inch wide masking tape. Then a coral, tanish color, waterbased dye was lightly misted onto the floor and rolled using a sponge roller to avoid the dye from pooling and seeping under the tape lines. Finally the edges were were brushed with Rosy Brown, brown with a slight redish tint, using a foam brush.

Then the floor was sealed with acrylic water based concrete sealers. Awesome job. Totally transformed his basement. Saved at least $5,000.00 by doing himself.