Water proofing

[Andy78]

Hey all,

I am looking to water proof my bathroom before tiling and was wondering, what is the best water proofing product on the market?

Thanks

[mic-d]

Can only recommend that you think about getting a professional in. They are cheap compared to the cost of water damage repairs and cheap compared to the overall cost of the reno too.

Cheers
Michael

[bigc]

A lot of the cost is in the actual product. I just finished my upstairs bathroom reno and we used a blue coloured product. I would have to speak with my mate to find out the name. I did nearly all of the work myself which included glueing and screwing asbestos cement fibre sheeting back down as we replaced all the plumbing. I thought I had done a good prep as I was once a tiler however my mate spent 5 hours touching it all up before installing a bond breaker and priming the surfaces, then we rolled/painted on the blue stuff bieng absolutely anal in the corners to avoid pin holes. If it fails he will look after me.

If I wasn't confident with him I would have payed a waterproofer who is insured if it fails. It's not cheap to totaly redo a bathroom reno especially if you use particle board as the wet area one will still swell.

[Andy78]

I was hoping I could do it myself. I only have a small area in the shower which needs to be done.

A friend mentioned that Sika have a suitable waterproofing agent?

What is the bondbreaker and primer for?

[Honorary Bloke]

Andy,

You don't say what substrate the tile will be laid upon. Concrete slab? Wood?

Uncoupling describes a way of compensating for the natural movment of the substrate versus the tile. A suitable uncoupler will have enough flex so that expansion and contraction of, for example, a wood substrate would not correspondingly move the tiles above it, causing cracks. Take a look at this website for more details:

http://www.schluter.com/english/products/2002/sectionf/overview-f/section-f.html

In addition, absolute waterproofing is a necessity. Good luck.:)

[bigc]

I was hoping I could do it myself. I only have a small area in the shower which needs to be done.

A friend mentioned that Sika have a suitable waterproofing agent?

What is the bondbreaker and primer for?

The primer is what you have to do the cement and fibro surfaces to seal them for the waterproofing to adhere correctly. The bond breaker creates a movement joint between the different substrates such as where the floor meets the wall. This stops the waterproofing adhering into the corner so movement between the surfaces dosen't affect the waterproofing, it's ussualy about 100mm wide.

[Andy78]

The walls are wet plasterboard and the floors are particleboard over timber joists.

I have attached a picture of the bathroom.

[savage]

I just finished my upstairs bathroom reno and we used a blue coloured product.

Was the stuff called "Thompsons water proof", I have used it several times and had no problems, from full reno's to repair's. It is a blue liquid that you paint onto Villaboard and give's it a distinct blue/grey finish. One bathroom I did was left like that for 7 yrs no tiles, just the Thompsons as protection, then I tiled and had no problems. I guess that speaks for it's self, for it's waterproofing qualities!...

[danger005]

Yeah- you can go for the professionals if you want, but waterproofing is not difficult and can be done properly as long as you are thorough and follow all instructions.

I just finished my first bathroom reno and did all work myself (excl water and elect) without any problem. For the waterproofing I used Dribond Liquid Flash- a light grey 'paste' that is painted onto the walls/ floor in two coats. It dries to a rubbery membrane that should be up to 2.5-3mm thick when dry. You can also use a (I think) 25mm wide fibreglass strip that comes in a roll of several metres to use with the membrane for flashing. It is laid into a coat of liquid flash and then another layer painted over the surface.

Liquid flash is made by Construction Chemicals- check the net for website and info brochures that provide info on how to use it. IMPORTANT- follow all instructions to every detail.

Hope this helps

[Andy78]

Thanks Danger. I'll check it out.

I was wondering if water does get behind the tiles and it is waterproofed, where should the water drain? Is there a need for a drain hole in the floor??

[bigc]

The waterproofing goes into your floor wastes.

[Damon_11]

Hello All,

I have just done my bathrooms with "the blue stuff" called Gripset. I have brick and render / plaster so not toomuch trouble. The surface was a bit rough with concrete, so brush was nost effective. Gave mine 2 coats and also used the same branded binding tape to go into the susceptible corners.

You can buy it from Bunnings in a 10lt for $150. Don't be cheap, slap on liberally and do a couple of coats. It can also be rollered, but is very thick.

Cheers.....D

[mic-d]

The walls are wet plasterboard and the floors are particleboard over timber joists.

I have attached a picture of the bathroom.
I hope for your sake that you haven't used "waterproof" plasterboard in a shower recess. I don't know how many showers I've seen that have failed because of this. If you have used it, I would be w/p all the shower walls, not just the minimum at junctions etc.

Cheers
Michael

[Andy78]

Michael, I have used waterproof plasterboard in the bathroom, and intend to waterproof in the bath/shower zone all the way to the ceiling.

Andy

[Simomatra]

Another product for waterproofing is Davco Bitkote. Seems to be the choice for goverment contacts

[danger005]

Thanks Danger. I'll check it out.

I was wondering if water does get behind the tiles and it is waterproofed, where should the water drain? Is there a need for a drain hole in the floor??

The floor drain should have small weep holes below the floor level that will collect any seepage but DONT rely on it. Sealing your grout with a good quality sealant should greatly reduce any chance of water getting below the tiles

[woody62]

I am doing a shower over bath. Should I use blue board or bathroom plasterboard? I want to tile over, so which waterproofing product would be suitable for this application?

[Pulse]

Woody, blueboard is a 7.5mm think external sheet for texture coating, usually a 6mm sheet of villaboard would be used in a bathroom situation. As far as paterproofing goes, I've used WPM300 from fullers, the primer is a 50% water dilution with two topcoats at right angles.

Cheers
Pulse

[Cobber]

Is it mandatory to waterproof a bathroom. My builder tells me that is only required for the upstairs bathroom not he bathroom downstairs (which is being renovated).

Cobber

[Cobber]

By the way they are going to put bathroom cement sheeting down and tile over it.

[Cobber]

and I am using the polymarble showerbases...

[Bleedin Thumb]

I did nearly all of the work myself which included glueing and screwing asbestos cement fibre sheeting back down as we replaced all the plumbing.

I hope your wrong about the asbestos bit.

[Purse]

Is it mandatory to waterproof a bathroom. My builder tells me that is only required for the upstairs bathroom not he bathroom downstairs (which is being renovated).

Cobber


As i understand from reading the BCA, all "wet areas" within a building must be waterproof or water resistant.

A wet area is defined in the BCA as:

Wet area means an area within a building supplied with water from a water supply system and includes bathrooms, showers, laundries and sanitary compartments. Excludes kitchens, bar areas, kitchenettes or domestic food and beverage preparation areas.


It then goes on to detail exactly what the requirements are for each area..

Cheers
Purse