Is your basement damp, musty, or at risk of flooding? 💧 In this video, George, our Construction Director at Basement Structures, walks you through the most effective basement waterproofing methods used by professionals.
👉 Whether you’re dealing with cracks, leaks, or high water tables, George explains:
• The difference between internal vs. external waterproofing
• How to seal basement walls the right way
• Common mistakes to avoid in DIY waterproofing
As specialists in basement construction and waterproofing, we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners protect their homes from water damage. If you’re planning to finish your basement or stop leaks for good, this video is for you!
📞 Need help waterproofing your basement? Contact Basement Structures:
Products used here are Sika and Vandex, both of which we thoroughly recommend!
👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more pro construction tips!.
[Published: 19 Jun 2025]
Transcript
So, we'll have a quick chat about So, we'll have a quick chat about different ways of waterproofing a different ways of waterproofing a basement. Um, best way, of course, we basement. Um, best way, of course, we start with this stuff, waterproof start with this stuff, waterproof concrete.
If you can um look at using a concrete. If you can um look at using a waterproof concrete additive, um that's waterproof concrete additive, um that's a good way of securing and making sure a good way of securing and making sure that we're not going to get any water that we're not going to get any water migrating through the walls. Wall migrating through the walls.Wall sections, we always have connection sections, we always have connection details here, which are divy holes, divy details here, which are divy holes, divy bars go through there to clamp the bars go through there to clamp the shutters together.
We need to make sure shutters together. We need to make sure that we seal those up. So Seeker do a that we seal those up.
So Seeker do a very good product called the Seeker very good product called the Seeker plug. So that will go in there. That plug.So that will go in there.
That will nip that up and then we seal water will nip that up and then we seal water from that one. Um next any concrete from that one. Um next any concrete connection between slab and wall or connection between slab and wall or between wall and wall or where we've between wall and wall or where we've stopped a wall section to start again we stopped a wall section to start again we use a water bar.
So this is a seeker use a water bar.So this is a seeker water bar. This gets laid on the joint water bar. This gets laid on the joint there.
Um it acts like a gasket between there. Um it acts like a gasket between the two layers. So like a gasket in a the two layers.So like a gasket in a car engine will stop oil from getting car engine will stop oil from getting one side of an engine to another.
This one side of an engine to another. This lays in the concrete in the middle lays in the concrete in the middle there. Um and it stops water from there.
Um and it stops water from getting one side of the concrete to the getting one side of the concrete to the other side. So this wall here through other side.So this wall here through the basement all the way around the the basement all the way around the perimeter will have a strip of this laid perimeter will have a strip of this laid in there um fixed to the base um with an in there um fixed to the base um with an adhesive from Seika. Um it's a really adhesive from Seika.
Um it's a really good method, really good product as good method, really good product as well. Actually have to keep it dry until well. Actually have to keep it dry until the paw though otherwise if it starts to the paw though otherwise if it starts to get in contact with water it starts to get in contact with water it starts to swell up and that's the reaction process swell up and that's the reaction process which creates the waterproofing detail.
which creates the waterproofing detail.Other than that as well we can also look Other than that as well we can also look at a Vandex membrane on the outside. at a Vandex membrane on the outside. Another good product again um between Another good product again um between the connection details of a wall and a the connection details of a wall and a slab.
It's really good, really useful slab. It's really good, really useful there. So that's the cementus membrane there.So that's the cementus membrane that was um applied to the to the that was um applied to the to the connection between a wall and a slab or connection between a wall and a slab or again a a wall and a wall if we're again a a wall and a wall if we're pouring on from that.
That's external pouring on from that. That's external protection. Internal protection, we protection.
Internal protection, we obviously um we have a cement spray that obviously um we have a cement spray that you can spray over the entire concrete you can spray over the entire concrete wall on the internal face that stops any wall on the internal face that stops any water from migrating through it. And water from migrating through it.And then the final protection after that then the final protection after that would be cavity drainage. So it would be would be cavity drainage.
So it would be a wall membrane put on the wall there a wall membrane put on the wall there which traps any water that might get which traps any water that might get through it then falls into a cavity through it then falls into a cavity drainage which is a channel that we drainage which is a channel that we install around the perimeter of the install around the perimeter of the inside of a basement that leads to a inside of a basement that leads to a sump pump and then it can be pumped away sump pump and then it can be pumped away from there. So if all else fails, if you from there. So if all else fails, if you do get some water that creeps through do get some water that creeps through your concrete or creeps through a your concrete or creeps through a connection, the cavity drainage on the connection, the cavity drainage on the internal absolutely prevents anything internal absolutely prevents anything from progressing any further there.
And from progressing any further there.And uh that makes sure that your basement uh that makes sure that your basement stays nice and dry inside.