Frank's Basement Systems Case Studies: Waterproofing a Stone Foundation

Challenge

Donna's basement had two sections: one with block walls and concrete floor and one with stone walls and a dirt floor. The stone walls let water seep in during heavy rains. Due to the uneven nature of stone walls, the BrightWall panels normally used to waterproof basement walls can not be used. 

Solution

Instead of waterproofing the stone portion of the basement like a basement, Mike Ciocca recommended encapsulating it like a crawl space. WaterGuard interior drainage was installed at the base of all the stone walls. CleanSpace drainage matting was installed on the dirt floor over the WaterGuard. The entire room was then encapsulated with CleanSpace heavy duty plastic liner to stop any water from entering the room. 

WaterGuard was also installed in the block portion of the basement. To ensure the whole space stayed dry, a SuperSump Plus and UltraSump battery back up pump were installed to get rid of all the water trapped by the WaterGuard. A SaniDry Sedona self draining dehumidifier was also installed to remove moisture from the air. 

Donna now had a clean, dry, usable basement!