Waterproofing Monolithic Foundations

A monolithic basement foundation is a two-piece foundation rather than the usual three-piece.  The footing and floor are poured together at the same time, and then the walls are built on top of the floor.  Basically, the floor is poured with thick edges, which serve as the footing.

Most interior waterproofing systems, such as WaterGuard, require jack hammering around the inside perimeter of the basement.  However, this is not recommended for monolithic foundations because it will be extremely messy and time consuming.

There are waterproofing systems made specifically for monolithic foundations, such as DryTrak.  It is a system that is installed above the floor, but is still equally as effective at keeping the basement dry.  DryTrak is a heavy vinyl baseboard system that is permanently epoxied to the surface of the floor to channel water from the floor/wall joint to the sump pump.

It is important for homeowners to be aware of their foundation type before having their basements waterproofed because some contractors won’t say anything about it and will simply overcharge you for the extra work.