Fixing Others Mistakes Waterproofing & Slab Leveling [How To]

[@Michael-Makes-Stuff]

Wow… I don’t know what’s more impressive: your woodworking skills or your DIY physical labor skills. 😃 That looked… not fun. But as usual, you kicked butt. I love how you just attack the project physically and mentally. I’m so jealous of your creativity and ability to problem solve, so I always appreciate learning from you. Awesome job, as always! Thanks for making these videos. 👍🏼

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@mmmark61]

I keep watching your channel because you do so much thinking through the processes. Even with a "cheaper" fix you are very thorough. Thanks for sharing!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks! I tend to feel like i overthink things. And then when I edit these videos I always get mad because I think of better ways to do things.

[@adayco]

It’s funny how you actually read the directions/instructions for the products you utilize and actually follow them. It truly makes a difference in the end when you spend your money. What a great statement and I’ve paraphrased a bit, 18:30 but it’s nothing but the truth…. “When you post stuff on the internet & you think someone is not going to have a different opinion, you’re CRAZY!” I don’t have any different opinion on this and I believe this to be a fact. I respectfully concur and thanks for sharing Caitlyn.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

I was really hesitant to buy that self leveler. The first page of reviews on Lowes at least half of them are one star. Some of them are older reviews so idk maybe Quickrete changed the formula or the mixing instructions since then. But, I had no issues.

[@frbrable]

I was thinking the same thing. Some of us (ahem) have had to learn the hard way that minimum temperature specifications are there for a reason!

[@KyleBruns]

For the leveling, overall, I would say you did a good job. A few tips for those watching: 1. Never acid etch, residual chemicals can affect your primer/leveler. If you wash the floor after you will introduce excess water that can affect your primer/leveler 2. Angle grinding is a good move, you need to make sure that you have a surface that is defect and residue free and able to create a mechanical bond. 3. Always prime always, every single time. Primer handles a couple of tasks in the leveling process and you should Never skip it. Sika is a quality brand. 4. I wouldn't double prime, you can make a prime later too thick that can introduce microfractures in the pour. (exceptions for wood or gypcrete subfloor where you cut the 1st coat something like 3-1 with water) 6. Always watch your water ratios, engineered products are designed for a specific amount of water to attain their PSI. Over water makes a weak product. Your first pour looked a bit loose, the second looked about right. However, I trust you followed the instructions. 7. Cold water/temperature can slow your dry times, which is ok. Trying to dry it too quickly can lead to poor results. 8. I'm glad you solved your drainage/leaking problem before tacking the leveling as excess moisture or hydrostatic pressure can cause your leveler to fail.

[@oilfinder]

HEY, YOU did it ! A video showing how a master cabinet designer approaches a problem ! And the best is you swinging the sledge. I still wish you were running the country. Thank you and great work.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@benjaqsonworkshop9974]

Ooh, just my kind of project. Loved that you went to town on the asphalt (tarmac in the UK) and treated the cause as well as the effect. I've done plenty of self levelling cement fixes and never been let down by them. It's a shame you don't have a main drain to drop into but you've clearly done all you can reasonably do to fix the rainwater problem. It would be interesting to see how it works over time but your sealant fixes look spot-on. Nice to see how you address the problem you actually have rather than someone turning up with a pre-determined solution in the back of their van. Of course there were other options and I look forward to reading a comment about just raising the whole garage 6 inches...hahaha

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks! It rained all day yesterday and no water in the garage. So far so good.

[@MarcoACasco]

Awesome !!!! your work, your energy and your determination !!! Congrats !!!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@Tomhohenadel]

Perfect fix for the problem. I have used the leveller compound before, works great. I agree 100% with your solution.

[@danhunka6730]

Good afternoon H. B. excellent repair to your water situation. Always a pain when you have to correct something that you shouldn’t have had to do in the first place. But the plus side is that you tackled the situation yourself and the piece of mind knowing that the repair was done with the best possible expectation for success. Not by someone else with fingers crossed. As for opinions they are always a good source of information, but you seem to do just fine with your gut feeling. I liked how added the extra pieces of vertical trim up against the door on the outside, by furring it out to help seal out the air. Now you’ve given me an idea. Hahaha. Nicely done H. B. Enjoy your weekend and the coming week.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@jimmyjames3220]

You solved those issues at all angles, brilliant! I'll tend to overcomplicate sometimes and watching your approach was motivating. Thanks for sharing :)

[@sethhamilton5824]

Quick and dirty fixes are sometimes the right fixes. Looks good from here. The folks that put the asphalt down higher than the slab are the ones that started that whole chain of issues.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

I know, super odd decision making on that one.

[@troyqueen9503]

A lot of detail,but the aggravation of water in the shop every time it rains is something that you won’t have to worry about any longer. Thanks for the video.👍🏝️🇨🇦

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Agreed. It's also warmer in there now with the gap under the door.

[@johnt2442]

Good job. Reasonable fix for your situation. Yes , the driveway grade should be about 4" lower.

[@norm5785]

Wonderful fix. Thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful week.

[@DuncanEdwards.]

