Water in finished basement

5 years ago

We got unusually heavy rains last week and had water in the basement for the first time. It wasn't a lot, but it was seeping in from under the quarter round at the bottom of the walls in one corner and the floor was wet for several square feet along those edges. We've never had water in the basement and have decent drains, though I do think the grading on that corner of the house could be better. Anyhow, if the basement was unfinished the shop vac and dehumidifier would probably be sufficient. However this basement has extremely ugly 70s tile on the floors and knotty pine on the walls. I have no way of knowing how wet the walls got or how high up. Do I just wait and see? The bottom of the paneling is a little discolored already. Some parts turned whitish and weirdly gritty and some dark. What's usually done in situations like this? I don't want mold, but I also don't want to overreact and start tearing things apart for no reason.

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Izzy Mn

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

That paneling and flooring looks exactly like the home my sister and husband bought. They were going to move into but decided to rent out.

Anyhow, the paneling (exactly like yours, from the 1950's actually) had some water staining at the very bottom. Basement got a little water a few times. She ended up painting the paneling a off white. Their flooring, same stuff as yours different color, they installed vinyl floating floor, snap together kind. What a difference it made. Much brighter and livable. They were not going to mess with the tile either.

It does look like there is longer term wicking of moisture (the darker color) the cement may have a constant moisture level, possibly. You should get a dehumidifier for the basement and run it all summer. I would want to see what it looks like under the paneling in a spot to make sure you don't have a big mold problem just in case.

Building codes back then didn't call for treated wood for the bottom framing that touches the concrete, it does now, for a reason, moisture in concrete basement floor if not really well sealed, even then it still can be damp sometimes, though not noticably so.

The white stuff maybe this:

https://www.caaquebec.com/en/at-home/advice/tips-and-tricks/tip-and-trick/show/sujet/efflorescence-how-to-recognize-it-and-take-action-if-need-be/

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Comments (9)

klem1
5 years ago
I would use garden sprayer to spray 1/2 cup bleach in 1 gallon water on visiable stains and run dehumidifier. And regrade outside to prevent future problems.
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BobH
5 years ago
Get a fan blowing air on that area to help dry it out quickly. Mold needs prolonged moisture to grow.
Quentin Parker thanked BobH
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3onthetree
5 years ago
This may have been the first time for water while you live there, but surely not the first.

Double check your downspouts emit 10'+ away from the house and fix the grade problem. Then in the back of your mind know that once you decide to refresh the finishes it will include a complete demo.
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worthy
5 years ago
Don't rip out those asbestos floor tiles
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Quentin Parker
Original Author
5 years ago
@worthy Don't worry, they're not coming out. We really have no plans at this point to do anything to the basement. It's just a basement and we don't need to use it as living space. Thankfully though the tile is ugly, it's intact.
Quentin Parker
Original Author
5 years ago
@3onthetree When we first moved in I extended all the downspouts, but our basement has always been very dry and the paneling doesn't appear to have had any damage before now. I do need to take care of the grading issue.
Quentin Parker
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
@Izzy Mn I don't know how I missed this comment earlier, but thank you. That link was really interesting. I had never heard of that, but I think that's exactly what the white stuff is. Thankfully there are only a few spots, everything is dry down there, the wood isn't notably damaged, and we haven't gotten any mold.

We may paint the paneling eventually. I'm sure it would make a big difference. It's kind of low on the priory list right now, but hopefully we'll get around to it someday.
sushipup2
4 years ago
We had a lot of water in the basement after Ida came thru, we're in the Philly area. The basement had previously been dry. 55 yr old house, we've been here 5 years. Unfortunately there was carpeting that had to be removed.

I called two "basement" companies. For $12K or $15K, they wanted to put in a perimeter drain. We asked about the old egress windows, our concerns were ignored. In short, they did not care at all about the source of the water.

We finally got to consult with some more reasonable people. For $2000 we had 4 window wells rebuilt and windows caulked. We took down enough paneling under the windows to confirm that was the entry point for the water. For $3500 we're getting new 6" gutters, with design changes on the downspouts.. We had a drainage landscaper out who thought our drainage/grading was just fine.

Just saying, beware to the "basement" specialists.
Quentin Parker thanked sushipup2