Unfortunately, many older homes have basement floors where the brick was installed directly on ground soil in order to cut down on the spread of mud. Depending on the environment, and the level of the water table, these flooring installations will often be subject to water penetration and damage, as well as the growth of mold which can cause a health hazard for the entire home.
Condensation in Basement Brick Floors
Moisture damage from condensation is the least common and easiest to fix problem when it comes to a brick basement floor. It occurs mostly in humid environments, where the air is heavy with water that transmits down through the surface of the flooring material. In order to determine whether the moisture is coming from the air above or the ground below, tape a piece of tinfoil to the surface of any areas that commonly become damp. Then leave it for a day or two. When you return, if moisture has accumulated on the top of the foil, you know you have a condensation problem. The easiest solution to deal with this is to get a dehumidifier for the basement. Ideally, you will want one that pours water out directly into an existing drain. In very humid environments or large basements, you may want to get multiple dehumidifiers. Leaving a shop fan running in the space will also speed drying and help to keep the air circulated.
Runoff Moisture Damage
Runoff occurs when water from rain or melting ice penetrates the porous soil around a home. Over time it can move through the hard-packed dirt beneath a building’s foundation and, through the power of both hydrostatic pressure and the capillary effect, make its way up to penetrate the brick flooring in your basement from below. If a proper vapor barrier was not installed underneath a brick floor in the basement then the best way to handle runoff water problems is to try and divert the liquids away from the home:
The Water Table
Most basement floors are built below grade, which means that they are under the natural level that water exists in that environment. When a brick floor is installed in a below-grade area, moisture will move through the soil surrounding it and below it, pushed by hydrostatic pressure, forced up and through and into cracks that exist around the foundation, and ultimately up into your brick basement floor. Unfortunately, if your brick floor was not installed with a proper vapor barrier layer and treated with a waterproofing solution on its bottom and sides, then there is no easy solution for this problem. A sump pump can help to drain excess water but it will not keep the brick flooring dry or free of mold.
