Press Release: ISONEM Sierra Leone Begins Officially
April 10, 2021
What Causes Wall Damping?
September 14, 2022

5 Important Things to Know About Building Foundations

There are five important things to know about building foundations.

In a nutshell, new builders or people without experience in construction can be exposed to lots of mistakes that haunt them in the future. You may not necessarily be the one to build your new home, office apartment, or other structures but a good knowledge of what the building process entails helps you oversee the project and make an informed decision. Let’s talk about the 5 important Things to Know About Building Foundations

Important Things to Know About Building Foundations

Important Things to Know About Building Foundations

1. DETERMINE THE SOIL

The soil on which you intend to build matters a lot. Certain soil is more stable than others. It is very important to analyze the soil before the building project commences. Depending on your kind of soil, you may need a very different kind of foundation.

2. HIGH FOUNDATION

A lot of future disasters can be averted from the foundation. Like every other thing in life, once a mistake is made from the foundation of a building, correcting it would be very expensive and time tasking. Ensure that your foundation is high as low foundation makes it easy for capillary actions to occur.

3. WATERPROOF THE FOUNDATION

Do not take this for granted, it is the reason for this article. Prevent moisture from rising through the foundation so that it doesn’t haunt you in the future. While there are so many professional things to do at the foundation stage, one of them includes waterproofing the foundation with a very high-quality waterproofing material.

Some builders who are trying to escape cost use nylon to waterproof the foundation but this isn’t usually effective. Products like ISONEM MD28 and ISONEM M35 can effectively waterproof your foundation.

You may be wondering the difference between ISONEM MD28 and ISONEM M35. M35 is a single component product that can be diluted with water while MD28 must be mixed with its solvent. However, both of them are cement-based materials that can effectively waterproof your foundation. After waterproofing the foundation, you can also use a perforated pipe that is laid around the foundation to help drain water away.

MD28 and M35 are very effective because they gradually soak into the concrete floor and settles on the base of the structure. This means that it waterproof the top and the bottom of the foundation.

ISONEM MD 28 (Flexible Waterproofing Compound)

ISONEM MD 28 – Flexible Waterproofing Compound is a cement-based, two-component, crack bridging capacity and walk-able, an insulating product having high abrasion resistance.

4. LET IT DRY

It is very important to let your foundation dry after the whole process. A foundation faces pressure from the earth’s magnetic pull plus the weight of the building against it. When you go ahead to start building upon a foundation that has not properly dried, unprintable things may happen to your building putting your life, the lives of the occupants, and the life of those living around the building at risk.

Depending on the materials you used, the concrete may require to cure for at least seven days before building on it. Allowing your foundation to dry also helps you take time to access what you have done so far and if everything is in order.

5. INVOLVE PROFESSIONALS

Don’t joke with your foundation. It is important to involve a professional to assess the foundation. Most times, just because people are trying to save money, they cut a lot of corners and make heavy mistakes that will cause disaster in the future. Remember, it is better to prevent a problem than cure a problem.

We hope that these tips on Important Things to Know About Building Foundations are insightful. At ISONEM Nigeria, we offer free consultation to builders in Nigeria and also make good recommendations for the best products that can meet specific needs. You can contact us.