basement floor

[makolber]

it a vinyl tiles. I removed both of them. I am not sure what the floor is made from. Not sure if it is cement of something else. My house was build i n 1926.

ement or something else). Also any recommendation how to keep it nice. Any material I can put it to clean it, make it better looking, shining etc. I h ad to remove both the carpet and vinyl because of the water.

curious as to

Two coats of drylock on the slab floor and cinder block walls may not keep out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity that see ps through everyday. m

[leza wang]

p out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity that s eeps through everyday.

Thank you all. I will consider Drylock but before that I want to ask you a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now becaus e of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it with pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean it p lease? Thank you

[Tekkie®]

leza wang posted for all of us...

You WILL have to determine where the water problem is coming from. Lay a piece of plastic on the bare floor and leave there for a few days. If it gets moisture underneath then it is coming underneath the concrete. It could be a spring underneath the slab that gives the problem. Also look at the foundation walls, could it be coming through there. Do you have a floor drain? Do you have a drain around the foundation? I would presume a house built in '26 would not.

[Stormin' Norman]

Leza,

There are any number of commercial adhesive removal products which you can buy. I would look on Amazon and in Home Depot. None of these products are effortless and I have never found one that worked very well without significant odor.

You might be better off, save yourself a lot of work and aggravation and save money by putting down a decent indoor / outdoor carpet, installed right over the existing adhesive.

What will you be using the basement for? Laundry, workshop and storage or will it be a living area?

[leza wang]

It is not strong sticky, but when you walk bare feet you feel it a bit. I r eally prefer not to add anything (carpet, hardwood, tile) I like it that wa y, so painting it would be great idea, for cleaning and for looking good to o. I should not care about the smell as you said. I think I will try the Th inner. Thank you.

[Ralph Mowery]

If you use thinner make sure it is not flamable. Especially if you spread it out over a large area. Whatever else you use, make sure it is ok to use it in an enclosed area.

[Ralph Mowery]

Maybe a pressure washer. Just do not run a gas powered one in the basement.

[Stormin' Norman]

Actually, you should care about the odor, especially if it is a toxic or flammable product. If I were in your position, I would buy an adhesive remover which is made specifically for the job and even then I would well ventilate the area in which I were working and possibly even wear a real respirator.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Be very careful. The fumes can easily cause an explosion or fire. This is especially important if you have gas with pilot lights.

[trader_4]

keep out water that is under pressure, but it will reduce the humidity tha t seeps through everyday.

a question. How to clean the floor before I paint it. It is sticky now bec ause of the sticky vinyl tiles I just remove. I was thinking to clean it wi th pain Thinner, but I think the smell will be bad. Any idea how to clean i t please?

+1. Could save a lot of work.

If she wants to paint it, I would start by buying a small can of solvent an d testing a small area to see how well it works. Someone mentioned acid, w hich is great for etching bare concrete, but IDK about getting the adhesive off. I suppose it could get under it and remove a layer of concrete and ta ke it off that way, so it may be worth a try.

.

[clare]

MAKE SURE ALL sources of ignition are eliminated. Shut off ALL standing pilot lights, and do not operate any switches. Make sure there are NO static sparks, and do not let 2 hard items colide, causing a spark Also make sure the basement is well ventilated, with fans blowing air IN to force fumes out. Failure to follow these important safety steps COULD blow you, your house, and the houses of your neighbours to kingdom come.

[Al]

Kingdom Come? That's not too far from me.