# filling cracks in basement wall/floor before painting



## abledsoe (Jan 10, 2010)

I hope this is the right place to post this. 

I am getting ready to paint the walls and floor in the storage area of my basement. The walls are concrete as is the floor. There are a few small cracks where the wall and floor meet and I would like to fill these before I paint. What is the best thing to use here? I don't usually have any leaking issues. Once when we had a flooding rain, a VERY small trickle came in one of the cracks.

Thanks!


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## Con65 (Jan 10, 2010)

abledsoe said:


> I hope this is the right place to post this.
> 
> I am getting ready to paint the walls and floor in the storage area of my basement. The walls are concrete as is the floor. There are a few small cracks where the wall and floor meet and I would like to fill these before I paint. What is the best thing to use here? I don't usually have any leaking issues. Once when we had a flooding rain, a VERY small trickle came in one of the cracks.
> 
> Thanks!



My experience with basements is that "small trickles" only get bigger with time.

I've had very good luck filling the cracks with a product called "Dry Lok Fast Plug". It is a hydralic cement that expands as it dries filling the crack tightly. You will need to enlarge and clean the crack before you apply it. The cement hardens quickly, so get everything ready before you mix it. I've always mixed small batches as opposed to trying to fill a large crack at once.

After the crack is sealed, paint the wals and crack area with Dry Lok paint.


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## Outrider (Jan 10, 2010)

There are water cements that swell when water activates them, these should be good for where water leaks in, if u just paint them the water will still come in.

Also depending on the water table/ pressure., the leak could increase during heavy rain.

    Hope this helps.






abledsoe said:


> I hope this is the right place to post this.
> 
> I am getting ready to paint the walls and floor in the storage area of my basement. The walls are concrete as is the floor. There are a few small cracks where the wall and floor meet and I would like to fill these before I paint. What is the best thing to use here? I don't usually have any leaking issues. Once when we had a flooding rain, a VERY small trickle came in one of the cracks.
> 
> Thanks!


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## itsreallyconc (Jan 16, 2010)

probably too late to help this thread but might help someone else.

anyone who thinks wtr can be stopp'd by ' painting ' on an interior coating still believes in leprachauns, tooth fairies, & voted for ykw  :hide:  in my pro opinion, dry-lock type mtls are, AT BEST, temporary,,, use 'em when selling the house AND disclose it,,, whatever you do, moisture/water's STILL inside the wall - you just won't actually ' see ' it til the blocks rot & fall down ( implode ),,, hydraulic cement does have its place & we use it occasionally on a wall's EXTERIOR when we need to make FAST conc reprs,,, but,all in all, i'd bet we didn't use 5# TOTAL for 2009 on the inside below-grade.

ALL basements're comparable to a ship's hull below the waterline - remembering & respecting the 4 water rules* enables anyone to have a dry basement - they just cannot take shortcuts ( being cheap w/their $ ) then complain later.

* - water runs downhill, takes the path of least resistance, rush's to fill a void, & seeks its own level - accepting those 4 rules makes ANY job MUCH easier !

ps - paint's a waste, too !

good luck !


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