Plumbing

What Is Waterproofing?

Waterproofing is a method to prevent water damage. Waterproofing is something important in every home as it helps to keep your home dry. Especially in Singapore where the humidity is high, waterproofing can help you protect things inside your house from damage caused by humidity or water exposure.

Waterproofing your home will make it water resistant and effectively prevent water damage.

Why Is Waterproofing Important?

Without waterproofing, water infiltration can occur. Water infiltration can lead to insect infestation, mould and even affect the structural integrity of the building. In order to avoid these problems, waterproofing can be done to a home before construction. As such, waterproofing is important in preventing such damages and problems.

Why Should I Do Waterproofing?

Property Value

Waterproofing can raise the value of your house. When you waterproof your house, you prevent unwanted moisture from seeping into your home thus preventing mould from growing. Mould in homes have adverse impacts on home.

Waterproofing systems can also open up space, maximising the utility of our home’s square footage.

Protection

Moisture in our homes can cause metal furniture to rust and wood furniture to decay. Waterproofing can avoid such damage to our furniture. Furthermore, waterproofing prevents water seepage which can ruin the foundation of the building.

Where Waterproofing Is Needed

During waterproofing, a layer of impervious material is applied. This prevents water from penetrating the building or furniture. As a result, the structure is water-resistant and will not be affected by water.

Some common areas where waterproofing is useful at are:

Building Basements: The basement of the building is often in contact with the Earth’s surface. As such it is prone to the seepage of water.

Kitchen/Toilets/Bathroom: At these places, water is continuously used. It is inevitable that the area is bound to get wet. Waterproofing is important to prevent seepage in such locations.

Balcony: Balcony waterproofing is important as during monsoon seasons, this is the area that gets wet. In some households, this is also the area where washing of clothes or other items happens. As such, to prevent any water damage, balcony waterproofing is important.

Swimming Pools: To prevent leakage from such a large water source, waterproofing can be done.

Roof/Terrace: Roofs and terraces are open air and are prone to seepage.

Methods of Waterproofing

There are many ways which waterproofing can be carried out. The methods usually vary depending on the country you live in and purpose of waterproofing. For example, cementitious waterproofing is a semi flexible/rigid type of waterproofing that is easy to apply. It is not suitable for weathering and exposure to sunlight. As such, it is commonly used for toilets.