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Last Updated: Monday, May 10th, 2010, Created: Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

Weather Restrictions: Bituminous foundation moisture control coating

. WEATHER & RENOVATION is a joint project of: CTV.ca and JonEakes.com designed to help you plan home improvement projects around weather restrictions. If you have just been checking the weather for your project on the CTV web site -- welcome to JonEakes.com where you will find all the details for your home improvements. If you started here and are looking for weather restrictions related to home improvements, follow this link to CTV.ca where you can get your local weather forecast together with weather restrictions for specific products  on the bottom of the page.

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The black stuff that you see sprayed over new foundation walls is almost always a bituminous or rubberized asphalt coating. It does not waterproof a basement but rather is considered a moisture barrier -- it reduces the tendency for water to penetrate into the wall. These coatings will not seal cracks but are applied over crack repairs. Some are water based products that give off no VOCs, or solvents -- most are solvent based and can be used in cold weather -- but all of them carry a distinct odour. They are sometimes applied to the inside wall of a basement but that generally requires a quick finishing of the wall with a good air/vapour barrier to prevent the whole house from being flooded with that asphalt odour. This is the most common moisture control coating used in residential housing. It must not be left exposed for a long time to UV rays of the sun; hence it is usually applied to the outside of the foundation from the footing to just below grade level. It is often applied immediately after removing the concrete forms so that its moisture control nature can help to keep the water in the concrete, slowing the drying and strengthening the cure. Click here for details on HOW DO I WATERPROOF A BASEMENT?

Keywords: Asphalt, Basement, Concrete, Cracks, Footings, Foundation, Moisture, Moisture Barrier, Renovation, Seals, Walls, Water, Waterproof, Weather

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