Water can be a really good thing if you are thirsty or want a shower. It is less good when it is leaking into your basement. There, water can wreak havoc on your belongings and your foundation. You need to make sure that your basement is waterproofed, keeping the water on the outside of your house where it belongs. The best way to do that is to call in a contractor and have them look at your basement. They will be able to give you some options as to how they can waterproof your basement and keep water from getting into it. The contractor may suggest that you use a combination of methods for the best result.
Sealant
One thing that the contractor may suggest is to put a sealant on your walls. The sealant itself is pretty easy to use. To put it on your walls, you paint it on with a brush, just like paint. Generally, it takes two thick layers in order to completely seal up all the little holes and pores in your wall. Before the sealant gets applied, your walls are going to have to be down to the bare masonry. That means that any paint is going to need to be stripped off and the cement cleaned. It will take some time to do that, but it will be worth it in the end, because you are going to the best possible results.
Find Water Sources
The contractor is also going to look to see if they can pinpoint what may be letting the water into your basement. It could be that your gutter's downspout is too close to your foundation, so when it rains and water comes down the downspout, it ends up going into your basement. The easy way to fix this is to use an extender that can be placed on the end of the pipe. The extender will route the water so that it empties out further away from your house. Rerouting the water will help get rid of one water source. Used in combination with sealants on the inside of your house and membranes on the outside, your basement should be waterproof.
If you are worried about the amount of water you might be seeing in your basement, you may want to call a contractor who deals with basement waterproofing. They will come out to your house, look the situation over, and give you some suggestions as to what will work for your house.