WHAT IS DAMPPROOFING?
Dampproofing products are typically a tar based material cut back with a solvent based product. They are cheap to apply and their effectiveness is extremely limited because they are only to designed to retard moisture penetration, not prevent it. The main problem with this type of product is that it becomes brittle once it cures and as the foundation settles and hairline cracks appear, the tar based coating will not stretch to bridge the cracks and this allows moisture to penetrate into the basement. Many homeowners who have problems with a wet basement and dig up the exterior foundation find that these tar based products have started to flake off the wall within a few years of being applied.
