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Expert Answers
Why do I have Wet Grout in My Basement?
QUESTION
Why do I have wet Grout in My Basement? Hello, My basement ceramic tile floor grout sometimes looks and feels wet after a rain. Doesn't happen all the time. There are no puddles. Walls are all dry. We were affected by Hurricane Sandy taking in about 5 feet of water. Contractor said floors were fine. We are reluctant to move forward with our ongoing renovations until we have this issue checked out.ANSWER
ANSWER - The wet grout is likely caused by moisture migrating from beneath, or from the sides of, the concrete slab of your basement. The rain would cause the surrounding soil to become wet and then the water could be migrating into the concrete slab. Moisture takes the path of least resistance, just as electricity, so for whatever reason, the spots where the moisture shows up, those underlying conditions attracts the moisture to travel to those spots so it can more readily evaporate. It is the evaporation of the moisture that drives water to those spots. Possibly there is no vapor retarder under your slab or there are breaches within the vapor retarder that are allowing moisture to enter.There should be vapor retarders under the slabs and up the sides where it is in contact with the soil so water can't migrate into it. To remediate these problems, you can install a trench drain surrounding the slab so any moisture will enter into it and evacuate into your drainage piping. In some cases you can use special epoxy coatings over the concrete floor surface prior to installing new tile or finishes to keep the moisture from migrate up through the floor.
