The costs of building and maintaining modern houses has risen to such tremendous levels that it is imperative to take precautionary measures. The design of any house or building makes some parts more exposed and prone to damage, tear and wear; For example the location of walls exposes them to the vagaries of weather and other factors. Walls are the pillars of houses and therefore it is important to protect them; by providing waterproof barriers that stop moisture and water infiltration to prevent damage. Exterior waterproofing is one of the methods used for this purpose. This prevents water from entering walls therefore preventing the wicking and molding of building materials.
Exterior wall
The International Building Code defines an exterior wall as a “A wall, bearing or nonbearing, that is used as an enclosing wall for a building, other than a fire wall, and that has a slope of 60 degrees or greater with the horizontal plane.” In addition, the International Building Code recommends that waterproofing a structure from the exterior is the only method which is adequate to prevent structural damage caused by water intrusion. This applies to outer exterior walls, basement walls, building foundations and other exterior masonry surfaces.
Basement waterproofing refers to techniques used to prevent water from entering the basement of a house or building. This is because basement walls lie at the foundation of any building and it is important to prevent any damage. The surest way to waterproof basement walls is a full-scale exterior waterproofing solution.
Materials used
Materials or products used possess excellent adhesion to construction surfaces, can be constricted to small spaces and are resistant to water.
Traditionally, exterior waterproofing was done using a degradable asphalt-based covering through damp proofing. But the recent trends point to the use of polymer-based waterproof products which last for the lifetime of the building, and are not affected by soil pH. These polymer-based products also have the advantage of a low viscosity and flexibility which makes them easy to spray directly onto a wall and penetrate any substrate.
Application Methods
These depend on the properties of the type of material being used and the type of external texture that you want for exterior waterproof of walls. The application methods are trowel, roller, squeegee, brush and spray if the material is either fluid like or sheet.
Procedure
The following procedures are employed depending on the type of masonry surface: For the bottom sides of wall footers excavation is done and then exterior drainage systems are constructed to collect water from around the outside of the footers to drain it to another nearby lower location. This prevents water clogging around your walls. This also applies to an existing basement where after excavation the walls are sealed with a waterproofing membrane and a new drainage is placed at the side of the footing.
For the upper parts of the wall spray tar based waterproofing systems or use vinyl sheeting systems to cover the outside wall using the application methods mentioned above.
For foundations and basements under construction, an external membrane or cementations are used together with traditional French drain that runs round the outside of the property below ground to help manage the high levels of ground water that can cause hydrostatic pressure against the underground structures.
In conclusion, the ways articulated by this article with regard to waterproofing exterior walls are some of the best guarantees in the modern construction industry that the wall of your building or house will not be affected severely by water in any of its form.