Description
Block walls weep because they’re built to. CMU is an affordable material precisely because it uses less cement — which leaves wide interstitial gaps that drink groundwater and hand it to your basement. Sealers alone can’t fix it: Bone Dry sealers work by reacting with alkali, and pervious block doesn’t carry enough to feed the reaction. The Bone Dry Block Wall system solves it in two steps — Block Wall supplies the alkali, and Original or Plus reacts with it to form a permanent moisture seal inside the block itself.
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Below-grade block wall in section: where the barrier forms
Soil and hydrostatic water press against the hollow cores of a below-grade CMU wall. Bone Dry Block Wall is applied from the inside and penetrates deep into the block; in the Block Wall + sealer zone, alkali is deposited, reacted, and sealed — the barrier forms inside the block, before water ever reaches the room, keeping the finished basement dry.
Chemistry that needs a partner
Bone Dry Block Wall is a colorless, non-toxic, water-based blend of inorganic suspended solids. Sprayed on the interior face, it penetrates deep into the block, filling hairline cracks, small voids, and the interstitial spaces between matrix particles — and depositing the alkali the sealer needs. Then Bone Dry Original or Plus goes on while Block Wall is still damp, reacts with those deposits, and fills every small space in the substrate to form a permanent water barrier. The wall stays a wall; the barrier lives inside it.
The system
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1 — Bone Dry Block Wall | Penetrates deep; fills gaps, cracks, and voids; deposits the alkali the sealer needs |
| 2 — Original or Plus Sealer | Reacts with the Block Wall deposits — permanent moisture seal in the block. Choose Plus for antimicrobial protection in mold-prone basements. |
Why block needs Block Wall
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Free alkali: what the sealer reacts with
Bone Dry sealers react with free alkali in the substrate. Poured concrete carries enough for the sealer to react fully; a pervious CMU block wall runs short and can’t fully react on its own. Block treated with Block Wall tops up the alkali for a permanent seal. (Qualitative.)
| Poured concrete | CMU block wall | |
|---|---|---|
| Free alkali | Plenty — sealer reacts fully | Runs short — needs Block Wall |
| Porosity | Fine capillaries | Wide interstitial gaps |
| Sealer alone | Works as designed | Not enough — always prime first |
| The system | Sealer | Block Wall + sealer |
Which surfaces need Block Wall?
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The pervious three: always prime first
Concrete block, shotcrete, and gunite are extremely porous — always prime before sealing.
| Your surface | Use |
|---|---|
| CMU block wall, Shotcrete, Gunite, or extremely porous concrete | Bone Dry Block Wall + Original or Plus |
| Standard poured concrete slab or wall | Original, Plus, or Pro — no primer needed |
| Painted block (latex, acrylic, polyvinyl) | Strip the paint first — Block Wall can’t penetrate it |
Application
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Application: built like a wall, bottom up
- Prep & mist — unpainted and clean; dampen with a fine water mist.
- Prime ×2 — saturate with 2 coats at 80–150 SF per gallon depending on porosity.
- Seal while damp — apply Original or Plus once Block Wall reaches damp.
Result: waterproof — a permanent barrier deep in the block.
Good to know: dampen the wall first with a fine water mist — damp, not saturated — then saturate with Block Wall from a hand-pumped garden sprayer, two full coats at roughly 80–150 square feet per gallon depending on porosity. Use it at full strength only. Time the sealer to Block Wall: apply Original or Plus when Block Wall reaches a damp condition. If over-application leaves white deposits, brush or flush them off with water before the next Bone Dry coat — accidental over-application won’t discolor the wall. Keep the surface above 45°F, and shield vegetation and adjacent finishes from overspray outdoors.
Technical data — Bone Dry Block Wall
| Appearance | Colorless — will not discolor the surface |
| Chemistry | Water-based inorganic suspended solids; no organics, no heavy metals |
| Safety | Non-toxic; non-flammable; no harmful fumes; negligible odor |
| pH / solids / SG | pH 9.0 · 5.1% total solids · specific gravity 1.045 |
| Coverage | ~80–150 sq ft per gallon, by substrate porosity |
| Coats on CMU | 2, fully saturating — hand-pumped garden sprayer |
| Sealer timing | Apply Original or Plus while Block Wall is damp |
| Dilution | None — full strength only |
| Minimum temperature | 45°F surface; do not store or apply frozen |
| Substrates | Cement-based materials only — not asphalt, metal, wood, or clay brick; not over latex-binder mortar |
Damp block basement? Weeping foundation wall? Send us the wall square footage and we’ll size Block Wall and the sealer together as one system. Call 262-694-9748 or email [email protected].
















