Concrete sealer needed before finishing basement?
I live in a home in Zone 5a that was built in 1978 with a poured concrete basement, our house sits relatively high with ground sloping away from the foundation. We are planning on finishing out basement it with XPS and then metal framing/drywall.
My question is do I need to seal the concrete before I put up the XPS? I did the plastic wrap test and it resulted in no condensation but we have a dehumidifier down there and it runs quite a bit. I do not want to pay $200ish to seal the concrete if its not needed, but I also do not want to put up the XPS and drywall to and make more problems later.
Side note: I was planning on using Okon S-20 concrete sealer is that overkill? Is there a cheaper or better way?
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Replies
Patrick,
If you have lived in your house for many years, and never seen signs of liquid water entry through your basement walls, there isn't any reason to install a sealer on your walls.
If your time frame is more limited -- if you've only lived in the house for one to three years -- you may decide that the cost of the sealer is cheap insurance. It's your call.
Here is a link to an article with more information on the topic:Fixing a Wet Basement.