Waterproofing vs. Damp-Proofing

When it comes to repairing your home or even taking preventative measures to avoid damages, you may have heard the terms waterproofing and damp-proofing. Both of them involve keeping the moisture out of your home, but they aren’t the same thing, and there are important differences to make sure your Hamilton home stays dry. Here’s what you need to know about the differences in waterproofing and damp-proofing your home. 

What is damp-proofing?

Damp-proofing has been done on buildings for decades and is often mistakenly referred to as waterproofing. This technique keeps soil moisture out of the basement of your home using a coating process. The coating is often asphalt-based and can either be applied by hand (painted on) or sprayed onto the exterior basement walls. 

In many residential developments and newly built homes, this technique isn’t as common, but it can still be an effective treatment in many situations. 

What is waterproofing?

The process of waterproofing a home is very similar to what happens during damp-proofing, but it’s much more thorough in making sure that soil moisture and liquid moisture don’t get into the home. Waterproofing can expand to bridge any cracks in the home’s foundation and prevent water from getting into the basement. 

Waterproofing is easiest when building a new home as the soil around your foundation is already dug up. When retrofitting a house with waterproofing methods, things get a little trickier. For example, decks, air conditioners, trees and landscaping can get in the way, slowing down the process. This is because complete waterproofing of the outside of your house requires the foundation to be excavated.

Which is better: waterproofing or damp-proofing?

Some companies will sell you damp-proofing under the name of waterproofing, but they aren’t the same, especially when it comes to an older Hamilton home. Damp-proofing is an involved process, for sure, but waterproofing is a major undertaking for a home, so that is how you can tell the difference in what a company is selling you. 

If there are puddles of water in your basement, you will need to investigate waterproofing your home. Typically, the water will come in during heavy rain or a spring thaw.  

If you have noticed that there is just some moisture in the basement of your Hamilton home, then damp-proofing may be an excellent option without having to completely excavate the foundation of your home. 

Contact Conterra Foundations today.

If you have noticed moisture in your basement, we can help. Contact Conterra Foundations today. We can assess your situation and recommend damp-proofing or waterproofing based on your specific needs.