hannah_perry•18d agoProlific Poster

Don't gamble on cheap seam tape for high-moisture basements

I had to choose between the $12 roll from the big box store and the $28 roll from my supplier last month on a wet basement job in Arlington. Went cheap to save a buck and three seams lifted within two days. Has anyone else found a seam tape that actually holds in damp conditions?

3 comments

3 Comments

eric_knight718d ago

Yeah the cheap tape is a total waste on wet basements no question. I learned that the hard way too after a crawl space job where I had to go back and redo all the seams because they were curling up after a week. The key thing is look for tape that's labeled for damp or submerged applications specifically, not just the standard poly seaming stuff. I switched to a brand called TapeMate that's a bit pricier but it has this rubberized backing that actually bonds to the plastic even when there's moisture trapped underneath. For high moisture basements you also need to make sure you're rolling it with a J roller and not just pressing with your hand, because that extra pressure really makes it stick. Another pro tip I picked up is to wait for a day when the humidity is lower if you can, because that extra moisture in the air messes with adhesion big time.

the_kim18d ago

Wow okay I'll be real, I was stubborn and always thought tape was tape, but you might have just convinced me to try that TapeMate stuff next time. That moisture in the air thing is something I never even considered, have you noticed a big difference picking the right day?

christopher94315d ago

Yeah the J roller tip is a good one, I forgot to mention that. I used to just press with my thumb and thought it was fine but then I borrowed a buddy's roller and holy cow what a difference it makes. That extra pressure is what gets the adhesive into the micro grooves of the plastic. And you're dead right about the humidity too, I had a few jobs where I put tape down on a muggy day and within 48 hours the edges were lifting. Now I just check the weather forecast and if it's over 60 percent humidity I postpone it. Another thing I've started doing is wiping down the plastic with a dry rag before taping, just to get any condensation off the surface. Makes a huge difference in how well it grabs.