The bathroom is one of the areas of your home that is regularly exposed to large amounts of water, especially the shower area. Apart from the water from bathing and washing, there is also the presence of steam and moisture. Bathrooms are frequently constructed above one another in landed houses or apartments. This means that the Level 2 bathroom would most probably be directly above the Level 1 bathroom due to the drainage and discharge system. This type of layout increases the occurrence of ceiling leakages at the lower bathrooms due to the high volume of water and moisture, which contribute to eventual waterproofing failure and cracks in the concrete slab.

In recent years, it has also become evident that an increasing number of homeowners are adopting concealed piping systems in their homes for aesthetic reasons. However, they face difficulties in resolving leakages as everything is concealed, making it hard to assess the actual source of leaks.

That being said, in this article, we will delve into bathroom ceiling waterproofing in greater depth and remind homeowners of the importance of waterproofing their bathroom ceilings.

Tell-tale signs of ceiling leakages

Here are some of the common tell-tale signs to help you ascertain if there is water leakage in your bathroom ceilings, especially the shower areas:

 

1.      Blistered or peeling paint on the ceiling

The loss of adhesion between the paint and the surface is usually caused by water or moisture. This condition eventually leads to blistering and peeling of the plaster or paint. When you start to see these signs on your bathroom ceilings, do pay close attention and continue to monitor to see if it gets worse or if brownish water stains start to appear.

2.      Discolouration or water stain marks on the ceiling

Water stains typically appear when the water seeps into the ceiling and evaporates, leaving behind dried and discoloured deposits.

3.      Damaged false ceiling boards

If you look up and notice that there is a hole in your ceiling board above the shower, this would mean that the leakage has been getting worse and has damaged your ceiling board. This sign would urge homeowners to take immediate action to rectify the leakage problem.

If there is an existing access panel in your bathroom ceiling, you could use a ladder and take a peek above the false ceiling to check out the leakage situation. Most of the time, you would typically see the following above the false ceiling:

1. Drainage pipe through the ceiling slab

2. Air-conditioning ducting

3. Water heater and its respective pipes

Do look out for any dripping areas or stalactites that could potentially indicate the source of leakage. Water dripping from the drainage pipe surroundings or along the cracks in the concrete slab, and stalactites are the most common sightings. This would be very helpful information to know when you are trying to trace a leak on your own or if you decide to engage a waterproofing specialist to help carry out the relevant repairs based on their expertise.

Recommended Remedies

Here are some solutions to waterproofing the ceiling above your bathroom shower areas:

1.      PU injection grouting

Polyurethane injection grouting, also known as PU injection grouting, is a waterproofing technique that injects polyurethane, a fluid resin, to prevent water leakage through cracks or gaps. When in contact with water or moisture, this fluid resin will react and expand up to 10 times its original volume to fill up the existing gaps until there is no more space to stop water from flowing through structural joints and crack lines. This non-invasive and cost-effective technique is often implemented to repair cracks and stop water seepage in bathroom shower ceilings.

 

PU injection grouting offers significant advantages, as it is easy to apply and very durable. When carried out with quality workmanship, PU injection grouting can last from 3 to 5 years. Due to its low viscosity and various other properties, it is commonly used to fill cracks in defective bathroom shower ceilings.

 

2.      Clear Penetrative Treatment

Clear Penetrative treatment (CPT) is a transparent and penetrative waterproofing chemical solution that is often applied to bathroom walls and floors to ensure the water-tightness of substrates. The chemical will penetrate and react with the substrates to create a waterproofing layer within the wall or slab to prevent water ingress. Apart from this, it presents additional benefits such as non-invasiveness, as you can simply apply this over the existing bathroom floor or wall surfaces without the need to hack and re-do the entire waterproofing system. The application of CPT is quick and easy. To give you a better understanding, applying CPT to a typical HDB toilet with the necessary wall upturns will only take a day. If the leak occurs at the lower unit bathroom, CPT application is to be done at the upper unit bathroom’s floor and walls while Polyurethane injection grouting to the ceiling slab would be the main repair at the lower unit bathroom. Overall, it results in cost-effectiveness and increased efficiency in waterproofing repair work while causing the least amount of disruption to homeowners and neighbouring units.

3.      Exposed Plumbing Systems

Despite having their bathrooms waterproofed, many owners still experience constant leaks. This is especially common in houses with concealed plumbing systems in place. Should the owner still experience leaks after the waterproofing system has been repaired, they should check in with professional plumbers to ascertain if the pipes are defective or leaking. The probable solution would be to switch your concealed plumbing system into an exposed one. Although this might affect the aesthetics of the bathroom, it presents a great benefit—accessibility. Moving forward, the pipes would be much easier to access when maintenance or repairs are needed.

Identify and rectify

Turning a blind eye to water leakages may result in serious consequences in the long term. To keep affected areas from deteriorating, leaks must be identified and repaired as soon as possible. The best approach to rectifying your ceiling leakages is to hire a professional waterproofing contractor. SWC Construction is a Building and Construction Authority (BCA)-certified and approved BCA waterproofing contractor with more than 20 years of experience in the waterproofing industry. We are a team of waterproofing specialists who are dedicated to providing quality workmanship to rectify all waterproofing problems and reduce inconvenience to you – our valued homeowners.

 

At SWC Construction, we prioritise conducting thorough inspections in order to recommend the appropriate repairs to help stop the balcony seepages promptly. Contact us today for a non-obligatory on-site consultation to solve all your wall leakage problems.