Ahhh...Concrete! One of the oldest, most common building materials in the world. Concrete is everywhere. Nearly every house in the U.S. is built on Concrete. It's your foundation, your basement, your basement walls, your driveway, your garage floor and sometimes...your whole house. It is sturdy, stable and when polished up, beautiful. But...did you know concrete is porous? It may look like a solid rock, but in reality, concrete is absolutely full of holes. Concrete absorbs and releases water. Yup, your house is built on a sponge!
Water and Concrete=BAD Combination
You use water to MAKE concrete, so what is the big deal? Easy...you don't want water in your house. Why? Oh...little things like Mold, Rot, Bugs, Bad Indoor Air Quality, Algae, Rodents...you know, minor little things like that. What is more, just because you don't SEE the water coming thru the concrete, that doesn't mean it isn't. Most water comes thru concrete in the form of water vapor. A typical 1000 square foot foundation can release 30 GALLONS of water vapor into the house...every day. Take six five gallon buckets and dump them on your floor...that is how much water can be coming thru, just in vapor. No WONDER that basement smells musty! Worse, if you take a close look, you might find some white fuzzy stuff. Relax...it is probably not mold...though mold can and will grow on damp Concrete...more likely it is something called Effloresence. That is a fancy name for minerals leeched out of your concrete by the water. If you see it, you have moisture.
Why Does the Water Come Thru?
One word...pressure. In the case of a basement, there is less water inside your basement than outside it...so the water wants to equalize that pressure. It wants to get in and it presses against the concrete with a relentless pressure. Known as Hydrostatic Pressure it can press with a force of many tons across a typical basement wall. Water is patient and persistent...if it can it will eventually get thru, it is just a matter of time. And while there ARE efforts made to reduce that penetration thru the wall by using all sorts of outdoor sealers, drains etc, the fact that so many houses have water intrusion will tell you that those methods are NOT fool proof. Enter the Concrete Coating...
Paint VS DampProofer VS. UGL VS. WaterProofer VS. Sealer...Battle of the Concrete Products
Okay, so we've established that water gets in. What can you do to stop it? Well, you can pay an excavation company thousands of dollars, have them dig up all your landscape and put in more drainage with no guarantee it will fix the problem. Or...you can tackle the project from the inside, a far easier DIY solution to be sure. But WHAT should you use to stop the water? Well, there are several different common types of products you'll see out there which go on concrete...
Paint. Uh...No. Doesn't work...at ALL. What is worse, after it soon fails, it prevents you from using a real waterproofing product unless it is blasted off. If you have failed paint, keep reading...
Concrete Sealers. A sealer is designed to prevent water from getting IN to concrete. Often based on A Silicone Polymer, it is typically applied onto something like a driveway to stop water from penetrating into the concrete. Problem is, it isn't designed for and isn't effective at keeping water from coming OUT of the concrete. To keep the water out of your house, it isnt' what you want. For that you need stronger stuff...
UGL Drylok? UGL Drylock is somewhere between a Concrete Sealer and a DampProofer. We cannot TELL you how many times we've seen failed UGL or similar concrete "paints". On concrete block walls, the typical failure point are the mortar joints. Why? Drylok will only withstand 10PSI of hydrostatic pressure. Quite frankly, that isn't very much. What is worse, if the product fails, and we've seen it fail many times, the only way you can waterproof the wall is to get it blasted off. NOT the best idea. If you want to paint the walls right...keep reading!
DampProofer. Closer...getting closer. A DampProofer is typically a chemical product, often something called a Silicate or Siloxane that reacts with the chemicals in the concrete to form a gel in the presence of moisture. This gel is supposed to block the capillaries and REDUCE the water coming thru. DampProofers (RadonSeal, X-1/X-2, EnduroSeal, etc.) are reasonably effective against low hydrostatic pressure. What they dont tell you is that they don't work very well where you have high hydrostatic pressures and they won't claim they STOP water. That is because they can't resist all all that much pressure and they do not STOP the water coming thru, only reduce it. Something that is engineered to stop water will have a rating on water resistance rated in PSI or Head/Feet of water resistance. Notice you won't find that rating on most DampProofing literature? On Concrete Block walls, which are highly porous, they are semi-effective at best. There are variations in Hydrostatic resistance amongst the products, but none of them will ever be found being used in professional applications. For that you need a...
