Waterproofing your home involves a variety of solutions and good construction practices that ensure that your home is protected from water damage for as long as possible. In 80-90% homes, damp formation starts occurring in just 6-18 months of completion of construction. Hence, waterproofing is essential for every home.

Water seeps into a home from 5 sources: We need to show the photos used in the IHB booklet in each of these

1. Ground water: There are vast reserves of water underground, especially in coastal belts in India where the water table is very high. This water gets absorbed by the bricks and concrete used in the foundation and it slowly seeps into the home through capillary action. It leads to rising damp that affects the bottom of the walls in ground floors and basements
2. Rainwater: Water seeps in from the roof due to absorption from surface and through tiny cracks. This usually leads to damp in the top part of walls and ceiling of the floor
3. Water from indoor wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens: Bathrooms and kitchen come in constant contact with water. They also have numerous water lines running through the walls. Hence, these areas are highly susceptible to water seepage from the floors and walls. If the bathroom wall is tiled, then the water seepage will not be visible in the bathroom, but will show in adjacent walls in bedrooms, living rooms, etc.
4. From improper window joints: During installation, the window frame needs to be set into the concrete wall without allowing small gaps, cracks or voids from developing. These spaces enable water to trickle in, creating water damage all around the windows.
5. From bricks that have high-salt content: We often get bricks that have very high salt concentrations. When these bricks are used to build a wall, they the salts in the bricks react with atmospheric moisture and gases to cause salt-peter formation, leading to damp on the walls.

Water seepage causes 5 major types of damages: We need to show the photos used in the IHB booklet in each of these

1. Damage to the wall and paint: Damp causes the plaster of the walls to swell up and start shipping off. This damages both the wall and the paint.
2. Damage to expensive furniture: Wooden furniture swell up and crack when they are kept in close contact with damp walls.
3. Damage to electricals: Water seeping into electrical sockets and wiring can cause severe damage and may even lead to short circuits and fires.
4. Corrosion of the structure internally: The water seeping into the walls weaken the structure by causing cracks, spalling of concrete and rusting the steel used to reinforce the structure.
5. Formation of hazardous mould: Damps create a perfect environment for highly toxic fungal outbreaks called moulds to develop. According to the World Health Organization, a build-up of mould can cause significant fungal and respiratory infections for you and your family. They also can cause asthma attacks and allergic reaction like red and itchy eyes, skin infections, etc. Moulds also weaken your immune system over time.

Moulds are toxic fungal deposits that build up in damp environments. Homes with water seepage provide excellent environments for mould to build up. Moulds cause a variety of health issues such as:

1. Major fungal and respiratory infections
2. Asthma attacks
3. Allergic reactions like red and itchy eyes, skin infections
4. Weakening of immune system
5. Infants are highly susceptible to infections due to moulds.

Moulds can often go undetected for long periods of time as the deposits can occur under wallpapers or on hidden surfaces. A classic symptom of hidden mould is a musty smell inside your home.

Fixing water damage is very difficult proposition for the following reasons:

1. Finding the source of the seepage can be very difficult. A damp visible in one wall may be due to a seepage in a completely different area. Hence, repairs are often only a temporary fix.
2. Water seepage becomes visible only at a very late stage. Seepage accumulates and travels inside the structure for a long time before it starts becoming visible on the surface of the wall. By the time the damage is visible, the internal structures may have been severely damaged already
3. Repairs are very time consuming. Repairs may take months. Till then one would have to suffer
   1. Lack of privacy
   2. Lots of dust and germs being generated in your home due to the repair work
   3. Exposure to outside people at home during a pandemic.
4. Repairs usually require significant remodeling of home including
   1. Breakage of plasters or walls,
   2. Putting up scaffolding to repair exteriors
   3. Rebuilding of surfaces.
   4. Repainting of walls
5. Damp may cause build-up of hidden moulds in your home. Until the problem becomes visible, and repairs can be done, the whole family is living in an environment filled with toxic mould, which can cause a variety of health issues.
6. It costs 4-5 times more to repair water damage than to do waterproofing at the time of construction. At the time of construction, the only cost incurred is the cost of the waterproofing chemicals. While repairs incur additional costs of labour, breaking and remaking the walls, repainting and remodelling damaged furniture.

The ideal time to waterproof a home is right at the time of construction.

1. A lot of treatments can only be done at the time of construction – example waterproofing of the foundations and water tanks, additional waterproofing admixtures in the concrete etc. These steps cannot be taken once the home is complete.
2. During construction, we can waterproof all the critical areas such that the structure has all-round protection. During repairs we can only fix the area that is damaged, other areas still remain vulnerable
3. Waterproofing during construction is extremely cost effective as repairs tend to cost 4-5 times more

We spend our entire life’s savings into our homes. It is the most important asset we create in our lifetime. Hence it is critical to invest in the longevity of our home.

Waterproofing treatments are only required in 5 areas of your home:

1. Foundation
2. Internal and external walls
3. Internal wet areas like bathrooms and kitchen
4. Terrace and balconies
5. Water tanks

Waterproofing chemicals typically cost only about3-5% of the cost of your home’s structure. If the treatments are done at the time of construction, then little to no additional labour charges may be incurred.

Sturdflex is a range of waterproofing solutions. Sturdflex is owned by Shyam Steel Industres Ltd., one of the leading manufacturers of TMT bars in India.

Shyam Steel Sturdflex provides a 4-point advantage to ensure the best waterproofing of your home

1. Our waterproofing planner will guide you throughout the duration of your home construction on the best ways to waterproof every part of your home. This includes selection of the right products, right timing of application, etc.
2. Our waterproofing planners shall conduct site visits to provide tailor-made solutions that are best for you.We shall also give you material and cost estimates and connect you with the nearest dealer for material availability.
3. We shall train your mason, engineer or applicator on the perfect way to perform all your waterproofing treatments.
4. We shall provide 1 free site inspection to ensure that the application is done properly.

Different areas of the home require different levels of waterproofing and hence, different products. The area wise lists of product recommendations are given below:

Area	Section	Product recommendation
Foundation	PCC Casting and Tie Beam	CemMix
	Plinth Wall	NoSalt
	DPC	Latex Pro
	Slab casting of any floor	CemMix
Water tanks	Underground Tank (walls and floor)	Acrylic Max 2K
	Overhead Tank (inside walls and floor)	Acrylic Max 2K
	Overhead Tank (outside wall)	Acrylic Pro / Topcoat Cool
Interior and exterior walls	Any wall made with high salt content bricks	NoSalt
	Internal wall coating	Latex Pro
	Walls adjacent to bathrooms	Latex Pro / Acrylic Pro
	External wall coating	Acrylic Pro / Topcoat Cool
	External sunshade coating	Acrylic Pro/ Topcoat Cool
Toilet, Kitchen, and other indoor wet areas	Wall	Latex Pro / Acrylic Pro
	Sunken slab	Acrylic Pro / Acrylic Max 2K
	Tile Fixing	Tile Bond
	Gap of Tiles	Tile Grout
Roof / Terrace	Roof Mother Slab Casting	CemMix
	Roof and parapet coating	Acrylic Pro / Acrylic Max 2K / Topcoat Cool

 

The application method and timing of different products may vary. For an end-to-end guidance on how to conduct your home’s waterproofing, please call our waterproofing planners at 1800-123-1003 or Whatsapp us at 8100-55-66-77 (https://wa.me/+918100556677)

Anyone can connect with us using any of the following methods: Toll Free: 1800-123-1003 Whatsapp: 8100-55-66-77 or click here Email: Help@sturdflex.com