How do I make my basement walls nice?
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My basement walls were painted by previous owners and the paint is coming off, plus there are cracks here and there (supposedly not dangerous). Would paint alone do the job (and if so, which kind) or do I need some kind of wall concrete, or stucco, or what?
You need to determine if paint is flaking due to moisture in walls, or previous owners choice of paint was not suitable for masonry.
I wouldn’t concern yourself with painting until the water problem is fixed. The water problem will only get worse/ more expensive the longer it goes on.
Nechamah, Start with scraping the old paint off. Next fix the cracks with a cement filler. You'll need a cement primer, then paint it with cement paint. Wear a mask, you don't know what type of paint they used. Aloha!
You don't need to fix the cracks or what ever unless they are structural,depends how clean,nice you want the walls to look.scrape off all loose paint ,then using stiff wire brush clean wall really really well getting all loose stuff off, wipe down with vinegar water mix,then baking soda to neutralize acid in vinegar let dry,dry,dry use primer(for masonry,concrete) and then paint with masonry/concrete paint If it has a moisture problem you need to seal it after it's dried out,then you won't need to prime or paint over sealer unless you want
Does your ground slope toward the foundation? If so, you'll need to re-route ir via swale, French Drain or HydroBlox system.
Are gutters overfilled and dumping water onto foundation areas?
Do you have plantings up against the house?
Are downspouts diverting water at least 10' away from house?
Do you have a hill behind you?
Looking at all these issues may help diahnose contributing factors.
You may need to place 6 mil plastic on heavier against your house, close to foundation, grade dirt away, extend plastic, then secure in place with river rock or similar.
Larger trees planted 20' or more from your house can help to absorb rainfall, but should be mulched to further delay water moving toward house.
If your home is older, it's unlikely it was built with a vapor barrier.
You may look at sill plate, where it meets top of interior basement wall to see if water is entering there, then evaluate cleaning walls and painting with a masonry sealer, if that's the case.
I just want to say thank you to all who answered above. We are dealing with same issues but are walls are cracking and leaking. We were told it would cost $3,000 (can I cry right now?) to fix right now and of course this is something home owner a insurance does not cover till walls cave in. Which won't be long at this rate it's going. So trying to figure out our options. Till we can save enough to have them fixed. Also to the woman that posted. Watch your basement for black mold. Ours had it and i am constantly cleaning it now.
Ours leaks at the base but then cracked opened in the wall like where the basement Windows are even with the backyard ground. We were told they will put braces on the walls and fill in. Tried to save money to get the huge tree out in our backyard that is so very close to house. It's one of those darn helicopter trees. They told us that would cost about 1,100 to $1,500 to take down. Omg the house is becoming like that movie the money pit lol and we have a child graduating H.S. this year. Told hubby we will take it one day as it comes. All we can do.