Material selection guide: foundations—waterproofing materials

Concrete Construction, June, 2004 by William D. Palmer, Jr.

A leaking basement in a new home is the single most common complaint homeowners have. Leaking walls in a commercial building can be worse. Even if you sub out waterproofing, which many contractors do, you should understand the basics and should consider adding waterproofing to your list of services.

The first thing to understand is the difference between waterproofing and dampproofing. Dampproofing, typically sprayed-on asphaltic binder, is intended to retard the transmission of water vapor (basically humidity in the air) when there is no ponded water, no hydrostatic pressure. Waterproofing, on the other hand, prevents the passage of liquid water ponded against the concrete. It will also greatly slow vapor from passing through and will resist radon gas as well. Since most foundations at some time will have water against them, waterproofing is a better choice for any wall with habitable space on the inside. Typically, waterproofing or damproofing is applied to the positive side of the foundation wall (side where the water is) between the concrete and the backfill.

A good waterproofing material, first and obviously, prevents water from going through and retards vapor transmission. Secondly, and just as important, it should have flexibility, even at low temperatures, to bridge cracks and maintain its sealing ability despite small movements. Also, it should not break down over time, even when chemicals are present in the soil. Finally, for surface-applied systems, it should adhere well to the concrete, forming a monolithic material.

Waterproofing materials come in several forms:

Bentonite: natural clay sheeting that will expand when wet and heal any small cracks or tears; must be confined by backfill; can be applied immediately to green concrete; seals well around penetrations; is easy to install

Cementitious polymer-modified slurry with portland cement and sand: applied by brushing, troweling, or spraying.

Drainage panels: PVC dimpled sheeting or geocomposite sheet that creates an air void next to the wall, allowing water to drain so concrete remains dry; sometimes covered with geotextile filter; is easy to install

Integral: added to concrete as admixture or applied to surface as penetrating cement slurry; reacts with portland cement to reduce permeability of concrete; is abrasion-proof but cannot stop water penetration at cracks

Membrane: elastomeric polymers or polymer-modified asphaltic membrane; is spray-, roll-, or brush-applied; sets quickly; bonds well to clean, dry concrete

Rubber: spray- or brush-applied; usually must be heated for application; requires insulation boards to protect from backfill; needs a skilled applicator

Self-adhering HDPE membrane: is typically used as flashing in masonry cavity walls but can be effective waterproofing on foundation walls; requires protection with drainage board or insulation

The table lists waterproofing manufacturers and the types of material they produce. For more information on a specific product, circle the corresponding number on the reader service card.

Manufacturer           Types              Web site
(product name)

