Bathroom Waterproofing: Types, Cost, Application Technology

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Why waterproofing?
• Preparation to the ground
• Waterproofing the bathroom floor - which one is better to choose
• Technology for applying coating materials
• How much does a coating waterproofing cost?

The complexity of bathroom renovation largely depends on how well and correctly one of the main technological operations is performed - the waterproofing of the bathroom. Correctly selected materials, adherence to the technology of work and the peculiarities of the use of materials will successfully solve the problem of waterproofing a room at the lowest cost.

Repair in the bathroom, unlike other rooms in a private house or apartment, requires a slightly different approach due to the peculiarities of the purpose of the room. High humidity, water vapor, water will constantly be present in the room to one degree or another, regardless of how it will be equipped - a steel or polymer bath or a modern shower cabin. The type of this and the technology of repairing a bathroom has its own differences, because the repair is done with the expectation of long-term operation.

Why waterproofing?

To plan repair work in the bathroom, in addition to the usually compiled estimate and the sequence of operations, you need to pay attention to the features that are important from the point of view of the functioning of the room:

• condition of load-bearing structures of walls, ceiling, floor;
• pipeline systems of water supply and sewerage, heating systems;
• ventilation;
• electrical wiring.

And if it is possible to resolve the issue quickly with pipes and electrical wiring - simply replace outdated structures, then with walls and floors you will have to spend much more time and effort.

For a room with high humidity and constant temperature changes, the condition of the walls, floor and ceiling is one of the main problems of repair, since improperly arranged waterproofing of this room necessarily leads to much more dangerous problems. Fungal colonies, destruction of the concrete base and brickwork, peeling of ceramic tiles are all consequences of improper waterproofing and, above all, waterproofing the bathroom floor.

Preparation to the ground

For the correct waterproofing of the bathroom floor, using only modern materials and technologies, it will take really titanic efforts - it is necessary to completely clean the surfaces of the floor and walls from old tiles, peeling plaster, remove and clean out crumbled concrete. The use of such radical methods will allow in the future to significantly reduce material costs and significantly speed up the work process itself.

Bathroom waterproofing technology includes several stages:

• the initial stage - removal of old tiles and plaster, cleaning and stripping all problem areas from plaster and crumbled concrete;
• base preparation stage - priming and restoration of wall and floor surfaces;
• the main one is a primer and a waterproofing device for the floor in the bathroom.

After removing all detachments, it is recommended to carefully remove dust and all remaining debris; for greater effect, you can use a vacuum cleaner.

A household vacuum cleaner is not intended for construction work, but in extreme cases, you can install a disposable filter bag and additionally strengthen the motor filter in several layers of folded cloth.

The first layer of waterproofing for the bathroom at this stage will be played by a deep penetration primer, which is applied with a brush. After the primer has dried, restoration work is carried out - cracks, holes are closed, problem areas of the plaster and concrete floor are eliminated. For this stage of work, it is recommended to use dry plaster mixes Knauf, Polifarb, Master. Particular attention is paid to the joints of floor slabs, panel seams, corners, sewer pipe entries. As a result of the work, a smooth surface should be obtained without flaws and should take into account the project requirements regarding the flow angle.

The leveling of the sealing surface of the bathroom floor must necessarily take into account the direction of the flow into the drain hole. Failure to comply with this requirement will require correction during the subsequent laying of tiles, by applying a larger layer of adhesive mixture, which negatively affects the quality of the coating.

Completion of the preparatory stage for waterproofing in the bathroom involves re-treatment with a deep penetration primer for the final surface preparation for the application of the waterproofing layer.

Waterproofing the bathroom floor - which one is better to choose

New repair and construction technologies offer a large selection of both the materials themselves and the methods of their application.

For the technologies of waterproofing the bathroom floor, despite the differences in the method and materials for work, a common solution is characteristic of the goal - the creation of a durable layer that prevents moisture from seeping into the main structures of the building.

