Refurbishment of Existing Basement
Safeguard Basement System 4
Old cellars and basements will usually require waterproofing if they are to be used as habitable areas.
In the UK, cavity drainage systems (Oldroyd Xv) are the most popular waterproofing option for old basements. These redirect water to a sump and pump rather than physically holding it back, so preparation of the old brick substrate is less critical than when using traditional waterproofing systems.
It should be noted that BS 8102:2022 states that “The outer leaf of the exterior wall should be capable of controlling the quantity of water that can pass through it, in order not to exceed the drainage capacity of the system”
. For this reason, localised repairs or traditional “tanking” (e.g. using Drybase Universal Mortar or Drybase Tanking Slurry) may be necessary to improve the primary resistance of the basement wall. For similar reasons it is normally recommended that a new floor slab is poured using reinforced concrete and waterproofed using Drybase Active Crystalline Tanking Slurry.
- Combined waterproofing is not always possible in existing basements.
- Localised repairs and / or Drybase tanking may be required to increase primary resistance of basement walls.
For more information, visit our basement refurbishment page.
