Not all basement slabs are alike. A Monolithic slab is characterized by a foundation where the concrete and reinforcement of the slab floor and footings are connected. Essentially, the slab and footings can be categorized as one single structure. Whereas a floating slab is characterized by a concrete slab floor or slabs that are not connected to the foundation footer beams or walls.
Different slab types require different approaches. If your basement has a monolithic slab, it’s almost always critical that you keep it intact, whereas floating slab floors do fine with concrete breakout.
Warning – Do Not Break Your Monolithic Slab!
The structural integrity of your home should be of the utmost importance to any contractor working near or around your foundation. When your home is built with a monolithic basement slab the floor is a structural element. If you break the floor of a monolithic basement you could significantly impact the long-term performance of your foundation, transforming a water problem into a serious structural nightmare.
If your basement has a monolithic slab make sure you use the right structural repair solution. Olshan uses an effective method to groove the slab, keeping it in one solid piece, leaving the foundation unharmed.
Monolithic Slab Repair & Waterproofing Using the Baseboard Water Channel
Designed uniquely for monolithic slab basement foundations, Olshan uses the innovative Baseboard Water Channel system to address monolithic slab repair without compromising the structural integrity of the home.
Baseboard Water Channel Features
- Basement floor is not broken or separated
- Baseboard Water Channel installed on the interior basement wall/s with 3/4” grooves without compromising the structure
- Baseboard Water Channel includes durable silicone, a moisture resistant bonding agent and weephole
- Groove discharges water and seepage out and away from the basement
- Groove is custom fit to the unique layout of your basement floor
- Installed with 1/8″ slope every 10′
- Flush port included, ensuring peak performance
- Can be installed with or without a sump pump or gravity drain, depending on the construction of your home
- Wall Shield upgrade available
- Basement can be finished around system
Benefits of Baseboard Water Channel
- Non-destructive solution for homes with monolithic basement slabs
- Maintains structural integrity
- Improves indoor air quality
- Limits standing water
- Offers superior performance and reliability when compared to standard waterproofing systems
- Fast and affordable
Installation Process
- The team sets up and protects the work site
- The high & low points of the foundation are determined
- Optional sump pump or gravity drain system is installed
- A 1/4″ channel off the wall, 3/4″ deep & wide is carefully created
- Bonding agent is applied
- System is customized to fit the contours of the space
- Optional Wall Shield is installed
- Clean-up and system optimization