Learn More About Waterproofing Your Property

Tanking is a particular approach used to ensure that walls and floors are permanently watertight, in any structure below ground. It involves the application of a liquid waterproof coating, which can prevent water ingress in any wet or humid area, such as a wet room.
 
More recently, cavity drainage systems (CDS) have revolutionised the way that basements are now commonly treated for damp and water ingress. 

A full cavity drainage system comprises a membrane, drainage, pump and control system, which together are subject to the British Standard for Waterproofing (BS 8102:2009). They channel any water that intrudes into a sump or collection point, from where it can be safely drained.

In tanking a paint on or cementitious renders are used this can be time consuming in the application and the preparation which is costly. Also when cured the products are ridged so any movement in the structure can cause cracking at weak points resulting in failure of the system. salts and contaminates can also affect the bonding of products which cause problems with the adhesion to the substructures and ultimately failure.

Another alternative is to use a membrane-only solution, which installs a physical membrane between tiles and plasterwork, before tiles are applied. This protection is usually used for floors, but membranes can also be used on walls, subject to a maximum weight limit.

Cavity drainage offers significant advantages over traditional hardened renders, membranes or external coatings. The benefits include:

• No substrate preparation works, i.e. sandblasting, bush hammering etc, which can otherwise be a costly and messy part of the waterproofing process.
• No wet trades are needed, so no drying time is required, and the whole process can be completed in less time.
• Once installed, a cavity drainage system can be tested easily, to see it is working correctly.
• Should the membrane become damaged, it is easily repairable.

CDS is fully maintainable and suitable for both new build properties and also refurbishments. This includes listed properties, as it is fully revisable and can be removed in future. Wet tanking cannot easily be removed at a future date, so it is unsuitable in a listed building.

Fluids used by Tay Property Services Ltd are approved by the British Wood Preserving and Damp Proofing association. Where appropriate they carry manufacturers’ guarantees, which will be highlighted for you.

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