Damp basements are usually a symptom of a serious architectural or landscaping problem and you are probably better off getting a professional contractor to fix up the source of the problem. If the problem is due to faulty landscape architecture then a contractor may suggest a plan to resculpt it so that water is directed away from flowing into your basement.

Another thing that your contractor can do to properly repair basement leaks and cracks is to give it an injection of flexible urethane. This is like an insulation that is guaranteed to never let your wall link again ever.

Yet another problem is hydrostatic pressure. This is water that is trapped in your soil that becomes heavy and starts leaning on your basement walls. In this case you may have no choice but to dig up the soil on that side of your house and reinforce the walls as well as waterproof them from the side of the wall that faces outward. To repair basement leaks and cracks is pretty useless unless this type of heavy-duty operation is performed.

The reason it is so hard for an average Joe or Judy to figure out how to repair a damp basement is because it really is a foundation problem. The best you can do is find a superior crack repair product that is backed by a manufacturer's guarantee that your basement will never leak again. This is like heavy duty caulking that is smeared over the crack.

Another solution, especially if the problem is hydrostatic pressure or leaks that come from windows in the basement, is to install small angled troughs that take the water and lead it into a pipe or redirect it to your basement drain. This kind of installation can definitely help prevent water from pooling in different places in a basement. These types of systems are called water trek or aqua routing. They come with all kinds of options such as an emergency router that allows you to direct water where you want by manipulating the position of the troughs. This sort of mechanism can be really helpful if you live in a rainforest climate (like Vancouver) or if you are in a climate that is subject to flooding due to natural disasters (such as Florida.)

Yet another way to repair a wet basement is to relocate the central drain. Sometimes basements are wet because the floor is uneven and water that manages to work its way in simply has no way of rolling out of the way and down the drain.