Seal Gap Between Concrete Floor And Wall

Why you can t just seal the gap between your basement floor and wall.

Seal gap between concrete floor and wall.

This will hopefully be the fix that keeps that wall of the sunroom nice and dry. In the short term a sealant applied along this gap between your basement floor and wall may prevent leakage. The gap in question was previously filled with either fiberboard or concrete crack sealant but enough of it has deteriorated to conceivably allow moisture in. When water enters the seam or crack between an asphalt driveway and a concrete garage floor or foundation it isn t a big deal in warmer climates for the most part.

However it s not that simple. Sep 30 2015 by matthew stock. But urethane squirt foam is subject to uv degrada. Mostly what kent said.

It depends on the exact situation. One of the most common places to find water in a residential basement is in a puddle right next to the wall. After the concrete floor sets the board is removed a clean even gap is left between the basement wall and floor. This gap is called a cove joint and the reason there is a gap between the wall and the floor is simply because of the way that the foundation of the home got poured.

You see in the early stages of building a home the basement is constructed first excavated to the desired depth. Don t seal the gap between basement wall and floor to keep out water. It may seem like an obvious solution to simply seal the cove joint to prevent water from breaching into your home. The gap is generally 1 2 wide however in many places it s less.

To remedy this issue i installed backer rod in the gap that i then covered with concrete crack sealant. This is a floating slab or floating floor. This doesn t happen because the wall itself is leaking water or because the basement floor has low points around the edges. Some areas have very expansive soil.

But in colder climates this water can cause damage to both the driveway and the concrete when it freezes. But if the joint is going to be buried behind other finish surfaces and the gap is 1 2 ish or bigger then squirt foam is a good choice. You can seal these joints but you must ensure that the seal does. Occasionally as the concrete settles the joint may widen causing leaks or serving as an entrance for insect infestations.

The door shown in the photos leads to the first floor of the house.