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Waterproofing your foundation is important especially if you live in an area that gets heavy rains or snows. You may have drain tiles on the outside of your house which are supposed to prevent water from seeping inside, but if your home is subjected to a torrential downpour, drain ties may not be enough to get the job done. Furthermore, if there is a lot of moisture in the soil on the outside of your home, it may make your basement feel humid. While you could use tar and sheets of plastic to protect your home, an elastomeric coating and polyethylene membrane will get the job done better. 

Deficiencies of Tar

Tar has a couple of main deficiencies that make it ineffective at waterproofing a foundation. For one, tar will dry out over time, and as it does, it will loose its elasticity. Once tar becomes brittle, any movement in your foundation will cause it to crack. A second problem with tar is that it is not a true waterproofer. If there is enough pressure outside your home, water can leak through and cause leaks. 

Deficiencies of Plastic 

Plastic will work as a waterproofer to direct water away from your home, but it does have limitations. For one, little movements in your foundation can cause the plastic to tear. Also, if your tar gets dried out, the plastic can peel away  and allow water to leak behind it. 

Advantages of an Elastomeric Coating

Elastomeric coatings are specially formulated to stay pliable over time. They are also completely waterproof, so even if there is a lot of pressure against your foundation, the coating will not allow water to leak through. While tar has been the go-to foundation sealer for years, elastomeric coatings are the better option.

Advantages of a Polyethylene Membrane

The main advantage of a polyethylene membrane over a sheet of plastic is that it will not tear. Thus, you do not have to worry about your waterproofing degrading over time. 

When you waterproof a foundation, you have to make sure that the measures you take will last for the long run. Rather than going with the traditional method of painting your foundation with tar and then attaching a plastic sheet, you will get more durable protection from materials that have only come on the market recently. Knowing that foundations will flex under pressure, you should make sure your contractors use materials that will respond to that pressure without cracking. For more information, contact contractors like Cozens Brothers Contractors.