Is possible to tank a cellar wall yourself or is it best left to the professionals, if it can be done yourself how do you go about it, the wall in question is an uneven manx stone wall with lime mortar iwas going to tank it then put up a stud wall Thanks
In article , manxman writes
Many cellar walls don't need tanking, they just need the drains at the bottom clearing out. Many old walls were built with a stone drain at the base, and in many cases I have found drains both inside and outside the wall. On the cellar side they are formed by the side of the wall and a row of stones or bricks a few inches in from the wall, and are covered by the cellar flooring. They drain away from the house to a soakaway or, in one terrace I lived in, right down to the end of the terrace. Over the years they tend to silt up, and you can often rinse them out with a powerful water jet.
J.
Yes, you can tank it, as long as there's no water running in, i.e. if it is just damp. You need bitumen emulsion, three coats applied at right angles to each other, the last one being blinded by sand before it is dry. Render over that with a 1:1:6 with a waterproofing admixture.
J.B.
I'd have my doubts about a bitumen *emulsion*. IME, anything dispersed in water remains water sensitive to some degree. I think water borne SBR has replaced bitumen for this application but I am not 100% convinced that it's as waterproof as a solvent based coating.
If it is possible, dig out around the house in stages, and apply bitumen from the outside. Then fill with hardcore to prevent water collecting against the outer walls. This will drain any water away from the walls. When backfilling lay poly sheet on a slant away from the house to stop/reduce water getting near the walls. Have it about 500mm under to prevent a shovel from breaking it Also against the walls under ground up to grade level, put foam insulation keep heat in. The cellar will be very dry and very warm and no smells
Then install a stud wall spaced from the cellar wall as a belt and braces approach.
And if it's a terraced house ? IMHO anything bitumen below ground and sealing from water ingress forget it.
Some problems then.
You can what I wrote and eliminate bitumen. It will be just as effective. The hardcore drainage and underground poly umbrella sheet will keep the walls dry. In short, ensure water does not get to the walls and anywhere near it just drains away.
Well, doubt it - I don't mind! If you read the instructions on the side of a tin of Ruberoid Synthaprufe or similar, or Google for it, you will see! It's not like emulsion paint for the inside of your house!
In addition to the above, I would certainly NOT recommend the use of gypsum plaster over the render. I forgot to say that first time 'round! Hope the OP hasn't finished the job yet.....
J.B.
J.B.
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