# Basement Waterproofing Cost: What the Materials and the Method Run

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Publisher: SimplyWise, Inc. (https://www.simplywise.com)
Published: September 10, 2026
Updated: October 23, 2026
Category: Project Cost Guides
Summary: Basement waterproofing cost from published supplier and government sources: coating per gallon, sump pumps, drainage stone, excavation and wages.

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## Basement Waterproofing Cost: The Materials and the Method

Basement waterproofing cost splits on the method. Two coats on 400 to 1,200 square feet of wall run $258 to $1,382 in coating, before pump and labor. Digging from outside adds machine time and stone. SimplyWise Cost Estimator prices either scope from a photo.

At a glance

1. Two suppliers both posted $35.99 for a 1 gallon masonry waterproofer on September 10, 2026. The 5 gallon pail ran $161.32 to $215.99.
2. The maker publishes 75 to 100 square feet per gallon and a two coat minimum, so a gallon finishes 38 to 50 square feet of wall.
3. A one third horsepower submersible sump pump posted $112.99 to $174.99, a half horsepower cast iron unit $161.99 to $215.99.
4. Wisconsin paid $11.74 per cubic yard for common excavation in FY2025, $12.07 to $22.56 per ton for dense base aggregate.
5. Federal data puts laborers at $22.66 an hour median, plumbers at $30.67. Wages, not billing rates.

## Two methods, two cost structures

Interior work is a materials job. Clean the wall, patch it, roll on a masonry waterproofer, add a pit and pump so the water that still arrives has somewhere to go. Product and hours dominate the bill.

Exterior work is earthmoving. Expose the wall, coat it, set drain pipe in stone, put the yard back. Machine time, spoil handling, and everything you wrecked getting there dominate that bill.

That is why two basement waterproofing cost quotes on the same wall can describe different work. They are competing scopes, and the bid names which one on line one.

## What the coating adds to basement waterproofing cost

Two independent suppliers, read on September 10, 2026. Sutherlands posted a 1 gallon Drylok Original Basement and Masonry Waterproofer at $35.99. McCoy’s posted a 1 gallon Drylok masonry waterproofer at $35.99 too. The pails diverged: Sutherlands $169.99 for 5 gallons of Original, the same posted price at every branch checked, McCoy’s $161.32 for Original white and $215.99 for Extreme white.

United Gilsonite Laboratories, the maker, publishes coverage of 75 to 100 square feet per gallon and requires two coats minimum to warranty waterproofing. So a gallon finishes 38 to 50 square feet of wall, not 100.

## Basement waterproofing cost by wall area

Coating only, two coats, priced at the ends of the published 5 gallon pails: $32.26 to $43.20 a gallon.

| Wall area | Gallons, 2 coats | Coating cost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 400 sq ft | 8 to 11 | $258 to $475 |
| 600 sq ft | 12 to 16 | $387 to $691 |
| 800 sq ft | 16 to 22 | $516 to $950 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 20 to 27 | $645 to $1,166 |
| 1,200 sq ft | 24 to 32 | $774 to $1,382 |

Two retailers’ shelf prices on one day, and shelf prices move, so confirm at your counter. Prep, patching compound, brushes, the pump, and labor ride on top.

## Turn the wall into a signed quote

SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of the basement into an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.

## The pump, the stone, and the digging

Sump pumps posted in a band at Sutherlands, read September 10, 2026. A one third horsepower submersible ran $112.99 to $174.99, a half horsepower cast iron sump pump $161.99 to $215.99. Those units publish flow ratings of 3,300 to 5,100 gallons per hour. Which rating a basement needs is a hydrology question, and nobody honest sizes it off a blog table.

Drainage stone has a government price. Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation average unit price list, published October 21, 2025, put dense base aggregate at $12.07 to $22.56 per ton in FY2025. The US Geological Survey’s 2026 crushed stone summary puts the national average unit value at $18.50 per metric ton, or $16.78 per short ton, inside that band. Caveat: both describe dense graded base, not the washed rock a footing drain wants.

