Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations on tanking slurry products?

Seems to be quite the choice, and just interested to hear from people who had a particularly good experience with a particular product.

Just getting ready to do the floor floor and walls of over brick lined cellar, follow some extensive paint stripping!

Cheers

Ben

Posted By: fostertomVandex, slurried onto still-green cement render, after good cleaning of the sound masonry (or concrete floor) surface - brick ideal, rubble stone less ideal unless really solidly bedded. Vandex grows crystals back into the masonry, thro any capillaries that are wet, clogging them up. Very effective indeed if it all chimes together. Form a s/cem fillet where conc floor meets masonry wall.

Sounds ideal. It’ll be going onto clean brick work and a concrete floor.


I’m wondering if the slurry on the floor is ok to be covered over with levelling compound?

Are you trying to stop water getting in? Or moisture vapour movement

Basement development association work showed that contrary to popular belief moisture moves from basements into the soil beyond! Unless it is water, water table, plumbing or drain leak etc.

I have no tanking in my basement, tanking is destined to fail, I prefer fail-safe

Posted By: tonyBasement development association work showed that contrary to popular belief moisture moves from basements into the soil beyond! Unless it is water, water table, plumbing or drain leak etc.

A quick search doesn't reveal any organization called "Basement development association". Could you provide a link to the organization and to the work you refer to, please?

Posted By: tonyGenerally homes are warmer than their surrounding including basements, so yes moisture in the form of water vapour moves outwards and downwards

So yes, water vapour is more likely to condense out of vapour into liquid on the surfaces of a colder basement (or interstitially within its surrounding solids), leaving an absence of vapour so lowering vapour pressure in the basement, which is filled by more vapour drawn from rooms above, which condenses and so on - a one-way draw of vapour and accumulation of condensation.

But it's not as likely that vapour passes on out thro the basement's surrounding solids into the soil beyond, especially if the soil is saturated with liquid water. So what exactly is the point you're making tony? Something I'm sure, but it's not clear.

I geddit - in the case that the basement is a living space i.e. maintained continuously at same temp as rooms above even if it means much heat loss, then water vapour doesn't condense on the basement surfaces but permeates into the solid fabric until it reaches cold soil (or fabric cooled by the ground) and condenses interstitially (i.e. in the pores of a solid) there. From where it can presumably disperse into the soil. This seems harmless, for as long as the internal heating is kept up?

Vandex would prevent that permeation into the solid fabric, because as soon as any interstitial conddensation occurs, crystals would grow to clog up the pores/capillaries.

Other surface-coated internal tanking (i.e. not drained-cavity type like Newtonite) would have same effect for as long as it adheres and doesn't crack.

Externally applied tanking (to a new concrete-box basement) would allow that permeation and interstitial condensation - which would stay within the envelope - no way to disperse into the soil.

Now, the case that the basement isn't heated - ow, my head's hurting! Anyone else?!

Thanks Will - that's how I've thought about floors with voids or interstices but never heard it confirmed. Any comment on how I've extended the idea to the attached (hope it's legible - I can email the pdf to anyone interested).