10 Steps for Bathroom Waterproofing

Below is a detailed explanation for you. If you need it, you can save it first.

01. Surface Cleaning

First, use a brush to clean the dust and sand off the bathroom walls and floors. This will help with the next construction work. To waterproof an old house, remove the original waterproof layer first. Then, use cement to repair the holes and depressions that appear, and proceed to the next step.

02. Base Treatment

After cleaning the surface of the floor of loose dust and particles, level and slope the ground. If there are minor cracks or hollow sounds in the wall, smooth them with cement. This will ensure a solid, flat base. Note that, during the house inspection, the bathroom is key. Check for cracks or hollow sounds. If the situation is serious, do not rush to take over the house. Ask the developer to provide a solution. Otherwise, it will be too late to discover the problem during the decoration.

03. Treatment of Corners and Angles

Avoid dead corners at the corners and pipe roots in the bathroom. The design team recommends making the corners and angles into smooth arcs. The purpose of this step is also to ease the later waterproofing construction.

04. Pipe Channel Sealing

The corners and edges of pipes, such as sewer pipes, toilets, and exhaust pipes, are the most prone to leakage. Before waterproofing, seal leaks with waterproof materials or cement.

05. Pipe Wrapping

Wrap the pipes first before waterproofing! It’s so important that we should repeat it three times. We need to cover some exposed pipes in the bathroom for both safety and aesthetic reasons. But some workers choose to apply waterproofing first before covering the pipes. This is incorrect for two reasons. First, if the pipes aren’t covered, dead corners around them may leak. This will affect the waterproofing. Also, waterproofing after covering the pipes will make bricklaying hard. It may damage the waterproofing, so it’s not worth it.

Bathroom Waterproofing

06. Wall Waterproofing

Before applying the waterproofing material, first roll on a coat of wall solidifier. This will lock in the floating dust on the coating. It will improve the waterproof coating’s adhesion. Then, apply rigid waterproofing or universal waterproofing 2-3 times. Also, the shower room’s waterproofing must be above 1.8 meters. This will prevent water vapor from seeping into other spaces.

07. Ground Waterproofing

You should apply a flexible waterproof coating to the ground. The waterproof coating must be fully applied and bonded to the base layer. It must be free of cracks and bubbles. Raise the wall legs by 30 cm. This will create a box that wraps up from the ground waterproof layer. It is also recommended to apply 2-3 layers of waterproof coating on the ground. Wait for the first layer of waterproof coating to dry completely. Then, apply the next layer.

08. Door opening treatment

You should also waterproof the bathroom door opening. A water stop platform or threshold stone should be at the door sill. It will prevent water from seeping out of the bathroom. Coat the walls on both sides of the door with waterproof paint. A height of 30 centimeters works best. This will stop bathroom water from soaking the outside walls.

09. Water Tightness Test

After the workers complete the waterproofing work, it’s time for inspection. You should keep the water in the area for at least 48 hours. Then, go to the neighbor’s house downstairs to check if there is any leakage.

10. Waterproof layer protection

After testing the waterproofing, the workers must add a waterproof layer before laying tiles. Mix cement, sand, and ceramic granules for backfilling. Use a 1:3:8 ratio (cement:sand:ceramic granules). Reinforce it with steel wire. This will cut the sink’s weight. It will also prevent damage to the waterproof layer from trampling. This may occur during later construction.

In conclusion, a dry, clean bathroom can boost our happiness. If waterproofing is not done properly, problems will occur. These include water leakage, seepage, efflorescence, and peeling. So, we must be extremely cautious about waterproofing in the bathroom!