Groundwater finds its way into basements through foundation walls that have no membrane or a failed one. Laval Concrete digs to the footing, installs a bonded exterior membrane, adds drainage board and new weeping tile, then backfills with stone that channels water away from the wall. The result is a dry basement that stays dry. We handle new pours before backfill and retrofit existing foundations with active leaks. Every project includes a free written estimate.
Paint and interior sealers address the leak where you see it, not where it starts. The water is still pressing against the outside of the foundation wall, still saturating the concrete, still freezing and thawing through the winter. The wall keeps deteriorating while the homeowner thinks the problem is solved.
Exterior waterproofing works because it stops the water before it reaches the wall. The membrane is applied to the outside of the foundation from footing to grade, covered with drainage board, backed by new weeping tile bedded in clean stone, and the whole system is designed to shed groundwater down to the tile instead of letting it stand against the concrete.
This is the same approach we use on every new foundation pour before backfill, and it is what we install when retrofitting a basement that has started leaking. Combine it with foundation crack repair when the wall has structural damage.
Recent work
The waterproofing sequence
How Basement Waterproofing Gets Done in Laval
Assess the wet wall
We identify which walls are leaking, check the grade and gutter system above, and determine whether the weeping tile is clogged, failed, or never installed. This tells us what the real cause is.
Excavate to the footing
We dig down to the footing on the affected wall sections, expose the foundation, remove old coatings and any deteriorated waterproofing, and inspect the concrete before the new system goes on.
Install the membrane
A bonded waterproofing membrane is applied to the cleaned wall from footing to grade, drainage board is placed over it, and the wall is allowed to cure before backfill begins.
Restore drainage and grade
New weeping tile is laid at the footing in clean drainage stone, the trench is backfilled with stone over the tile, the grade is restored, and downspouts are extended away from the wall.
When interior work fails
Wet Basements Need Exterior Solutions
Many homeowners have already tried interior sealers or epoxy coatings before calling us. The paint flakes, efflorescence returns, and the wall is still damp. The reason is simple: the water is still on the outside, still pressing against the foundation, and no interior coating can stop that.
Interior vs exterior, weeping tile, partial waterproofing and how long the fix lasts.
Because the water is on the outside of the wall. Interior sealer paints over the symptom; the foundation behind it is still saturated and still freezing and thawing, which keeps working the wall apart. Exterior waterproofing stops the water from ever reaching the wall.
On almost every job, yes. If we are excavated down to the footing for waterproofing, replacing or installing weeping tile then is the right call. Bedding it in clean stone and tying it to the drainage system finishes the system.
Yes, if the leak is localised to one wall or one corner, we can excavate and waterproof that section only. We will be honest in the assessment about whether the rest of the wall is likely to fail next.
It seals over them from the outside, but a structural crack still needs crack repair on its own. The two services often go together, and we sequence them so the crack is properly addressed before the membrane covers it.
A properly installed exterior membrane with drainage board and new weeping tile is a decades-long fix. We use the same systems on new installations that are designed for the full life of the building.
Homeowner reviews
What Laval Homeowners Say About Their Waterproofing Jobs
Two interior sealer jobs failed before we called Laval Concrete. They went to the outside, did it right, and the basement has been dry through two springs since.
B. G.
Laval
★★★★★
Excavated one wall, replaced the weeping tile, put on a proper membrane, restored the landscaping cleanly. Wall is dry, yard looks like nothing happened.
J. P.
Montreal
★★★★★
Honest that the leak was just one corner and we did not need to do the whole foundation. Saved us a lot. Corner has stayed dry through the rain we had since.
E. L.
Terrebonne
★★★★★
Big excavation, big mess on day one, but they put the yard back together by the end and the basement is bone dry. Worth doing once and properly.
O. N.
Longueuil
From the blog
Concrete Guides & Articles
Practical reading on planning, finishes and caring for concrete in Laval.
Tell us which basement walls are wet, when the leak started, and what has been tried before. We will assess the foundation free and provide a written quote for the waterproofing work.
