When making over a room in the home, whether it’s the bathroom or kitchen, waterproofing the walls and floors is an important step.
Here’s how to waterproof walls and floors, thanks to Reader’s Digest:
- Primer – A suitable primer should first be applied to the walls and floors.
- Silicone – Seal joints and openings with a bead of silicone for wet areas up to the level of the tiles.
- Membrane – With a paintbrush, apply a thin film (1.5 mm x 75 mm) of waterproofing membrane to both sides of movement joints. These include wall and floor junctions, pipe outlets and floor wastes.
- Corner bands – Manufactured waterproofing corner bands can make sealing corners easy and rupture-free. These bands, along with pipe sleeves, should be embedded into the first, wet layer of the membrane.
- Banding – The waterproof banding must be cut to straight lengths and then used to seal the joints. Make sure to overlap the corner bands and set the banding into the wet membrane.
Finally, apply membrane to the walls and floors with the first coat, wait for it to dry, and then apply the second coat.
In some areas, a licensed professional may be required to undertake waterproofing work.