What are your thoughts about sealing interior poured concrete basement walls and floors?
The basement walls in our newly constructed home are insulated on the outside. We do not plan to finish the basement for a a year or more because we want to watch as everything settles and be able to visually check for cracks. We used a spray-applied water-proofing sealant on the outside of the concrete foundation and Tremco WARM N DRI for exterior insulation and water diversion.
The basement walls and floor were poured in mid-November. Since mid-January we’ve maintained a temp of 60+ and have kept RH in the 30 – 40% range. Based on how seldom the dehumidifier cycles on I’d say the concrete is relatively dry now.
I would like to seal the walls and floor with V-Seal 101, or something comparable in order to prevent the unfinished basement from smelling like concrete. Do I need to be concerned about permeability? Is it okay to seal concrete only 6 months old? Do you have recommendations for a clear, non-toxic product?
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Replies
David,
Even slow curing concrete mixes are fully cured by 56 days. If you have other moisture problems unrelated to the age of the concrete you should address them before sealing, but otherwise you are fine.