The waterproof membrane acts as a barrier that sits between the walls and floor of your house and the tiles in the shower or bathroom. However, you'll need more extensive waterproofing for horizontal surfaces if you want to prevent a shower from leaking. You must waterproof all the walls of the shower before laying the tiles. A tile backing or cement board is usually not waterproof, although many are water resistant.
The most effective and reliable solution is a separate waterproofing membrane on the primed shower walls before tiling. The tile is mostly waterproof. Natural stones will not, but porcelain tiles for the most part will not absorb water. Ceramic tiles installed on walls will spill most of the water.
Grout, on the other hand, stinks. Grout is sand that is bonded with Portland cement (with some exceptions: epoxy grout, unsanded grout, etc.) Therefore, it acts like sand and absorbs water as it flows across the surface of the grout. This means that when building your shower, you need to consider what the water will do when it passes through the grout and reaches the back wall. One of the best ways to ensure that your customer's building remains protected over time is to have a waterproof base.
A high-quality base waterproofing membrane serves as the most important barrier between concrete and the surrounding soil. It helps prevent water infiltration and can even resist harmful contaminants from entering the structure. Waterproofing can serve as a moisture barrier, but a moisture barrier does not necessarily qualify as a waterproofing barrier. Let's take a look at the benefits of having a waterproof base and how choosing the right waterproofing membrane will help protect your customer's investment.
Custom Building Products requires two coats of its Redgard liquid waterproofing on all waterproof surfaces. There are many commercial waterproofing options to choose from, which can make finding the right waterproofing membrane for your project a difficult task if your customers don't know what they're looking for.
