September 2019

Cold Applied Liquids
ADDITIONAL SPACE CHALLENGES
By Justin Pitman, Sales Director for Proteus Waterproofing
The growing movement towards building
more apartments and community housing
has seen a major change in the way that
many of us now live, but with that trend comes
new challenges for the waterproofing industry.
Increasingly, balconies, flat roofs and service
areas including walkways and stairwells have
grown in importance. Such structural features
provide endless opportunity for residents without
gardens to create places for drying washing,
growing plants and flowers, or simply to enjoy
well-earned fresh air.
Sooner or later, however, those roofs, balconies
and other communal areas need refurbishing or
waterproofing, and by their very nature in such
confined spaces it can cause massive problems
for residents who have to contend with significant
disruption, pollution or in some cases, the
prospect of having to leave their homes.
It could be why cold applied liquid solutions are
rapidly becoming the waterproof membranes of
choice – particularly for local authorities and
housing associations that are frequently faced
with the dilemma of delivering essential
refurbishment without upsetting tenants and
other residents. Cold applied also ticks all the
boxes for local authority landlords understandably
anxious to keep fire risk to the minimum.
Refurbishing an apartment block is not just simply
a case of overlaying a new waterproof membrane
in a few hours. The old decking or waterproof
layer frequently has to be removed and when the
new membrane is applied the devil is in the
detailing – which is both time consuming, very
disruptive and depending on the product you use,
creates a lot of offensive odours.
Fortunately there are now waterproofing solutions
for roofs, balconies and walkways that both
residents and building owners will welcome. They
are virtually odour free, can be
installed and ready to walk on
in under two hours so
minimum disruption and
best of all – they are
less expensive – a total
win, win.
The secret is in the
seamless application for
so long enjoyed by Mastic
Asphalt and hot melt products.
While both are excellent for most types of
flat roof and walkway applications, many
landlords are now unwilling to accept molten
products, even though the risk of fire is negligible.
Higher costs, particularly with mastic asphalt, are
also a factor.
A seamless solution
Cold-applied systems have taken the lead by
offering other advantages over traditional types of
waterproofing. As well as offering a ‘safer’
application, the liquid coating can be used to
deliver a seamless finish as it forms a
permanently elastic, seamless membrane. Ideal
for the long-term waterproofing of complex roof
details around pipes, upstands and gutters, the
system is a popular specification for
contemporary roofing projects where penetrations
are becoming ever more prevalent.
In recent years we have seen more and more
projects requiring intricate detailing works around
rooftop penetrations. Cold-applied systems
minimise the element of risk associated with
torch-on applications with no naked flames or
boilers involved at any time with the installation
process. Many liquid applied systems also exhibit
extremely low odour, making for a quick, simple
and safe-to-apply waterproofing solution,
particularly when you have an application in
confined spaces such as balconies, walkways or
other hard-to-reach areas.
Other factors such as the time
to complete a contract also
have to be taken into
consideration,
particularly with budgets
under increasing
pressure. This particularly
applies to new build.
In the past some of that down
time, particularly the need to wait 28
days for green concrete to cure, has been
unavoidable – or at least that was the case –
until now. All that has changed following the
launch of new types of waterproof membrane –
which some believe will revolutionise the
construction industry.
Getting other trades on site as quickly as possible
is frequently delayed until the building has been
waterproofed and conventional wisdom has
always dictated the 28 day rule for green concrete,
but the new cold applied systems can be laid
within three days of the concrete being installed
allowing the building to be waterproofed some 24
hours later. This will help to significantly reduce
costs in the public sector as the Government
releases more funds for social housing.
So whether it’s new build or refurbishment, I
believe cold applied liquid solutions are leading
the way, and as we build more and more flats and
apartments and renew existing buildings, then we
are going to need waterproofing solutions that can
rapidly deliver with the minimum of disruption –
the future is liquid.
Contact Proteus Waterproofing
(0)1268 777871
www.proteuswaterproofing.co.uk
@Proteus_UK
62 TC SEPTEMBER 2019