Hawke’s Bay Area – The Pictures Tell The Story!

Wet-seal’s Hawke’s Bay Franchisee – Shayne Annan, was asked by another Tiler/Waterproofer to install a Newline Tray & waterproof it for him.  Having not previously installed & waterproofed a Newline Tray, the Tiler wasn’t confident he could complete the job correctly himself.

Shayne (from Wet-seal) met with the Tiler (who had installed his own waterproofing up until now) at the job site, & discussed with the Tiler as to what needed to be done.

During the site visit, Shane & the Tiler viewed the ensuite which the Tiler had already waterproofed, & Shayne asked the Tiler, if the ensuite was ready for tiling.

The reason Shayne questioned if it was ready was because, if you look closely at the below orange membrane pics (of the Tilers waterproofing), you will see it contains a number of pin holes.

This workmanship is from a Tiler who has been around for a number of years, so he was doing what he had always done.

After Shayne had explained to the Tiler the process he was going to use to waterproof the job, the Tiler asked Shayne to complete the installation of the Newline Tray & also the waterproofing of it.

The Tiler inspected Shayne’s work & was absolutely dumbfounded at the quality of the finished product & workmanship & has now asked if Shayne will do all of his waterproofing in the future.

Any pin holes in the waterproofing present points for water to escape & not detailing onto or into the waste also creates another point water can escape.

These water escape points can cause slow leaks that typically over a 3 to 4 year period, can cause damage to the substrates & leak out of the shower, in turn costing thousands of dollars for remedial work to correct the issue.

The key to a Builder or Tilers longevity (or a waterproofers!) in the industry is their reputation.  Leaks over a number of years undermine a hard-earned reputation & spread negative word of mouth amongst previous clients.  They are much more likely to tell people their bad news story which impacts you & your company’s reputation – not something any of us want.

Below are the before & after images of the job.

For any other advice of a technical nature, including system specifications, Wet-seal’s highly experienced technical team will be happy to take your call.  Wet-seal’s Technical Team can be contacted on 0800 436 000 or via email at technical@wet-seal.ws

Alternatively, please speak with your local Franchisee directly.  Details of how to contact your local Franchisee can be found at Find A Franchisee

Substrate preparation is paramount to the success of any waterproofing project and with up to 80% of all building defects associated with waterproofing, it pays to get the preparation right.  Waterproofing is only as strong as the weakest point of the substrate and that is why it’s so crucial during the preparation process to identify those weak links and avoid membrane failure.

The five Ps; proper preparation prevents poor performance is a simple yet effective formula, but not all practitioners take the time to get the preparation done right.  Following are some of the key areas that need careful attention on every waterproofing job.  Do it right, do it once!

Laitance

Laitance is a powdery layer often seen in concrete substrates that have been over watered, over vibrated, over worked or rain effected.   Laitance should be removed by mechanical means such as grinding or shot blasting.  It is essential to remove laitance because waterproofing requires a stable uniform concrete finish to accept coatings.  Check for laitance by scraping the surface with a sharp object.

Curing compounds

Curing compounds are sometimes used to slow down the evaporation process in fresh concrete however, can become the catalyst for coating failure if not removed.  Waterproofing over curing compounds will lead to adhesion failure, due to not forming a solid bond between the concrete and the waterproofing coating.  Check for curing compounds by performing the water-bead test.

Cracks 

Shrinkage during the concrete drying process can cause cracks that can remain active with the changing seasons.  Cracks should always be treated with a low viscosity injection compound or with bond breakers such as tape or silicone.  It’s good practice to reinforce the membrane with fabric over any cracks.  Failure to treat the crack can result in the membrane fracturing over the crack and then water can breach the membrane.  The best way to expose cracks is to vacuum not sweep the concrete substrate.

Moisture

Before commencing any waterproofing project, a moisture reading must be taken to determine what level of moisture is present.  High levels of moisture require proper treatment such as applying a moisture vapour barrier to prevent blistering of the coatings.  Two-part water-based epoxies can be used and are excellent in preventing water vapour issues.

Priming

The definition of priming in Australian Standards is good practice, yet is overlooked by most people.  Priming promotes adhesion of membrane coatings, suppresses the dust particles and consolidates the substrate, and helps for better and uniform curing of the membrane.

Wet-seal Franchisees are experts in addressing the preparation that is essential to successful waterproofing and are available to assist you to get the job done right the first time!  For any other advice of a technical nature, including system specifications, Wet-seal’s highly experienced technical team will be happy to take your call.  Wet-seal’s Technical Team can be contacted on 1800 025 081 or via email at technical@wet-seal.ws

Alternatively, please speak with your local Franchisee directly.  Details of how to contact your local Franchisee can be found at Find A Franchisee