WaterProofer. Now we are TALKING! Waterproofers are products which are designed to STOP water coming thru concrete. They are designed to withstand high hydrostatic pressures and significantly reduce vapor from being transmitted thru the concrete. That means you can have a whole MESS of water pressing hard against your concrete and nothing will come thru. "Cool...that is what I WANT!" you say...and you are correct! BUT...there is a problem. First off, you won't find waterproofers at home improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot. Second, most waterproofing products are dry cement coatings which are mixed with water, then applied in multiple coatings with concrete brushes. They are messy and very expensive per square foot. Now, don't get us wrong...they work GREAT but they are not the most DIY friendly of products and if you want to SEE the wall afterwards they are...well...visually challenged. Plus, they simply don't work on floors either unless you want to walk on a rough, crunchy floor. Not exactly DIY friendly. There are also oil based products designed for exterior use ONLY. Do NOT...repeat...ABSOLUTELY 100% DO NOT use exterior waterproofing agents inside your house, they are often very toxic!) So...what do do?
Enter Kevin's Killer Koncrete Koating
Kevin owns a mold remediation and Mold prevention company. Getting rid of dampness and the aftermath it causes is a way of life for him. He used a lot of those professional cement waterproof coatings to solve moisture problems. While they were messy and nasty to work with, they worked GREAT...except on floors. Putting a crunchy coating on a cement floor wasn't his client's idea of fun. So, he turned to trying Dampproofers. Unfortnuately, they didn't always work. See, in Bellingham, WA where Kevin lives, there are two things...a LOT of rain anda lot of hills. So...that means a lot of houses with high hydrostatic pressure behind them since the water running off the hill has a lot of force behind it. So, he went searching for a better solution and finally found it... a LIQUID Waterproofer that was non toxic, easy to use and was the virtual equivalent of the professional powdered concrete products his crews were using. SCORE! He got some in, tested it out and hooyah! It worked great AND it even worked concrete block walls. The test data on the product shows it will withstand 75PSI of hydrostatic pressure...or a 173' tall column of water...less than the cement type coatings, but MORE than adequate to take care of most any home. So he got some in, tested it on some trouble areas and it WORKED! Then the idea popped into his head...why not make it available it to YOU...the very person reading this website, so that YOU can have the same degree of waterproofing in your house that you'd pay a professional company literally thousands of dollars for? Thus...bottling (bucketing?) began and you can now buy your very own professional waterproofing solution. Solve your damp basement wall problems (Don't Forget the Floor!) with confidence.
BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!
There are many OTHER uses for Kevin's Koncrete Koating than just making your basement not smell like a cavern...so many useful things! How about your garage floor? Want to paint it to make your neighbors jealous with the gorgeousness of your mancave? Apply Killer Koncrete Koating first and your floor coating won't peel up and it will stick like CRAZY. Same goes for your concrete walls in the basement. After application of Kevin's Killer Koncrete Coating...wait a few weeks to make absolutely SURE you have all the damp spots...then paint your little buns off. Got a crawlspace...it probably has concrete perimeter walls...apply it there. Decorative concrete...keep it looking good...Koat it first before finishing it. Concrete fountain? Ditto. What about your driveway? Want to keep the top surface from spalling? Apply Kevin's Killer Koncrete Koating (wait a month after fresh concrete is poured) and it will help keep your concrete surface in good condition. Pathways, steps, patio, porch? Same thing.
Moss And Algae?
