Finishing the basement is a great home improvement project. Meanwhile, the basement remodeling investment and the family's health remain at risk. To stop occasional seepage, you may apply a waterproofing surface sealer on the walls, but it soon starts peeling and blistering exactly where the rainwater or efflorescence push in. You then get a de-watering channel system with a sump pump, but this does little for the floor. So, you install floor tiles, but they start peeling.
Dampness condenses on the walls.
To address the musty smell of molds, you buy a power-hungry dehumidifier, but it sucks in more moisture through the concrete and makes it more porous. To solve the increasing radon level, you get a fan radon mitigation system with an annoying hum at night. As a radical solution to the moisture problem, you invest in excavations and exterior re-coating of the walls. But water seepage through the floor and dampness problems continue. And you have to re-do some repairs every few years.