Vapor Barriers – Points to Consider when Making Your Selection Hudson County, NJ

Vapor Barriers

Keeping moisture out of buildings has been a challenge that homeowners and builders have faced since humans begun constructing houses. Moisture is a builder’s greatest enemy. Moisture can cause structural damage through rot. It can also lead to mold and pest infestations, making a structure unsafe.

The good news is that technology has come a long way. Just as building techniques and technology have improved, so have methods of keeping moisture at bay. Vapor barriers are amongst the many different technologies used to keep moisture out of buildings.

There are various types of vapor barriers available in the market. It is important to take your time and determine the best vapor barrier for your purpose. The following are some things to keep in mind:

QMutu 150x150 Vapor Barriers   Points to Consider when Making Your Selection Hudson County, NJ

  1. It should be semi-permeable

People often confuse vapor barriers and waterproof membranes. Unlike waterproof membranes, vapor retarders are not completely impermeable to water. In fact, they are semi-permeable. This feature allows the controlled passage of water through the material. The moisture however, does not get pass through to the other side of the barrier. This protects the internal space from moisture and humidity.

  1. They come with different ratings

These barriers come with varying ratings based on their level of permeability. A barrier rated 0.1 or less has very low permeability for water vapor. A rating higher than 0.1 indicates that the migration of water through the vapor barrier is slowed down.

The rating you select will depend on the type of floor or subfloor you have installed. For example, a wooden floor would do well with a vapor barrier rating of between 0.5 and 50.

  1. Roof felt cannot replace a vapor barrier

Many people are tempted to use roof felt as a vapor barrier because it is also semi permeable. However, it is not designed for this use. It does not undergo the same stringent testing that moisture barriers undergo. It is also too thick for installation in most floors.

  1. Barriers made from plastic trap water

It is important to avoid using a vapor barrier made of plastic. These have a rating less than 0.1. They will end up trapping water below the floor, which will result in an even worse problem when the floor fails.

Be sure to discuss your needs and requirements with a professional and licensed basement waterproofing contractor. This will ensure that you make a choice that suits your specific situation.

basement waterproofing in new jersey

How Basement Waterproofing in New Jersey Can Save You Money

Basement Waterproofing in New Jersey

Basement waterproofing in New Jersey can save you money just like an insurance policy can. It starts saving you money when something goes wrong. And it saves you big money when something really big goes wrong.
A basement waterproofing system is more about prevention than anything. Therefore, when we talk about potential savings, you have to look at your individual situation, see what you have in your basement, and determine what it is worth to you.

Storage Items:

Most people at the very least use the basement for storage. On the low end, basement waterproofing can save you the cost of replacing those storage items. That is if they are even replaceable. Many times what we store away in the basement are priceless heirlooms and keepsakes. It is hard to even put a monetary value on these types of items. The non-sentimental items still have some value. At least, they are valuable enough for us to store them. Basement waterproofing on an unfinished, storage space will save you the heartache of dealing with damaged storage boxes if your basement was to flood.

Finished Basements:

This is where basement waterproofing will save you the most money. The best case scenario for a finished basement is dealing with all water issues and installing a basement waterproofing system BEFORE you finish the basement. This will save you from ever having to re-finish the basement if there is a water issue in the future. Plus, the EPA recommends it when converting the basement to living space. Mold, odors, and high humidity don’t make for the best environment for living space anyway.

According to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value report, the cost of a mid-range basement remodel is $62,834. That is to create a 20-by-30-foot entertaining area with a wet bar and a full bathroom. That also includes the cost of enclosing a mechanical room, paint and trim, electrical wiring, and plumbing. Construction isn’t cheap and that would not be fun to pay for it twice if you ever had to replace it after a basement flood. Not to mention the cost of cleaning up the mess.

Every basement waterproofer has had to pull out a destroyed finished basement due to a basement leak or flood. It is a hard lesson and a sad day. If they would have installed the system beforehand, basement waterproofing would have saved them so much money!

Future Foundation Repair:

Basement waterproofing not only protects your home and basement from potential water issues, but it also protects your foundation. Water pressure building up outside the foundation wall is the top reason foundations crack. If you don’t deal with the water issues outside the foundation it will inevitably affect your foundation walls. The worst case scenario is a neglected foundation that has moved past hairline cracks and leaks to serious structural problems. The foundation is the most important part of any building, and if the health and integrity of the foundation is compromised, the whole building will eventually see the effects. It is very dangerous to leave alone. Taking care of the water issues with basement waterproofing will save you the cost of future foundation repair, which ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 depending on the situation and the severity.

Peace of Mind:

Knowing you will save yourself a lot of heartache and hundreds to thousands of dollars cleaning up and fixing problems that could have been prevented is worth it. The peace of mind basement waterproofing in New Jersey brings is priceless.

Contact us for a FREE Estimate for basement waterproofing in New Jersey.

flood in new jersey

Replacing Sheet Rock After a Flood in New Jersey

A Flood in New Jersey Can Cause Problems for Your Home

A basement flood in New Jersey is bad enough in an unfinished basement. However, if you have a finished or partially finished basement with any sheetrock as wall board then you will need to replace the sheetrock.

Flooding can lead to wet sheetrock

Sheetrock absorbs water. If it comes into contact with any amount of water (or even moisture for that matter) you have a problem. Sometimes you will only need to replace part of the sheetrock on a wall. You can cut out the wet portion and replace it with new sheetrock. Sheetrock will not dry out on its own before you will have a problem with mold behind the walls. If you leave wet sheetrock, mold will grow behind the wall because mold is using the material in the sheetrock for food. Add the water and the dark, damp spots behind the wall and a serious mold problem could start to grow in no time.

How to deal with wet sheetrock

If you are trying to save part of the wall, you will need to determine how high the water has traveled up the wall. The longer the sheetrock sits in the standing water, the higher the water problem will be. Typically, water travels up the sheetrock 3-6 inches a day. If it is left for a few days, the water could be halfway up the wall.

One way to check for water damage in sheetrock is to slice the wall with a razor. It will cut easier if the wall is wet. You will notice the blade slide quicker and easier through the wet wall compared to the dry sheetrock. Find where the wall is dry, and cut a straight line there to remove the wet sheetrock.

Like we mentioned above, it is important to remove all wet sheetrock to avoid a potential mold problem. Never leave wet sheetrock after a basement flood in New Jersey or discovered water problem.

Have a professional contractor help fix the problem

A professional basement waterproofing contractor can help you in this process. He can remove the damaged sheetrock after a basement flood in New Jersey and help you install a basement waterproofing system to help avoid any future problems.

The other option is to replace all the sheetrock in the basement with waterproof wallboard. So, if there is another basement flood in New Jersey, you won’t have to replace the walls again. The EPA says basements should be finished with waterproof and water resistant materials. Think tile instead of carpet; plastic waterproof wallboard instead of sheetrock. The basement is inherently wetter and should not be finished like the upstairs even if you have a basement waterproofing system installed.

Contact us for more information about basement waterproofing!