Building & Civil Engineering Structures - Structural Waterproofing

Underground Structures

Concrete is frequently used as a tanking material, or in situations where the structure is intended to be watertight. Under these circumstances, additional structural waterproofing measures are often required and Flexcrete has highly impermeable cementitious coatings to meet both needs. What is more, products are available for use with drinking water as well as where aggressive chemicals are present.

Protection against water infiltration from the negative side is becoming increasingly important as rising water-tables around the world call for improved tanking for basements and underground structures such as tunnels. In many cases, structures were built with no provision for such an eventuality, and post-construction underground structural waterproofing is normally very complex and expensive.

Resisting both positive and negative water infiltration at pressures up to 10 bar, Flexcrete’s thin-film cementitious coatings provide a cost-effective and remarkably simple solution to this problem. They are applied to damp surfaces, and when used in conjunction with Flexcrete’s cementitious water-plugging compound, even active water infiltration can be overcome. Environmental legislation intended to eliminate the risk of aggressive substances leaking from storage tanks and silos into ground water courses has led to the widespread introduction of secondary containment facilities or bunds. When leakages occur, these concrete structures are often tested beyond their limits, and additional protection, in the form of a lining of the type offered by Flexcrete, is recommended to enhance their resistance, longevity, and to ensure environmental protection is maintained.

Waterproof Deck Protection

External flooring, including car parks, balconies and walkways, are highly vulnerable to damage. Years of trafficking and exposure to the elements result in degradation of the existing bituminous waterproofing system as well as mechanical damage to the concrete deck. Even if undamaged, walkways, external fire escapes and stairwells (common to many blocks of flats built in the 1960’s) can also become very slippery when wet. This represents a hazard for the residents and requires effective treatment with a slip-resistant finish.

For areas subject to very heavy trafficking, such as loading bays and especially taxiways and hard-standings on airfields, Flexcrete’s cement and epoxy modified ultra-thin toppings provide excellent chemical and skid resistance. They can be applied to wet concrete yet are impermeable to water. Moreover, they are fast curing so can withstand light foot traffic within only 6 hours of application.

They also offer excellent freeze-thaw resistance, thereby preventing spalling of the concrete surface and the subsequent generation of FOD (foreign object damage) which is a major cause of damage to jet engines at airports.

These cementitious coatings also have a valuable role to play internally. In buildings where the design calls for the application of resin, sheet vinyl or carpet flooring, they are widely used as a levelling waterproofing layer on damp floors which would otherwise be unsuitable or require an unacceptably long and costly drying out period.