Work technologies depend on the material of the bathroom waterproofing:

• device using pasting materials;
• coating type of waterproofing;
• device by spraying a waterproofing material.

For an independent device for waterproofing the floor in a room, the most suitable method of applying waterproofing is the coating method. For the pasting method, when a layer of film is laid on the surface with the help of mastic, certain skills are required to work with such materials, and special equipment is needed for spraying polyurethane.

Lubricating waterproofing of the bathroom floor is presented on the market in the form of both ready-made mixtures and in the form of semi-finished products, the preparation of which does not take much time.

Ready-made bitumen-mastic mixtures are a viscous mastic mass, when applied to the surface, a layer up to 2 mm thick is formed. Bituminous mastics are supplied to the market in the form of ready-to-use mixtures in packaging from 5 to 50 kg.

Mastics based on polymer resins have a two-component composition - mastic and solvent. The mixture is prepared immediately before use by mixing the required amount of mastic and solvent. Packing of mastic is carried out in containers of 5.10, 20, 50 kg, the solvent has a nominal value of 1.2.5.10 liters.

Lubricating waterproofing for a bathroom from a dry mix is prepared by adding the required amount of water according to the instructions for use. The dry mixture is packed in bags of 10 kg or 25 kg.

Technology for applying coating materials

Before applying the mastic, the floor surface must be cleaned of dust with a vacuum cleaner. The prepared mastic is first applied to the wall surface, at a height of 15-20 cm from the floor and at the same distance on the floor.

A strip of waterproofing material is glued to the treated area. Bonding is carried out around the entire perimeter of the bathroom floor. This technique allows you to additionally strengthen the most vulnerable areas of the room, and thus additionally protect the structure of the walls and floor of the building.

The application of waterproofing coating for the bathroom is carried out with a spatula or brush. Work begins from the corner of the room farthest from the entrance. The mastic is evenly applied to the surface, while as much force as possible is applied for better adhesion of the material to the surface.

Depending on the material of the mastic, the polymerization time of the surface layer at normal humidity and temperature is 30-45 minutes. Finally, this process is completed in 24-36 hours.

It is recommended to start work on installing tiles on mastic waterproofing no earlier than after 48 hours, while it is necessary, first of all, to inspect the floor surface and eliminate any defects that have been found by reapplying a layer of mysticism.

How much does a coating waterproofing cost?

The desire to reduce the cost of building materials in the version of the device for coating waterproofing of the bathroom will not lead to significant savings, but the quality, as a rule, suffers greatly. Replacing the mastic for interior work with roofing mastic or a mixture for waterproofing the building's foundation in this case will only add to the hassle due to the specificity of the application technology and a significant increase in the repair period.

For an accurate picture of the cost of materials, it is enough to compare the cost of the main types of coating mastics for waterproofing:

Type of mastic	Packing volume	price
Knauf FLACHENDICHT	Acrylic ready-to-use mass	5 l	850-1350 rub.
"IVSIL VODOSTOP"	waterproofing mixture	20 kg	700-810 rub.
"IVSIL ELASTICA"	flexible 2-component waterproofing	20kg + 10L	from 2100 rub.
Founding T-63 KHARDSKRIN	rigid waterproofing	20KG	700-810 rub.
Topcolor, gray	Waterproofing mastic	7 l	2550-2800 rub
MAPEGUM WPS.	liquid elastic waterproofing membrane	5 l	from 2000 rubles

Estimating the repair will not do without calculating the cost of work by professional builders. For firms operating in the market of construction services, the cost of the project, both as a whole and its individual components and operations for waterproofing the bathroom floor with the customer's materials, is calculated based on the area of the room.

For new buildings, offers have a more affordable price due to the small amount of preparatory work, for old buildings the price will be much higher. So, for the device of a protective layer of a reinforced concrete slab with a screed device, the cost per square meter of work will be equal to 3000 rubles. When installing a protective layer of walls, the cost of work will be 70-110 rubles per square meter, and when waterproofing the floor, without preparatory work, the same amount of work is estimated at 90-150 rubles.