It is always fun when we get the opportunity to tag along and watch professionals do their work. Recently we have been given just such an opportunity to look behind the scenes and get a glimpse of what the before, during, and after looks like on the job with the Basement Doctor.
The house was built in 1963 on a hillside in North Central Ohio. As you can see there is a tremendous amount of mold and mildew all along the bottom of the basement walls. Also take note of the remnants of leaks and standing water on the floors. Please note the black mold that had taken root… not something you want to let go untreated in any home.
There has been a tremendous amount of water sitting along the outside walls constantly putting pressure on the foundation. So much that one of the walls was beginning to bow inward.
There had been a common damp proofing material applied to these walls some time ago. Typically these products are just a band aid and do not have very good lasting sustainability. (Common damp proofing product begin to fail and actually push off the wall at 8psi water pressure)
To take care of the bowing wall The Basement Doctor installed a patented carbon fiber support system called The Reinforcer. These “ribs” provide tensile support and prevent the wall from bowing any further. The strips are installed with epoxy and can be painted or finished further. We have seen similar things done with steel beams that stick out from the wall 6-10”, robbing the basement of valuable space and making finishing much more difficult.
The rest of the basement walls were completely scarified all the way down to the raw cinder block material. This job was performed using handheld surface grinders equipped with diamond cup grinders and dust collection systems. Without these vital systems there would have been moldy dust thrown all about the home itself. To assist the dust collection a negative pressure suction system was used as a total area exhaust.
The most common effective tool for this job we have seen is the Bosch 5” concrete surfacing grinder 1773AK ($399, Ohio Power Tool). This tool is designed specifically for this job, with RPMs set for Bosch diamond cup grinding wheels, specifically designed handles and an exhaust port for sucking our the silica dust. Another more economically priced package is the Bosch 5” grinder kit 18SG-5K ($199, Ohio Power Tool) which uses the popular Bosch 1821 grinder with 5” Dustless cover and Bosch 5” Cup Wheel DC510 (same that comes with 1773AK and retails for $129 alone).
After the material had been removed completely the open cracks are filled. A high quality mold and mildew resistant waterproofing compound is applied to protect the interior of the basement area. This product is a proprietary formula called Basement Doctor Plus Epoxy Wall Coating with Mold Inhibitor. This material has been tested and has resisted “push off” up to 40 psi!
To prevent any other buildup of ambient moisture a commercial high output dehumidifier was installed.
The Basement Doctor is known throughout the Midwest as the authority in basement beautification. This was a basic renovation for these guys that made a very musty environment suitable for living once again. They can take any level of distressed basement to a fully finished environment with a variety of other proprietary solutions.
We would like to thank Ron and Tom at The Basement Doctor for allowing us to “tag along” with their crew for this project. The Basement Doctor sees patients in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. See all the On the Job pictures in this Facebook Photo Album. For help with any of the power tools, vacuums or concrete diamond grinding accessories you might need for similar work, contact Ohio Power Tool 800-242-4424.
