How Cellar Tanking Can Increase Your Living Space

Every one of us could do with more living space in our home. A practical, cost-effective way to increase space in a residential property is by tanking a cellar or basement. Lots of properties, especially a high proportion in London and other major cities, currently have an unused basement that is simply uninhabitable. 

But, basements and cellars have a huge amount of potential; they can be converted and transformed into functional, practical spaces in your home – giving you a new room for many purposes. You might use it as a new living room, bedroom or storage area; there are numerous possibilities available. 

In this post, the Kenwood PLC team will take you through everything you need to know about cellar tanking including what it is, the benefits and how it’s achieved. Have a read to find out more, and if you’d like to enquire about cellar tanking in London – please contact our specialists via the details below.

What is Cellar or Basement Tanking?

In essence, cellar tanking, also commonly referred to as basement tanking, is the process in which a liquid waterproof coating known as tanking slurry is applied to the walls and floor in a cellar. Cellar tanking is typically used for the treatment of damp walls, as it prevents water ingress and makes the walls robustly watertight. 

As the walls are below ground in a cellar, damp walls can become a common problem. Water from the earth can travel through the walls and directly into the cellar. This can create damp walls which are cold, and as a result, you can experience issues with condensation and potentially mould too. 

Tanking a cellar is designed to deal with damp walls, with the slurry being applied directly to them. Overall, the aim of tanking is to simply protect your property from potential ground water damage in below ground areas. 

Why Tank Your Cellar?

An unused cellar is adding nothing to your property; however, when you tank your cellar, you’ll be making the area usable again. Tanking will make your cellar waterproof, and this will give you peace of mind that all of your belongings will be protected from dampness in the future. If you want to use your cellar as an additional space – then tanking is the right solution for you. 

It sets up the right conditions for a cellar conversion, and reduces the likelihood of you or anyone else living in your property being exposed to health dangers from damp and mouldy conditions. Ultimately, it makes the space much safer and more liveable. Even if you don’t intend to use your cellar as a new space, just having it professionally tanked by a specialist company will add value to your property. It will make your home more attractive to potential buyers, as it gives them another opportunity for future development and expansion should they decide to buy your property.

How Does Tanking Work?

The first step in tanking a cellar is preparing the existing walls to remove loose material and old plasters. The walls and floors need to be perfected to provide a solid surface that can receive waterproofing. Following this, tanking is then performed by applying a waterproof cement to the walls and floors until a finished barrier is provided. 

As an alternative, waterproof membranes can be installed. It is straightforward to apply sheet membranes, but with this, drains, sumps and pumps will be needed to discharge water from behind the membrane. After the damp treatment has been carried out, the walls can be replastered – although the way that this is done is dependent on the method of cellar tanking system used.

Professional Cellar Tanking Solutions

Here at Kenwood PLC, we provide first-class cellar tanking and waterproofing treatments for both domestic and commercial properties. Our specialists offer a comprehensive range of treatments to suit our clients’ unique needs and requirements. We provide structural waterproofing treatments, which are fully guaranteed and a top method for maintaining and using below ground spaces. 

If you would like to convert your cellar into a new living room, office, bathroom or something else, then our cellar tanking service can help you reach this goal. To learn more about our different solutions and the cellar tanking cost, please reach out to our team today. Kenwood PLC has more than three decades of experience in cellar and basement tanking – working with customers in homes in London and other cities in the UK. We attend thousands of properties every single year. 

You can drop us a message via our website, and our team will be in touch with you shortly. We can give you a personalised quote for our cellar tanking and also arrange for one of our surveyors to come to your property and oversee an initial report and competitive quote.