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How To Avoid Water Damage To Your Home’s Foundation
With sea levels rising at a rapid rate in the South Florida area, along with the onslaught of both the traditional rainy season and the hurricane season upon us, many homeowners in the Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade area are faced with the daily prospect of experiencing water damage in their homes. The question is "not if this may occur, but when will this happen?"
No matter if you live along the Fort Lauderdale intracoastal waterway, a gated Miami Beach neighborhood or in a Palm Beach golf community, your home is susceptible to water damage in a number of places. This includes leaks coming in from the roof above, water dripping in through cracks in the walls surrounding your home, rainwater slipping in from the windows and doors of your home and water coming into your home’s foundation.
While each of these is a serious issue you as a homeowner may face, repairing and waterproofing your home’s foundation requires immediate action to avoid the expense of future water damage, as well as the long-lasting effects of having mold and mildew in your home. “This is called Slab-to Block Interface Obstruction and almost every residential homeowner in South Florida experiences one,” commented Paul Wilson, owner of Tru Colors Contracting.
What Is Slab-To-Block Construction…
When a house is constructed, the slab of a house is poured after the electric and plumbing are laid and completed. Most Florida homes have a tilt wall, so you have a joint between the slab and the wall. That’s called a slab to block interface and the interface fails considerably especially on older homes, noted Wilson.
“This is due largely to the deterioration of a gutter or the lack of a gutter in some homes. While the gutter is designed to keep the rain out, many gutters deteriorate over a period of time. Worse, some homes are not properly guttered. This causes pools of water around the home. Some landscapers may add more sod or mulch to the area. This does not rectify the problem since water may absorb in this area, very much like a sponge. This causes the slab area to inevitably crack,” Wilson added
Most builders do not use any protective slab to block interface barriers when they are constructing a home. Over time the joint between the block and the slab block moves. This causes the interface to crack, resulting in inevitable water leakage to the home.
“When Tru Colors Contracting comes in to assist with a slab to block waterproofing repair, we trench out the water in the slab and clean it first. We then look for any protrusions that are not done correctly including poorly installed blocks and cracks. These issues are then rectified.
Afterwards we use urethane to fill the cantilever seam and fill any major holes as well. A primer along with additional coats of urethane are added. Together this will prevent the barrier from cracking again,” commented Wilson.
Although it is recommended to do this when a new home is constructed, most new homeowners do not want to accrue the cost. However, a block to slab procedure should last 20 to 30 years once completed on any new or older home,” concluded Wilson.
Slab to Block Waterproofing from Tru Colors Contracting is the solution to repairing and waterproofing your home’s foundation and to safeguard your home. You will also help avoid this issue from happening again.
Tru Colors Contracting also offers waterproofing services for your home’s roof decks and balconies, windows and doors, along with the walls of your home. We’re experts in the field with decades of experience in the Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County area. Contact us today at 954-973-5600.
Tru Colors Contracting, a South Florida owned and operated company with offices in Pompano Beach, is the parent company of 24 Hour Floor, the premium concrete coated floor choice in the South Florida and Treasure Coast area and My Stack Box, the premium concrete coated floor choice in the South Florida and Treasure Coast area.
