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Solutions
to common homeowner complaints
Question: I have this water stain
on the inside of my basement walls. It seems to be the heaviest
at the corners and not as bad on the rest of the walls.
I've painted the inside of the walls with a water sealing
paint but it seems to be flaking the paint off. What can
I do to stop this problem from happening once and for all?
D-M., Hilton
Answer: What you are describing
is very common in many basements in homes - water penetration,
staining of the walls and peeling or flaking paint on the
interior wall surfaces. First you must determine how or
where the source of water is. The most common reason for
moist or wet basements is missing rain gutters or a poorly
maintained gutter system. Make sure the rain gutters are
clean and downspouts are diverted at least five to seven
feet away from the house foundation. Also the soil or grading
directly around the exterior of the house should slope away
from the foundation. This is called a positive slope and
prevents pooling of rainwater along the foundation and moisture
seepage into the, basement. The flaking paint on the interior
of the basement walls indicates that the water problem still
exists and exterior maintenance needs to be done- If you
locate the areas on the inside of the basement walls that
are having the most problems, most likely directly on the
exterior side will be one of these problems.
Question: We own a house that is
about 7 years old. On the walls and ceilings we are noticing
that there are small round indents approximately .25 inch
in diameter. They were never there before and only started
appearing in the last couple of years. What is this from?
M.I.R., Ogden
Answer: The indents you are describing
are what are known as "nail pops." This is caused by shrinking
and drying of the lumber used to build the house. When wood
framing members behind the drywall are moist or wet, when
they dry they shrink causing the drywall compound covering
the nail heads and nails to shift. The solution for this
is to install a drywall screw on either side of the pop
into the framing member and resetting the popped nail. Finish
the screw heads with drywall compound, sand, prime and paint.
Provided by Fritz Gunther of Gunther
Home Inspections, Inc., Manitou Road. Spencerport.
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