All you need to know about Bathroom Waterproofing

Leaks in bathroom ceiling is a very common problem in HDBs and Condominiums in Singapore. Such leaks can be quite an eyesore and challenging to solve as it involves the unit located directly above yours, thus, more planning and arrangements would be required. In this age of high-rise apartments, it is common and somewhat inevitable that your apartment will experience a water leakage someday, especially for older apartments.

So, how do you identify a water leakage in your bathroom? There are a few main areas where water leakage can occur in a bathroom and each one has a different cause and a different solution to it. Some of the more common areas where water leakages are found:

1. Joints between wall and shower
2. Tiled walls
3. Floor tiles

Joints between wall and shower – The joints between the shower and the walls is a common area where water leakage occur. Such leaks can occur when there are movements in the shower tray. Overtime, the constant movements will cause the silicon sealant to wear off or deteriorate. When this occurs, the best way to rectify it would be remove the faulty silicone with a craft scalpel, clean the area thoroughly and wait for it to be completely dry before applying new silicone sealant.

Tiled walls – A shower water leakage can also be caused by tiles. The cause of this problem is pretty straightforward which is the tile grout. Standard powdered grout is not waterproof as it is slightly porous and allows moisture to be absorbed. More ideally, epoxy grout should be applied in showers. The solution would be to rake out existing faulty grout and re-apply a waterproof formulation, followed by sealing up the finished grout with a grout sealer.

Floor tiles – This is the most common cause for ceiling leakages. Similar to tiled walls, floor tiles usually cause leaks when the grouts have worn off. For this problem, owners can opt for clear penetrative waterproofing treatment, a penetrative waterproofing chemical solution that is specially made for a non-invasive, no drilling and effective approach to waterproof and ensure water tightness of substrates. The chemicals can penetrate and react with the substrates to create a waterproofed layer and prevent water ingress on the floor tiles.

If you are experiencing a water leakage, do not hesitate to contact us at +65 8754 4058 for a complimentary inspection today!