The same Wisconsin list prices common excavation at $11.74 per cubic yard in FY2025, against $14.47 in FY2023. That is machine work in open ground on a state highway contract. A hand dug perimeter against a finished house costs more, so treat it as a floor, not your unit price.

## Wages are not billing rates

The federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release for May 2025 puts construction laborers at $22.66 an hour median. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, who tie in the discharge line, sit at $30.67 median. Operating engineers, the excavator seat, sit at $28.78 median.

That is the worker’s pay. Burden, overhead, and margin are yours to add; our hourly rate breakdown by trade (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/) walks that gap.

## What a dehumidifier does and does not do

The Environmental Protection Agency advises keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50 percent. That is a mold and comfort target, and a dehumidifier hits it. It does not stop water entering through a wall, so keep it off the waterproofing line. A French drain and a pump swap are their own bids.

## Price a basement waterproofing job in this order

1. Name the method before you name a number Interior seal, exterior dig, or both.
2. Measure the wall, then halve the coverage Two coats, so use 38 to 50 square feet per gallon, not the single coat number.
3. Price the pump and the discharge separately Pit, pump, check valve, and the run to daylight.
4. Add restoration on exterior scopes Walkway, plantings, sod, spoil hauling.

## Keep reading

- How to Estimate Foundation Work: 2026 Guide (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/how-to-estimate-foundation-work/)
- Contractor Hourly Labor Rates by Trade (2026) (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/)
- Handyman Pricing: 6 Steps to Price Jobs for Profit (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/handyman-pricing-guide-maximum-profit/)
- Basement Finishing Cost (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/basement-finishing-cost/)

## Sources

- Sutherlands, Drylok Original (https://sutherlands.com/products/item/3432291/united-gilsonite-1-gallon-drylok-original-basement-and-masonry-waterproofer) and the 5 gallon pail (https://sutherlands.com/products/item/7905201/united-gilsonite-5-gallon-drylok-original-basement-and-masonry-waterproofer) (2026-09-10).
- McCoy’s Building Supply, Drylok (https://www.mccoys.com/shop/p/040542) (2026-09-10).
- United Gilsonite Laboratories (https://www.drylok.com/products/drylok-original-masonry-waterproofer) (coverage).
- Sutherlands, sump pumps (https://sutherlands.com/products/item/7724214/eco-flo-products-13-horsepower-3300-gph-cast-iron-sump-pump) (2026-09-10).
- Wisconsin DOT Average Unit Price List (https://wisconsindot.gov/hccidocs/contracting-info/average-unit-price.pdf) (10/21/2025).
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-stone-crushed.pdf) (crushed stone).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Table 1 (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm) (47-2061, 47-2152, 47-2073).
- US EPA, Mold, Moisture and Your Home (https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home).

## Common questions on basement waterproofing cost

**How much does basement waterproofing cost in materials?**

1,000 square feet of wall takes 20 to 27 gallons at two coats, which posted at $645 to $1,166 on September 10, 2026. Prep, pump, and labor ride on top.

**How much waterproofing paint do I need?**

The maker publishes 75 to 100 square feet per gallon at a two coat minimum, so plan 38 to 50 square feet of finished wall per gallon. Porous block eats the low end.

**What does a sump pump cost?**

At Sutherlands, read September 10, 2026, a one third horsepower submersible posted $112.99 to $174.99, a half horsepower cast iron unit $161.99 to $215.99. Pit, check valve, and discharge are separate.

**Is exterior waterproofing worth the extra money?**

It depends where the water enters. Exterior work prices by the cubic yard and the restoration, not the gallon, and Wisconsin’s $11.74 per cubic yard is an open ground floor.

**Does a dehumidifier lower basement waterproofing cost?**

No. The EPA target of 30 to 50 percent relative humidity is a mold and comfort goal, and a dehumidifier does not stop water moving through a wall.

**Can SimplyWise price a basement job from a photo?**

Yes. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds, with material, labor, and fee lines you can edit.

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