I would say you "nailed it" as a DIY type project for a non professional. Only thing I would add is a full floor screeding in a couple of years.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@xoxo2008oxox]

I recommend LEXEL available at Lowes, (a Sashco product who also make other great sealing products), for sealing from rain, etc. Its clear and won't yellow. Also, with PVC trim (e.g. Azek, etc), you can glue pieces together with PVC adhesive (think plumbing but without the purple cleaner/primer). And about PVC trim, since I am doing exterior trim, you need to give some gap as it does expand with temperatures. Great work!

[@northroadwoodwork8616]

Honey Bagder Earth Works. Nice fix. Creative problem solving as always. ✌️

[@t.e.1189]

Very very impressive! I was wondering how this all turned out. Your did a great job, as usual. Keep up the good work.

[@carlosc.8707]

Caitlin, you should not care about the criticism that may be given to you, you did a job and it worked, the rest is smoke, everything is learning with mistakes or successes, the topic worked and time will tell if something failed, from there we learned in life.¡¡¡¡😉👍💪

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@StepanPanchuk]

Молодець Натхнення терпіння і всіх благ ❤

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@rick91443]

A LOT of work. Had a bit of concrete work to do before winter myself; forgot how much fun it is(kidding OF COURSE.) Happy New Year...rr Normandy, Fra.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

As with all home improvement projects this turned into a much bigger and time consuming project then I originally anticipated.

[@itsjustmetomc4848]

That floor looks great! I think that it was a good fix for all your issues. Awesome job!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@hjazkiz]

You sure do nice work, and explain so clearly.

[@grahamstuart5293]

Impressive!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks.

[@henrysara7716]

Thank you Hb, very well resolve issue which must be done job before the heavy snow.

[@guyvangenechten6484]

Very nice work as always you are very talented!!!👌💯👍

[@elbarto152]

Very impressive. Well done!!

[@RDGham3028]

Warmer shop- priceless!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Yeah, this really helped with that winter time draft by the door.

[@dallascumming8750]

Hell of a good job (fix) in my opinion. :-)

[@MJLWoodWorks]

You are amazing! Nice job! Give us an update after the winter! I don't have the sinking slab issue but I too have to tighten up the seals in my garage here on Long Island. There's been a ton of rain this winter and we have escaped the snow. You just got hit a bit with snow this past sunday, right? Hope all is holding up!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

So much rain. Escaped unscathed with this last rain. We are getting another flood warning with the rain today. Will see how that goes. The ground is already so saturated at some point I wouldn’t be surprised if some water makes it way in. No snow here yet just lots and lots of rain

[@MJLWoodWorks]

@@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks yes, it’s going to start soon! My commute home from Queens is gonna be fun. My back yard is going to a swamp again. Good luck!

[@patrickperson1252]

quel courage pour travail difficile et physique .courage .Kathleen je vous souhaite une bonne et heureuse année et beaucoup de succès car vous le mérité .patrick

[@georgewilmore7599]

Awesome job! You should get several years out of that project. Should last your stay at that house. Maybe you’ll be able move to a non fixer upper on the next stop on your journey.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Most turn key houses on the markets are flips and I would never buy a flip.

[@petedazer3381]

Nicely done!

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Thanks!

[@andrewpinson1268]

Nice-Nice. One of my goals for today is to address a leak in my shop that I have been fighting for twenty years. Your detailed explanations of how you attacked yours - esp. the products shown - I will watch several times and use what I can. An edited video does not show how much a pain in the but this was for you to accomplish, so I am not looking forward to this. As I was mopping up yesterday and working through my list of curse words, it is now officially war.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

We are supposed to be getting a nice dump of rain later here so if it holds through that, I’ll be pretty happy. But, so far so good.

[@draztiqmeshaz6226]

You should come out to CO and work at a forever home here.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

I actually know quite a few people that moved to CO, everybody loves it.

[@draztiqmeshaz6226]

@@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks yeah if you can afford it. That's what I'm working on. Can pay these slum-suckers the rest of my life

[@dogwoodtales]

Nicely done - but I told you to buy more than you think you’ll need because you will … and you did😜 Spoken from experience 🙄

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Hahahaha I know! I was so close to getting that side done with one bucket I just couldn't help myself.

[@yvonboudreau3932]

The one positive thing about fixing other people's mistakes is you learn how not to do something by seeing how they did and why it failed.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

I don't disagree with this in some circumstances. But, most times I am tasked with fixing something it is because of laziness and bad craft. So no lessons to be learned in those situations.

[@jeffreyjennings1640]

What I don't understand is why someone put in the driveway and didn't make it flush with the garage floor. If the garage was being used for your car then driving over that uneven part would get a bit annoying. It amazes me that someone does stuff like that and they step back and think "Yeah, that looks good", then we as homeowners get to spend more money to fix their problems. Sorry you had to go through all that but it's done and no more water in the shop so you win.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

I know, I wouldn’t mind getting the back story to that because that really created about 70% of the issue. The previous owners had quite a bit of stuff in the garage so I don’t think they used it for vehicles. Could have been they went with someone cheaper/ didn’t want to spend the money to do it right. but, also not realizing issues it would cause.

[@Doug_Seidlitz]

It is so annoying fixing other peoples shoddy work. I'm sure you had a long list of other ways to spend that time.

[@HoneyBadgerWoodWorks]

Yeah, the catalyst to this whole project was wanting to finish that side wall and make some more storage. That got put on hold because this ended up being so time consuming. But, it is what it is.