Moss and Algae are slippery little buggers, making your steps, paths, etc. ugly and dangerous. Waterproofing the concrete helps to reduce the amount of Algal growth on the surface and what does grow is easier to wash off. Great for porch steps and pathways!
BEFORE You Finish Your Basement...
If you've decided that NOW is the time to get that basement finished...use Kevin's Killer Koncrete Koating on the walls and floors BEFORE you frame/carpet/tile/etc. Even if your basement seems dry, there is likely water vapor coming thru the concrete and once you close that up, you will quickly find out that water vapor will build up behind your walls and under your floors. Don't create a future mold problem...use our stuff first!
Installing Finished Flooring Over Concrete?
Can I Paint over it?
Heck yeah! Not only can you paint over Killer Koncrete Koating, but concrete paint or epoxy coating will stick like CRAZY to it! We suggest waiting about a few days to make absolutely sure there is no water coming thru on any spots...but once you are sure it is dry as a bone...wash the wall off so any extra product is removed, let it dry then grab that roller and get some paintin' done! See the prep, precautions and safety section below for more details.
How Much Will I Need?
You want to do this once and once only...particularly if you plan to finish your basement. Figure approximately 650 square ft per pail with the 2 plus mist coat method below. To calculate space, measure the length of the walls and multiply by the height. For example, if you have 80 feet of wall length at 8 foot high, 80x8=640 square feet=1 bucket. Floor...width x length. If you end up with extra, remember, there is always concrete outside!
I'm Convinced...Gimme Some!
Cool. We WANT you to have it...order away, but PLEASE come back and read the...
Precautions, Prep and Safety Section
Hey, nothing's perfect. There are some things you need to know before you start spraying away...but honestly, these are the same for ANY concrete treatment. Read this first and you'll be prepared for your journey into concrete dryness...
1). Don't DRINK IT. BLECH! Please keep it away from children and please don't put it in a cup, glass or bottle, that is just asking for trouble. Keep the dog away.
2) Cracks. If you have cracks in the wall or floor, they should be patched, particularly if the crack is weeping or spurting water. We have two patching compounds available. You can order either from us. Call or E-mail us at the link at the bottom of the page and we'll get you set up with the RIGHT stuff.
3) Your concrete walls need to be CLEAN. Are they Painted? See below. If not painted, concrete walls usually have something called Form Release Compound on them, it is often Oil based. NO concrete treatment product will work with that stuff in place...so you need to wash the walls down. Don't feel guilty about hiring somebody to do this step for you, cheap labor is all you need and two guys can do most basements in a couple of hours. It is the unglorious part so revel in your ability to provide somebody with running around money. Just make sure to dry the basement out when you are done since you don't want to put Kevin's Killer Koating on when the walls and floor are wet (a wet/dry vac and a rental dehumidifier isn't a bad idea). You also want the walls free of dust. Concrete floors have another issue which is fortunately EASY to deal with. Concrete floors are often smooth troweled and this leaves shiny smooth spots. Those shiny smooth spots have all the pores closed so nothing will absorb. Fortunately, there IS a product you can use to clean and etch the floor and walls in one step. It used to be muriatic acid and while you can still use it, that stuff is NASTY. Fortunately, we found a product which is eco friendly and will clean, degrease and etch your floors and walls in one easy step. 1 Gallon concentrate makes enough to cover 500 square feet when diluted 2:1 with water. Just spray it on...scrub, rinse and wet dry vac up any excess. Easy. We'd sell it to you but honestly it is easier just to give you this link and have you order it direct...saves you some money. Just come back here when you are done and order our stuff...pretty please?
