Balcony Waterproofing Repairs & Restoration Services in Melbourne

Water leaks may cause not only aesthetic & superficial damage but in some cases progress to affect the structure of the building envelope itself.

During construction, there are best practice building methods that can go a long way to help avoid waterproofing failure.

• Provide a POSITIVE SLOPE. Water still has to DRAIN at the subsurface level even with a waterproofing membrane installed.
• Balconies - provide adequate amount of EXPANSION JOINTS. 

• Balconies move & need room for the normal expansion & contraction of the building envelope. Insufficient expansion joints causes stress on tiles, adhesives & the membrane - often leading to cracked tiles & membrane tears.

• Ensure that detailing at surfaces of all penetrations and terminations are adequately addressed during both design and construction.
• Ensure waterproofing products are approved for the specific application for which they are intended to be used. i.e balconies require membranes that can withstand  "ponding" water. 
• All balconies will have moisture sitting between the tiles & membrane for at some point for periods of time.

• Boom construction times may create an environment of design compromise, expedient construction methods and inferior workmanship.

• Waterproofing accounts for approx. 1-2% of total construction costs - yet water leaks and resultant damage is 80% of all building defects.

• Victorian Building Authority (VBA) fears that "waterproofing was possibly a systemic issue".

• One third of all waterproofing defects are related to external waterproofing.

• 7 out of 10 commercial balconies leak.

• Litigation in relation to waterproofing and building leaks is on the rise throughout Australia, exposing massive costs in the form of both legal fees and rectification costs.

• If a failed waterproofing membrane is the reason for water leaks, then  re-grouting or surface sealing is not the way to repair or restore a balcony. 

• This is a short term method which may stop or slow down water leaks for a while – that is until the balcony moves and cracks the grout or tiles again.If water leaks are due to waterproofing membrane failure or deterioration, sealing the tiles will not work. 

Effects of Water Ingress

• Balconies and walkways are exposed to the destructive forces of the elements: rain, wind, sunlight, and freezing conditions. 
• All too often, penetration of water through the top balcony surface and exposed edges of both reinforced concrete balconies and timber framed balconies, leads to deterioration of the balcony structure and significant defects occur, such as concrete spalling. 
• Accumulation of calcium crystals and salts, known as “Efflorescence” occurs on balcony surfaces only in the presence of water. 
• The waterproofing product chosen should have comparable expansion capabilities as the balcony structure itself, strongly adheres all surfaces and create a permanent water tight bond around all balcony edges and surfaces. 
• Poorly detailed balcony surface transitions, interfaces and penetrations can lead to water ingress into occupied spaces below which in turn may lead to serious structural damage.

Building Services Australia (BSA) regularly come across recurring issues that cause waterproofing failure: 

• Inadequately waterproof detailing from balcony to wall interfaces. 
• Using cheap (inferior) waterproofing products that are not suitable.  
• Railing post and penetrations causing water ingress due to poor preparation and detailing. 
• Failure to pick up building defects through the building surveyors inspection process.

• Commercial Waterproofing - Remedial Construction & Waterproofing specialist. 
• Registered Building Practitioner providing maintenance, repairs and remedial.
• Waterproofing projects for all sectors in construction, industrial & infrastructure.

• Balcony Waterproofing Repairs
• Building Works & Restoration
• Insurance repairs & Refurbishments