Water is the enemy of almost any construction, and it can cause damage to your materials and foundation in even the smallest amounts if given enough time. With that in mind, damp proofing (or dampproofing) is a method in which an insular material is applied to concrete or brickwork foundation walls that retain soil below the grade of the surrounding soil. The purpose of damp proofing is to prevent the slow seep of moisture into your construction from the outside soil. This is in contrast to waterproofing, which protects against flooding causing damage to your construction.

There are a variety of methods of damp proofing that can be used on your construction, including damp-proof course or damp-proof membrane, as well as bituminous coatings or acrylic modified cement. We can work with a variety of applications, and will find the correct one to suit your particular needs.

Once the concrete has set, the water that was mixed in does not all evaporate away. Instead, it forms channels within the concrete that can be vulnerable to water seepage via capillary action and external pressure. Building codes typically will require waterproofing for your foundation if your construction is in an area with a high water table or other risk factors, but you may choose to apply it in other scenarios as well.

For waterproofing, especially waterproofing that incorporates the application of a penetrating seal, it’s important to make sure that the agent you’re using matches the porousness of the particular concrete to allow for full penetration. Many services will advertise as being waterproof, but in reality are only offering a lower grade of water resistant treatment, and adding some mechanical drainage to augment it. For full true waterproofing treatment, more care and detail is required when treating the walls, and the floor must be treated as well. This kind of full waterproofing treatment may not be necessary though, and a hybrid treatment may be sufficient.

Our crew is trained to apply treatment wherever necessary, and can help you determine what’s best for a given job.