Advanced Coatings      rubber             advancedcoatings.com
    (Rub-R-Wall)
(Code Blue)            membrane
Andek (AIM #3)         membrane           andek.com
Anti-Hydro             integral           anti-hydro.com
Applied Technologies   membrane           appliedtechnologies.com
    (Hydra-Guard)
Aquafin (1K)           cementitious       aquafin.net
Armtec (Platon)        drainage panel     systemplaton.com
Basement Systems       ?                  basementsystems.com
OBonsal (Foundation    cementitious
    Coating)
CETCO (Volclay)        bentonite          cetco.com
Carlisle                                  carlisle-ccw.com
  (CCW-500R)           rubber
  (CCW-525)            membrane
  (MiraDRI)            self-adhering
  (MiraCLAY)           bentonite
  (Barricoat)          modified asphalt
  (QuickDRAIN)         dimple drain
  (MiraDRAIN)          dimple drain
Colbond (Enkadri       self-adhering/     colbond-usa.com
    & Drain)           drainage panel
Conproco (F/C          cementitious       conproco.com
    Membrane)
Conspec (Foundation    cementitious       conspecmkt.com
    Coat)
Cosella-Dorken         drainage panel     deltams.com
    (Delta-MS/Drain)
Damtite                cementitious       damtitewaterproofing.com
Five Star              cementitious       fivestarproducts.com
    (Waterproofing)
Fox Industries         elastomeric        fox-ind.com
    (FX-526)
GMX (Ultra-Shield)     membrane           gmxwaterproofing.com
Greenstreak (Drain-    drainage panel     greenstreak.com
    age System)
Henry (Blueskin)       self-adhering      henry.com
Houseguard (Tru-Dry)   membrane           houseguard.com
ICF Accessories        membrane           icfaccessories.com
    (Crack Guard)
ICI Devoe              cementitious       devoecoatings.com
    (Tru-Glaze)
Kryton (Krystol)       integral           kryton.com
J-Drain                drainage panel     j-drain.com
Mar-Flex                                  mar-flex.com
  (Sunflex)            membrane
  (Quick Seal)         membrane
  (Pro)                membrane
  (Drainage)           drainage panel
Northern Elasto-       membrane           nei-act.com
    merics (AC
    Liquid)
Permaquik                                 permaquik.com
  (PQ 6200)            membrane
  (Super 200)          integral
Polyguard              self adhering/     polyguardproducts.com
  (Underseal)          drainage
Protective Coatings                       poly-wall.com
    Tech.
  (Stretch)            membrane
  (Foundation          membrane
    Coating)
  (Crack Guard)        self-adhering
ProtectoWrap           self-adhering      protectowrap.com
    (Jiffy Seal)
Rubber Polymer Corp.   rubber             rubberpolymercorporation.com
    (Rub-R-Wall)
Tamko (TW-Hot Melt)    rubber             tamko.com
Tamms (Tamoseal)       cementitious       tamms.com
Tremco (Tuff-N-Dri)    membrane/          guaranteeddrybasements.com
                       drainage panel
W.R. Meadows           membrane           wrmeadows.com
    (Meadow-Pruf)
Xypex (Concentrate)    integral           xypex.com

Manufacturer           Circle
(product name)         number

Advanced Coatings      1
    (Rub-R-Wall)
(Code Blue)
Andek (AIM #3)         2
Anti-Hydro             3
Applied Technologies   4
    (Hydra-Guard)
Aquatin (1K)           5
Armtec (Platon)        6
Basement Systems       7
OBonsal (Foundation    8
    Coating)
CETCO (Volclay)        9
Carlisle               10
  (CCW-500R)
  (CCW-525)
  (MiraDRI)
  (MiraCLAY)
  (Barricoat)
  (QuickDRAIN)
  (MiraDRAIN)
Colbond (Enkadri       11
    & Drain)
Conproco (F/C          12
    Membrane)
Conspec (Foundation    13
    Coat)
Cosella-Dorken         14
    (Delta-MS/Drain)
Damtite                15
Five Star              16
    (Waterproofing)
Fox Industries         17
    (FX-526)
GMX (Ultra-Shield)     18
Greenstreak (Drain-    19
    age System)
Henry (Blueskin)       20
Houseguard (Tru-Dry)   21
ICF Accessories        22
    (Crack Guard)
ICI Devoe              23
    (Tru-Glaze)
Kryton (Krystol)       24
J-Drain                25
Mar-Flex               26
  (Sunflex)
  (Quick Seal)
  (Pro)
  (Drainage)
Northern Elasto-       27
    merics (AC
    Liquid)
Permaquik              28
  (PQ 6200)
  (Super 200)
Polyguard              29
  (Underseal)
Protective Coatings    30
    Tech.
  (Stretch)
  (Foundation
    Coating)
  (Crack Guard)
ProtectoWrap           31
    (Jiffy Seal)
Rubber Polymer Corp.   32
    (Rub-R-Wall)
Tamko (TW-Hot Melt)    33
Tamms (Tamoseal)       34
Tremco (Tuff-N-Dri)    35
W.R. Meadows           36
    (Meadow-Pruf)
Xypex (Concentrate)    37