4) NO PAINT! Walls or floor weeping and they have failed paint on them? Ugh. There is no good way to say this so we'll just give it to you straight...you need a sand/bead/shot/dry ice blasting contractor. Phone book or Google time. You have to get that stuff off. Scraping or sanding it won't work, it stays in the pores. Grinding wont' work...it closes up the pores...self defeating. There are special machines called scarifying machines...and they are scarifying to use. Honestly, you are better off getting a blasting company in there and getting it over with quickly and painlessly. It us usually surprisingly inexpensive and with the money you'll save using Kevin's Killer Koncrete Koating over a professional waterproofing company...you can probably afford it. If you INSIST on doing it yourself, you first NEED to test to make sure you don't have lead paint. Lead paint testing kits are available at most home improvement stores. If there IS lead, then you'll need to have it professionally removed. But..assuming it is lead free and you still want to do it yourself, you can rent Blasting equipment from many rental shops...but make sure you get FULL instructions on how to use them along with the proper safety gear. Be prepared for a lot of cleanup...a LOT.
5) Safety Safety SAFETY! Most, if not all concrete treatment products are alkaline, it is the nature of the beast. Not "horror movie" alkaline, where your skin peels off, but irritating, wrinkled skin alkaline. So...gloves, skin and eye protection are a must. Jeans and a long sleeve shirt are good...closed toed shoes...no bare feet or sandals! While our product is near zero VOC, the vapors from pretty much all concrete treatments can be a lung irritant because they are alkaline, plus if there is concrete dust (or regular dust), you want to protect your lungs. Get ye some airflow and a respirator, heck it is a good thing to have a respirator on hand anyways, good thing to have in your tool box in the garage! We sell a nice little kit which gives you all the safety stuff you'll need below...except the airflow. For that, you want a fan pushing icky air out of the space, usually out a window, and fresh air into the space. Most equipment rental places have blowers available cheap...save yer lungs and get ye one. Don't let your kids play in the area you are working in unless they also have full safety gear on and please don't let them play with the stuff...it isn't water...keep the buckets sealed and rinse out your sprayer when you are done. Don't dump it in the stream or pond...the alkalinity will kill the fish. Have extra left over? Got a driveway or walkway? You know what to do!
Safety Kit
Includes Respirator with Chemical Filters, Goggles and Gloves
6) Don't use it on brick or ceramic...it will melt them. Really. Don't use on glass or aluminum, it etches them and releases nasty gasses. If you have aluminum frame windows, cover them up well with plastic. If some gets on there, just have a bucket of clean water and a sponge hanging out...it is a good idea anyways in case you spray it on yourself, just rinse off.
7) When applying to the floors, you may get some puddling of the material in spots. BE CAREFUL...when that happens, those puddles will be more slippery than a Chicago Sidewalk in January after an ice storm. We don't want you to get a bruise. Simply take a stiff bristled brush or broom and sweep. Any dried material left after you are done can be removed with water after a few days.
8) Speaking of rinsing...don't rinse the concrete right after applying Kevin's Killer Koncrete Koating. It will wash off and then you'll need to buy more....er...hmmm. YES! YES...rinse it all off and buy more!
How To Apply...
How to Apply: See the notes on cleaning above. First...temperatures should be above freezing and below 100. Don't apply to hot concrete, wait for things to cool. To apply, get your DIY'ing self a good sprayer. Concrete coating sprayer's can be had at any good construction supply place, but a garden sprayer will work. If the sprayer has a flat spray tip, even better. For large areas or really big basements, an airless paint sprayer can be used...all equipment rental places have them. Apply your initial coating at 300 square ft/gallon. On a 10' tall wall, just measure out 30 feet, mark the ends with tape, pour in a gallon and put it on using even strokes. Repeat until all the walls are done. Get lunch/watch the game/play with the kids. Come back an hour later and do it again. We suggest doing the walls first. Wait two days. Refill your sprayer and do a LIGHT mist on all the surfaces....it should bead on the surface and soak in VERY slowly if at all. If it soaks in fast in places, do those places heavy...most places will simply bead up and do almost nothing. Congratulations! You are waterproof as HECK!
GIMME NOW!
Okay, okay...you got it!
ONLY $179 for a 5 Gallon Pail...such a deal!
Questions that weren't answered above?
or call us at 360-831-9494