When it comes to waterproofing walls outside, most property owners believe that these works are complex and painstaking, and only professionals can do it. Therefore, the waterproofing composition is rarely applied to the walls.
Today, owners of structures understand that such coverage extends the life of any building. If you treat it externally with hydrophobic compounds, then moisture will not be able to penetrate the pores of the materials, which will keep them dry. This is especially important in winter, when moisture, penetrating inside, freezes and begins to tear walls. In order to avoid such troubles, you should familiarize yourself with how the walls are waterproofed from the outside.
Features of external waterproofing
Outdoor waterproofing should begin with surface preparation. This is especially true for bricks and concrete. It is necessary to remove dirt, the remains of an old covering, and also greasy stains from these materials. If necessary, the surfaces are leveled.
All irregularities should be repaired with cement mortar. Before waterproofing the walls of the house, the bases must be dried and coated with a primer. This composition must match the waterproofing coating. For example, if you apply bitumen or paint, the mixture is diluted with gasoline and cover the walls with it.
External surfaces and below ground level need waterproofing. To do this, you can use asphalt mixtures. After solidification, they form a durable moisture-resistant layer that can undergo high loads. The composition can also be used to cover walls, but only outside, since the smell of bitumen in the room is superfluous.
An excellent protective effect can be achieved with a waterproofing membrane. It is an elastic thin film that covers surfaces. If the bath is waterproofed, then the material at the base of the walls should be taken into account. For example, in the case of wood, wood impregnations are commonly used.
After drying, the surface is varnished. More recently, penetrating compounds that act on solid materials have been used to waterproof walls from the outside. They penetrate and clog capillary passages, depriving moisture of the ability to rise up.
The choice of material for external waterproofing
If you plan to do waterproofing work on brick walls, then in addition they need to be cleaned with sandblasting equipment or a metal brush. Before applying the waterproofing coating, the material is wetted with water. This procedure will remove dust from the surface.
Waterproofing a brick wall may include the use of bituminous coating mastic. An alternative solution is the sticking of roll materials, among them should be highlighted:
- bicrost;
- roofing material;
- hydrostekloizol.
It is also possible to apply a layer of penetrating waterproofing with a spray on the walls. If these options are not available to you, then the walls can be plastered with cement mortar, adding hydrophobic additives to it. To protect the walls from moisture above the ground, plaster and facing materials should be used according to the type:
- sandstone;
- plastic;
- ceramic tiles;
- porcelain stoneware;
- artificial stone.
Waterproofing the facade of a wooden house
As a material for waterproofing the walls of a wooden house, plaster acts, which is one of the most durable among alternative solutions. It is applied to prepared and cleaned walls, and waterproof plasters should be used in the process. Application is carried out with a spatula on a dirt surface.
The thickness of the layer can vary from 2 to 5 cm. The application of waterproofing on the walls of a wooden house can be carried out in several layers. Each of them needs to be allowed to dry well. The material is considered resistant to cracking, but is not protected from mechanical influences. A layer of special primer can be applied on top of such plaster, and then paint. The complexity of this process is one of the most complex.
Waterproofing the facade of concrete and brick
Brick is a very porous material, therefore it is able to absorb moisture like a sponge. It is brick walls that come into contact with the soil that are particularly destructive. Along the perimeter of the walls, a layer of gluing or lining waterproofing is laid on the foundation. It can be roofing material, which is glued to the molten bitumen, and the latter can be applied with a brush.
The waterproofing of the brick wall should be performed if some part of it is in contact with the ground. To do this, you can apply one of the existing technologies. For example, coating materials include mastic or molten bitumen. You can use rubber or synthetic resins.
Mastic is also applied by spraying, however, for this you should rent or purchase a compressor. The composition is perfectly applied with a brush or roller. Coating waterproofing can be applied after cleaning the surface from the influx of mortar and dirt. Then the primer is applied for the primer. It is a liquid solution of bitumen and gasoline.
The waterproofing of the walls outside in the next step involves the application of cold bitumen mastic or hot bitumen. If necessary, a second layer can be formed. The thickness of the waterproofing should not be less than 2 mm. The thickness of the reinforced layer can be checked by cutting out a square with dimensions of 20x20 mm. Its thickness is measured with a ruler or micrometer.
Specialist recommendations
The waterproofing of concrete walls on the outside may include the use of adhesive materials. Sometimes they are Aquaizol. The difference between it and the roofing material is that the latter is glued to a layer of hot bitumen, which is previously applied to the wall. Aquaizol is glued onto a pre-warmed wall.
The surface should be primed with a bitumen primer. The overlap of the strips should be 10 cm. It is with these parameters that the roofing material also fits. As soon as the waterproofing sheet is on the wall, it should be smoothed out and air bubbles removed.
More about external waterproofing of concrete and brick walls
Before using gluing waterproofing, it is necessary to take into account its weak point - these are the joints between the canvases. Therefore, experts recommend treating them with bitumen or mastic applied in two layers. In order to protect the facade of concrete and brick, which is located above the ground level, you must first protect the base, apply decorative plaster to the walls, and then process the walls with protective solutions.
The waterproofing of the external walls necessarily provides for the protection of the basement, to act in this case must be comprehensive. It is necessary to equip the foundation blind area and protect the walls at the meter level from the blind area. Protection should exclude the impact on the material of melt and storm water. Such procedures should also be carried out in relation to the waterproofing of retaining walls, which will accept the removal of storm drains from the adjacent areas. For this, plaster waterproofing is usually used. A solution of cement and sand blocks pores and microcracks.
The choice of composition
On sale you can find moisture-proofing paint compositions that belong to the group of emulsions, paints and synthetic varnishes. Among other varieties of such mixtures, mastics can be distinguished:
- bituminous;
- bitumen-polymer;
- polymer cement;
- polymer.
Among the ingredients of such waterproofing compositions, plasticizers should be distinguished that reduce the fragility of the layer at low temperatures. Dusty or fibrous fillers are present among the components to increase the softening temperature. Insulation is applied to a smooth or metal base. But for porous surfaces, the mixture is rarely used.
For reference
To improve adhesion, you can apply the composition to the base, which was previously coated with a primer impregnating composition. Mastic insulating mixtures are plastic waterproof materials that are made using different mastics. Such waterproofing of the external walls is applied manually or mechanically. The basis can be a variety of materials.
Conclusion
Any building needs protection from water. That is why it is necessary to waterproof the walls of the house. You can carry out such work yourself. Moreover, most of the materials today are designed in such a way that their application can be carried out not only mechanized, but also manually.