How to Waterproof the Basement Walls
DAY ONE
Since there is no ceiling that requires waterproofing in the basement, moving furniture, shelves, etc. into the center of the basement should allot enough room to paint. After you have cleared everything away from the walls, inspect them for any holes, cracks, dirt, or salt deposits. You need to get rid of these before you apply the paint, otherwise the paint will end up peeling, and the paint brush may not be able to penetrate deep holes and cracks. Most waterproofing paint brands also make crack filler to apply before the waterproof application, and this should be used at the end of the first day, and allowed to dry overnight. Before filling the cracks and holes, it is best to use a steel wire brush to remove the salt deposits that usually appear along the bottom of the wall. With adequate lighting, you can see that most of the dirt, salt, loose concrete that needs to be removed before painting.
After you removed all of the salt deposits and dirt, you may proceed to fill in the cracks and holes. On dirtier basement walls, an industrial vacuum with an extension hose works wonders for sucking up dirt, dust, bugs, etc. I spent most of the first day vacuuming the walls with a shop vacuum that had a long hose and great suction. Another activity for the first day would be to seal the French drains (the gap between the floor and the wall that serves to drain water towards the drainage hole, sump pump, etc.). However, I would consider this activity optional, for the French drains would actually help in a situation where the water flooded through a basement window, which would totally bypass the foundation of the house and the layer of waterproof paint. Your house may not have French drains. By the end of day one, you should have all the walls clean and all of the holes and cracks filled in with the appropriate filler.
DAY TWO
The second day is definitely the worst day in the waterproofing process. This is true because on this day you must paint all the walls with a 4 or 6 inch brush. You can try getting a giant brush, but by the end of the day, the brush will feel like it is ten pounds. It would be in your best interest to grab a friend or family member to help you out as brush painting is a rather slow process. Unlike non-waterproof paint, this paint is very thick, and the effort required to get a good coat of paint on the wall is significant. This paint is also hard to mix, so I used an attachment for my electric drill, which worked similar to how a whisk mixes an egg mixture. You can find this extension at most hardware stores. Although this paint is thick and less drippy than regular latex paint, it is best to use a tarp to line the ground so the amount of cleaning during the painting process is reduced. Some things to remember when applying the first coat of paint would be to make sure you have adequate ventilation and enough light to see hard to reach spots. By the end of the second day, you should have the first coat of paint applied and a nice and sore brushing hand.
DAY THREE
Today is the day for applying the second coat of paint on the walls. But unlike the second day, you are now allowed to use a roller, which you will not take for granted after painting all the basement walls with a dinky paint brush. I used the thickest, fluffiest roller I could find, for the paint is thick and a thin roller would probably drip too much paint. Before you go crazy with the roller, make sure you hit the trim (the corners and other places a roller cannot reach) with the paint brush. The hardest part of the rolling process is to make sure you have applied the second coat properly, as sometimes it is easy to miss a spot, depending on the color of the paint. However, after you finish the walls and they begin to dry, the missed spots usually become obvious. By the end of the third day, you will be admiring the color of the walls and the new impenetrable layer of waterproof latex paint.
