Wet-Area Waterproofing

A leak from a bathroom or kitchen into the floor below is one of the most disruptive problems a property owner can face. The ceiling below is stained, the plaster is bubbling, and in the worst cases the water is running along the electrical conduits or the light fittings. The leak is almost never where you think it is — it is usually not the pipe, but the waterproofing under the tiles that has failed, or the waterproofing that was never installed in the first place.

When a bathroom is tiled directly onto the screed without a waterproofing membrane, the water that sits on the tiles and in the grout will eventually find its way through the joints and into the screed. From there it runs along the screed, under the walls, and down into the floor below — often appearing in a completely different room from the one where the water is being used. Grout and silicone are not waterproofing; they are a cosmetic finish, and they will fail.

Our wet-area waterproofing system is installed before the tiling, and it covers the entire floor, the upstands, and the walls in the shower area. We use a liquid-applied membrane that is painted onto the substrate in two coats, with a reinforcing fabric at the corners and the internal angles where the membrane is most likely to crack. The membrane is carried up the walls to the height of the shower, and it is detailed at the floor drain, the pipe penetrations, and the threshold of the room.

We also check the drainage. A shower that is not falling correctly to the drain will hold water on the floor, and that water will eventually find its way through the grout and the membrane. We correct the falls, we check the drain connection, and we make sure the waterproofing is properly connected to the drain so there is no path for the water to escape.

The result is a bathroom or kitchen that is genuinely waterproof, not just tiled. The membrane is tested before the tiling goes down, the work is documented, and you have a written specification of the system that was installed. If the room is ever re-tiled, the waterproofing is already there — and if it is not, we will tell you before you spend money on tiles that will be pulled up again.