How to seal a concrete slab?

Question

Heya,

About to lay some vinyl flooring down after tearing out the carpet in our new home’s basement garage. Noticed there was moisture seeping in through the slab joins and wondered what the best product is to seal the whole floor before applying my adhesive and vinyl tiles?

Thanks!

EricL · Answer

Hello @ryank

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your flooring.

Generally speaking, when a residential slab is poured it will often have a moisture barrier. This barrier is what prevents water and moisture from flowing up to the top of the slab. It's possible that water has entered through another section of the slab, it's also possible that the moisture barrier has failed somehow.

Placing a barrier or sealer on the surface of the slab is possible, however, the water coming up will now go sideways and will flow through the areas of least resistance. Failing that, the water will begin to gather into the very substrate of the slab and begin to damage it.

In this particular situation, I suggest engaging the services of a floor sealing specialist. They will have the knowledge, specialist products and waterproofing mortar solutions that can be applied to the surface of your slab. This ensures the flooring is sealed correctly and remains compliant from both an insurance and future resale perspective.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric