Stopping a slider leak also cork on basement flooring?
Sara Pancake| Posted inGeneral Questionson
Working through the big stuff of this remodel.
Is there a way to stop the leaking through the track on an 1970’s Andersen sliding door? Ultimately it’s going to get replaced but there’s not enough in the budget right now to replace the whole setup.
also- we’ve been looking at floating vinyl flooring to replace the carpet in the basement. What I’m looking at has a cork layer in it- is that an issue? Manufacturer recommended it for basement on concrete installs but won’t the cork rot/mold?
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Here's what I put down in my rental house basements, knowing that eventually water will find its way to the slab:
https://westyellowknifetradingpost.com/discountstore-daltonga/?s=grip+strip+flooring&post_type=product
Impervious to water, the Grip Strip style is much easier to install and more forgiving of a bumpy substrate than Click-Lock luxury vinyl tile.
You are right - cork backing is a bad idea on a basement slab.
What would I use for the underlayment/padding? Something waterproof. Or nothing. It's just the basement, after all.
Kevin,
I've use that on a really bumpy concrete slab. You're right, it's amazingly forgiving.
Sara,
Is water coming through the door or under it?
If it's coming through the door then you might need a new door or see if you can replace the gaskets within it.
If it's coming in under the door (and it's not ground water), then I would use a heavy duty caulk like OSI Quad to seal the door to floor. You can buy this stuff at big box stores. Once dry, I would then tape it with a high quality tape like 3m, tescon vana or Siga Wigluv. Zip will do as well.
I might also check to see if somebody caulked outside under the door. If they did, I would actually remove it or at least sections of it. Sliders may not have weep holes like windows so you need a path for water trapped inside the slider to escape. If the exterior is caulked the water will have no choice but to travel inward.
If you seal the interior AND the exterior then you may damage your wall over time.
I learned all of this the hard way after installing my own slider... good luck!
Slider should have drain holes in the track as well as drain holes outside. Those can get clogged with debris over time, sometimes a deck installer can inadvertently plug the exterior drains with deck boards or trim.