A Vapor Barrier Keeps Wall Moisture Out of Your Finished Basement

Basement Vapor Barriers: how it works and when it's the right call.

Epp Foundation Repair measures the foundation wall and cuts vapor barrier sheeting to match its height before installation begins. Each sheet is attached to the wall and overlapped with the next by several inches to remove gaps at the seams, then every seam and edge is sealed. Once the barrier is in place, insulation and drywall or wall paneling can be installed over it as part of a basement finishing project. The vapor barrier keeps moisture vapor moving through the concrete from reaching those finished materials, which protects them from mold growth and helps keep the room comfortable. On its own, a vapor barrier only manages vapor. It does not stop active seepage at the cove joint or a wall crack, and it will not relieve the hydrostatic pressure building in saturated soil outside the wall. For that reason, Epp Foundation Repair evaluates every basement for active water first. Where seepage or a high water table is part of the picture, an interior or exterior drain tile system is installed to collect that water and route it to a sump pit and pump before the vapor barrier goes up. Installing a full basement waterproofing system, including drain tile, in an existing home is a larger project, since it typically requires breaking up part of the basement floor along the perimeter to run the drainage pipe. A vapor barrier installed alone, without addressing an active water source, is a much smaller project, but Epp Foundation Repair will say so plainly when that scope is not enough to solve what the basement is actually dealing with.