How To Use Epoxy To Repair Your Home’s Foundation
Epoxy is nasty stuff. This industrial material smells bad, comes with a variety of different warning labels and needs to be used properly. You’ve probably seen epoxy at the hardware store and you may have even used it on different projects.
Toy modeling enthusiasts mix a mild epoxy to glue their models together. But the epoxy used for to repair your home’s foundation is the real deal. If used properly, it can stop leaky basement walls, keep the foundation intact and prevent future flooding.
The Product
Epoxy comes as two separate materials. You’ll see two tubes sitting in a package side-by-side. One of the tubes is the resin that flows into cracks easily. The other tube is the hardener, which hardens the resin in a short period of time. But the hardener will only harden when in contact with the resin. Until then, it is just a toxic industrial liquid.
Precautions
Anyone who has used epoxy knows that it smells terrible. But the smell is only half the worry. What you are inhaling is actually toxic, so it is a good idea to be in a well-ventilated area. You can use a painter’s mask or breathing mask as well. Rubber gloves can prevent the epoxy fusing to your skin, which comes with a very uncomfortable removal process. Protective eyewear can prevent you from tearing up and getting the toxic material in your eyes.
The Mix
Most epoxy today comes in easy-to-use cartridges inside mixing guns. These guns automate the mixing process and keep your hands off the material itself. But you can ensure the best mix by using clean equipment. A gun that has been used on previous projects may be gummed up with epoxy. And the only thing epoxy doesn’t flow well over is hardened epoxy. Otherwise, it is a good idea to follow all instructions.