does Drylock actually work?

[mike944]

Hey guys,

Posting a question for a friend, he has a garage that he wants to finish. The problem is water, quite a bit of it. Seeps in through the concrete block walls, and up through the slab.

I told him i'd help him fix up the garage, and he wants to epoxy the floor. That was in the winter, before we knew about the water problem. Now, i think he's screwed, can't epoxy it, so the only choice that i can come up with is drylock, but i just wanted to hear some experiences with it. Is it a scam, or does it actually work? Any reccomendations for prep? We were planning to degrease, and etch.

 

[dboat]

Hey guys,

Posting a question for a friend, he has a garage that he wants to finish. The problem is water, quite a bit of it. Seeps in through the concrete block walls, and up through the slab.

I told him i'd help him fix up the garage, and he wants to epoxy the floor. That was in the winter, before we knew about the water problem. Now, i think he's screwed, can't epoxy it, so the only choice that i can come up with is drylock, but i just wanted to hear some experiences with it. Is it a scam, or does it actually work? Any reccomendations for prep? We were planning to degrease, and etch.

I am not an expert at this by any stretch.. but I do believe the Drylock will work, but you will need to do it during a hot,dry stretch to get the walls as dry as possible, also, read the directions, because you do need to make sure the walls are clean too.. if its been that wet, I am guessing that you will have to wire brush off some white deposits..
on another note, I would do the plastic taped to the floor test for water on the floor.. you friend might be better off going with a racedeck-like product rather than having a failed epoxy floor install.
just my honest opinion
Dana

 

[Speed Shop]

I've used something similar from Sears and it really worked well in my basement.You have to read the directions and make sure you cover the wall completely. In one or two spots, I missed a pinhole size crater and water would ooze during a heavy, heavy rainstorm when the ground became saturated. I chose the Sears version since it was a bit more odor friendly than the Drylock. I have done Drylock on walls in an outside garage and with adequate ventilation, it's a bit better than the Sears product. I used two coats on poured concrete walls. You will have to judge for yourself, the amount needed for block. It really does make your walls look cleaner.

 

[OldCarGuy]

Drylock may solve the moisture problem in the walls. But the water problem could be more involved that two coats of DryLock wouldn’t be able to solve. And if the floor has moisture coming to the surface, I don’t see how sealing the walls would help. You will have to determine just where the water is entering the garage.

Is there any drain tile around the garage foundation? If not it may have to be dug up and installed. Check that the grade is sloping away from the garage so that any rain water runs away from the garage. Also check that the gutters are functioning properly.

 

[Jay H 237]

I just want to add something on to what OldCarGuy said, if the gutters are functioning properly make sure the downspouts drain away from the foundation. If the downspouts end at the foundation it would be wise to get some pipe to attach to the bottom of them and carry the water away from the foundation. Several feet should do it.

If the garage doesn't have gutters to begin with it would help if they were installed.

 

[cranejon]

I just want to add something on to what OldCarGuy said, if the gutters are functioning properly make sure the downspouts drain away from the foundation. If the downspouts end at the foundation it would be wise to get some pipe to attach to the bottom of them and carry the water away from the foundation. Several feet should do it.

If the garage doesn't have gutters to begin with it would help if they were installed.

I would add a drain tile around the basement, tar the wall on the outside, add gutters,downspouts and splash blocks, and then be sure to grade so the water runs AWAY from the footing. Fall should be 6" in the first 4'. That should dry up your floor and walls. I tried drylock many years ago on a block wall and the blocks filled up with water. The drylock held, but the walls were always damp. If need be bore some weeps through the wall and add a smup pump, but the fall and gutters should work. Jon Crane PE

 

[65vetteracer]

Try taping a 2'x2' piece of plastic on the floor ( sealed) and come back in 48 hours. If there is moisture then you have a concrete issue. I would recommend a modular floor that allows the concrete to breathe
This is why I went with Race Deck.

 

[Speed Shop]

Just to add to my post previously, yes, I did also regrade the outside. The drylock did help in my situation but you really have to take care of the underlying problem.

 

[mike944]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I forgot to mention, this is in a condo though, so any of the suggestions regarding exterior work aren't likely to be possible. It's a very small condo association, so i don't think they're going to be very receptive to spending large $$ to fix drainage issues, but then again, who knows, they might.

I don't know if the place even has gutters (If not, that's probably the problem right there). Even if there are gutters, his unit is about 1 foot from the property line, so they're not going to be able to direct the gutter runoff very far, without going into the neighbor's yard.

I think the water might be coming in through the walls, and just puddling on the floor. We'll do a few tests, and go from there.