Cutting corners on waterproofing during civil works, especially if it’s a commercial building, not only means spending a fortune on future maintenance, but may also render it uninhabitable for commercial use during downtime. This means losses incurred by several businesses rather than just one property owner.
Following are all the possible waterproofing issues that could arise from construction.
1. Multi-Story Woes
If a tenant has the ordinary luck of renting any stories below the top one, they’re always at risk of cracks, mold, and other damage from poorly-proofed floors up above.
To sort this out, ADNOC approved contractors might have to be called in to apply a waterproofing membrane.
Before calling them, get to the source of the leakage and, if possible, plug it. You should be able to get to it on your own, but if it’s something like mopping up a leaky floor, we recommend staying away for your own safety.
2. The Penthouse Dilemma
If a tenant scores the top floor, they might have to live with constant leakage problems caused by water puddles on the roof. Sometimes, even the best drainage system has trouble getting rid of standing water that collects on an unevenly paved floor.
Such an issue should be addressed earlier on, depending on the material the roof is made of. Solutions include membranes, screws and bolts, repaving, and more.
3. Poor Installation
What good are contractors if they can’t even train their staff on installing waterproofing properly, so walls and ceilings are protected against heavy rainfall and bad plumbing?
If there’s damage around areas that lead to the outdoors, such as windows and balconies, it’s most likely because they were improperly waterproofed, proofed with the wrong product, or a poorly prepared membrane.
After repairing damages, be sure to have all the ceilings, crevices, windows, and balconies reproofed.
4. Quick Fix
Temporary solutions are not the way to deal with damaged structures because these can snowball into major damage, which might eat up entire walls, never mind your finances.
Regular maintenance is important for all buildings because even the most amazing architectural marvels out there can collapse if left to the external elements.
During maintenance visits, even the smallest cracks should be detected and repaired. After that, waterproofing should be reapplied.
Get Waterproofing Right with OQC’s Engineering and Construction Services
Buildings are different from movie sets because they are hardly ever taken down a few months after being erected. It is for this reason that you don’t want to take half measures on your waterproofing.
