Waterproofing exterior stairs (wet basement)
Hi I’m in the process of trying to get my basement dry enough to finish part of it.
1959 Ranch in CT. Poured foundation with no insulation or sealing. I’m in the process of rim joist insulation.
I’m going to get the leaky gutters replaced to start with. I’ve done a little bit of grading, but one of the problems is this: The front and rear stairs to the doors were poured as part of the foundation. Underneath the steps housed a boiler and one still houses an oil tank. They do not have protection from the outside rain, so water leaks in during heavy rain. I was planning on installing Slate tile over the bare concrete and waterproofing with siloxane.
Does this seem like a good solution? Otherwise some sort of cantilevered roof could be installed as a mini porch. Should I also put some sort of sealant on the inside?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
Are these stairs indoors or outdoors? Do have some pics? There are slightly less than 463765747727 different ways to waterproof things, so a little more info from you would help to narrow things down a bit :-)
Bill
The stairs are outdoors, I meant the front and rear step to the entry doors to the house. They are very slightly protected by the soffit, but mostly they are exposed to weather. They are also hollow and beneath them lies the basement. I'll try to add some pictures so its more clear.
My first thought would be to build some kind of porch to protect the entryway more. You might also consider a slot drain or similar to drain away any water running off the stairs before it has a chance to soak into the ground and ultimately make it's way into your basement.
Bill