In areas where the soil is not solid enough to support a conventional footing structure, a monolithic foundation is used. This is often a very thick and strong floor which spreads the load of the house over the entire foot print of the building instead of just the footing. A wet basement with a monolithic foundation, sometimes referred to as slab on grade, has fewer repair options than a conventional foundation as the floor is a structural component. If the foundation walls are made of poured concrete and water is only leaking through the walls, all conventional waterproofing methods are available. However if the foundation walls are made of cinder blocks as they will often be or if there is water coming up from under the floor, then the repair options are as follows.
The most successful repair options are:
- External excavation and waterproofing: Replacing the weeping tile and installing a waterproof membrane from outside.
- If the ceiling height is available, an internal subfloor drainage system can be installed on top of the structural floor. Gravel is poured to the required height and a new floor is poured on top. This system must be connected to a sump pump.
The less successful repair options are:
- Urethane or epoxy resin injection of the wall floor joint and floor cracks.
- A baseboard gutter system which will only control water above the floor and must be connected to a sump pump.
The Crack Doctor is able to permanently fix leaking monolithic or slab on grade foundations. Our repair system carries The Crack Doctor’s famous lifetime transferrable warranty.
