Aside from Polyurethane for injection grouting, there are other types of grouts that can be applied during leak repair. It is important to understand the characteristics of each type of grouting material and its purposes before performing any waterproofing works or leakage repair for your wet areas leakage, bathroom leakage, roof leakage, balcony leakage or even swimming pool leakage.
There are mainly 3 types of injection grouting material used for waterproofing, cementitious grouts, epoxy resin and acrylic resins. There are many different grouting materials used in the market, but the mentioned 3 injection grouting material are widely used by contractors. To prevent yourself from getting confused with grouting materials, SWC construction will break down these briefly for your understanding.
Epoxy Injection Grouting
Epoxy based injection grouting consists of epoxy resin, silica fillers, pigments and a hardener. They do not absorb water well, are better at resisting compression, do not stain easily and are easy to maintain. Like polyurethane grouting, epoxy grouting is formed by mixing a base material and a hardener. Epoxy grouting makes most grouting works reliable due to the strong bond when applied. Regardless of thermal tension or pressure from soil or other factors, epoxy grouting is strong enough to withstand it. This grouting method has a very low failure rate, providing technicians with visual indicators of success, and can be suitable for very small and fine cracks. However, epoxy takes a longer time to cure, usually 3-4 hours at room temperature and does not fully solve the problem of your water leakage issues. Epoxy concrete repair or injection grout with shortcomings that will require to contact another contractor in the future.
Cementitious Injection Grouting
Cementitious injection grouting is a mixture of sand and water, the most traditional form of grouting. Cement injection grouting is more time consuming and that affects its performance. Its efficiency decreases because of excessive voids that hit its stiffness. Cementitious based grouting can be further classified into two sub-categories: sanded and non-sanded grouts. Sanded cementitious grouts are suitable for joint widths above 4mm, while non-sanded cementitious grouts are for joint widths that are 4mm and smaller. Even so, it is still frequently used to fill voids and gaps in the structures although it is not recommended by most contractors as cement grout may stain surfaces and might require more man-hours and downtime in repairing your dedicated house.
Acrylic Injection Grouting
Acrylic injection grouting is known as a permanent gel with low adhesive, compressive and tear strength. With acrylic grouting material, it is mostly suitable for outdoor usage such as deck or garage projects. The key benefit from using acrylic grout is that it can be maneuvered into small spaces – gaps of less than a 0.5cm are suitable for acrylic grout. It is also the perfect choice for marble tiles because a sanded grout will scratch them. Although this method of grouting seems to be idea with outdoor usage, SWC construction does not practice such method of grouting based on our projects done here. These projects are refined and achieve by implementing the best combination of injection grouting method to achieve top quality performance and works that last for years.
We’ve named 3 different types of injection grouting material used in most waterproofing works. The benefits these materials carry and usage of such material. If you’re experiencing leakage in your commercial or residential units and would need a waterproofing contractor to conduct a repair. Now it’s the time with your simple knowledge in waterproofing materials and works, you will never have to worry of conducting a long hours or repair or huge repair cost based on the explanation works and proposal your contractors will be offering you after their non-obligatory assessment. In SWC Construction, we conduct free assessment with our dedicated thermal waterproofing devices to better narrow your leakage issues and solve the main cause of leakage instead of using our naked eye.