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7 BATHROOM WATERPROOFING MISTAKES
Most people agree, proper waterproofing is the most important element of an entire bathroom renovation
Poor waterproofing can easily lead to an ENTIRE bathroom renovation.
The single biggest cause of waterproofing failures is……
Workmanship. Poor workmanship accounts for 90% of all failures in waterproofing. Even though modern waterproofing techniques are far move advanced then they were 15 years ago, the waterproofing sealer is only as good as the applicator installing the product.
Most manufacturers specify the surface conditions and preparation required for the application of their waterproofing sealer.
These are the 7 biggest causes of faulty Waterproofing.
1 – Poor surface preparation and priming.
The waterproofing surface must be free of dirt and dust or the membrane will not bond properly, causing it to peel off. Many skip the priming step altogether to save a few hours and you find it hard to tall if priming has been applied.
2 – Poor application of waterproofing product.
Even the slightest spot missed can allow water through. The waterproofing membrane needs to be applied to every millimetre of the area with no render visible. The sealer also needs to extend beyond the wet area.
3 – Only applying 1 coat when 2 coats are needed.
This is probably the biggest shortcut take when it comes to waterproofing. Many think one coat is enough, when it just isn’t.
4 – Membrane failure.
Low-quality waterproofing can fail. Many opt for the lowest cost waterproofing, especially if you’re a one-time job.
5 – Insufficient drying time between screed an coats.
When tiling a bathroom, a new bed of “screed” (mixture of sand & cement) needs to be laid on the floor. The screed needs to dry before before any primer and waterproofing is applied because the moisture in the screed won’t allow the primer/membrane to bond. But the normal practice is many will waterproof the next day even if the screed hasn’t dried so they don’t lose a day of work.
6 – Poor design and construction.
Another common mistake, “Pooling” or insufficient drainage can occur because of a poor design such as having a walk-in shower where you shouldn’t or a drain being in a bad location.. Poor drainage can also occur if the tiles are too large for the area, the tiles should have been split or the tiler hasn’t allowed sufficient fall to the drain.
7 – Waterproofing not applied far enough into wet area.
If an effort to save time and money, contractor can stop the waterproofing membrane short of the wet area, allowing water to penetrate through getting behind the membrane.
Just one of these problems could result in your having to renovate you ENTIRE bathroom all over again! .
Imagine having to pay for you bathroom all over again, just because any of these mistake. You’ll be forced to remove all the tiles in the shower area which has a follow on effect on every part of the bathroom, replacing the W.C, sink, faucet, tap and so on.
The harsh reality is, you won’t really know if proper waterproofing job has done until months or years down the track.
So, before you consider letting anyone waterproof your bathroom, why not try a simple way to Do-It-Yourself with No Hacking Waterproofing Bathroom DIY Set? You will definitely do it carefully and take notice of every detail. After all, is your own bathroom. Trust yourself.