When building the basement the separate installation of basement floor and walls creates a small joint between the surfaces.
Seal gap between concrete floor and wall.
It may seem like an obvious solution to simply seal the cove joint to prevent water from breaching into your home.
Some areas have very expansive soil.
Sep 30 2015 by matthew stock.
Mostly what kent said.
The gap is generally 1 2 wide however in many places it s less.
You can seal these joints but you must ensure that the seal does.
This doesn t happen because the wall itself is leaking water or because the basement floor has low points around the edges.
I am trying to figure out whether how to air seal the gap between my garage floor and drywall in my 12 year old three story townhouse in zone 2a.
But in colder climates this water can cause damage to both the driveway and the concrete when it freezes.
But urethane squirt foam is subject to uv degrada.
But if the joint is going to be buried behind other finish surfaces and the gap is 1 2 ish or bigger then squirt foam is a good choice.
When water enters the seam or crack between an asphalt driveway and a concrete garage floor or foundation it isn t a big deal in warmer climates for the most part.
In the short term a sealant applied along this gap between your basement floor and wall may prevent leakage.
However it s not that simple.
One of the most common places to find water in a residential basement is in a puddle right next to the wall.
This is a floating slab or floating floor.
It depends on the exact situation.
Occasionally as the concrete settles the joint may widen causing leaks or serving as an entrance for insect infestations.
The gap in question was previously filled with either fiberboard or concrete crack sealant but enough of it has deteriorated to conceivably allow moisture in.
The door shown in the photos leads to the first floor of the house.
You see in the early stages of building a home the basement is constructed first excavated to the desired depth.
To remedy this issue i installed backer rod in the gap that i then covered with concrete crack sealant.
Why you can t just seal the gap between your basement floor and wall.
This will hopefully be the fix that keeps that wall of the sunroom nice and dry.
This gap is called a cove joint and the reason there is a gap between the wall and the floor is simply because of the way that the foundation of the home got poured.