Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/687429
J UNE 2016 | 51 Waterproofing O Waterproofing products remain versatile and dependable by PETER STENNING Breathe Easy PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MAXXON CANADA One would be hard-pressed to find a company that excels in providing the full range of waterproofing that is required in any residential or commercial construc- tion/renovation project. It's not the fault of the service sector; rather, the sheer scope of systems that fall under the broad category of waterproofing is literally too big to mention in detail, let alone provide under one roof. Robert Matich, sales manager, Western Canada, construction systems for BASF, points out, "Many types of waterproofing are not as high-profile as, say, roof construction, and parking deck coatings are a good example: traffic deck membranes are required by the National Building Code of Canada for all parking structures, and this is fairly obvious out East, where severe weather can cause water and salt degradation to the point of parkade collapse. "But deck membranes are equally important in moderate climates like Vancouver – perhaps even more so than in Winnipeg, which experiences one big freeze and then one big thaw yearly. Places like Vancouver can routinely undergo several freeze-thaw cycles over the course of a winter, which in theory exposes structures to greater water and salt intrusion. Plus, people in rela- tively newer cities like Vancouver may not appreciate the damage of such intrusion, because their buildings aren't as old as those found in Toronto or Montreal." Matich goes on to note that many opportunities exist to enhance waterproofing, depending on the application. "Residential foundations have 'damp- proofing' that can be improved with dimple drainage, which reduces the risk of hydrostatic pressure causing water ingress. This solution has become a big part of our business at BASF." Matich says, "We also do a lot of business with our waterproof acrylic paints for building exteriors. These paints, which contain elastomers, can provide as much as 36 inches of concrete cover; by comparison, the standard concrete thickness between the rebar inside a wall system and the exterior is only one inch." In short, BASF is as close to a one-stop waterproof- ing solution provider as any designer or builder can expect. To take a single brand developed by the com- pany that accurately sums up its reason for being as "We Create Chemistry," the MasterSeal product fam- ily includes high-performance waterproofing and seal- ant products that safeguard structures from water ingress, moisture and environmental contaminants. The versatility of these innovative, fast-curing hand and spray-applied technologies address the refurbish- ment and protection needs of a variety of structures. Moisture seepage through floors is another impor- tant aspect of waterproofing, and it almost goes with- out saying that Maxxon Canada, which became known as a flooring specialist since first developing the Gyp- Crete underlayment in 1972, is an ideal source for moisture product solutions. The Maxxon DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) and Maxxon MVP (Moisture Vapour Protection) are each a two-component, moisture tolerant, high density, chemically enhanced epoxy that prevents the passage of water vapour and moisture through concrete floors and walls, on or below grade. Properly applied (most projects require only one coat, with the underlayment system installed the following day), DPM and MVP eliminate delamination of adhesives, floor coverings and coatings, and they also prevent capillary infiltra- tion of oil or other chemicals from the ground. They can also be applied to wet or dry concrete. Of the two products, MVP is low viscosity and solvent-free. Durabond is another industry mainstay for reliable building solutions, with its Durex brand of products comprised of only high-quality materials and rigor- ously tested to ensure resiliency. Given that the com- pany has been in business for half a century, its line of moisture protection is extensive and ranges from penetrating sealers to masonry coating, and from air/ vapour barrier membranes to traffic bearing water- proofing coatings. The Durex Dur-A-Seal line of sealers is especially relied on to maintain the integrity of areas that are most susceptible to water damage due to high traf- fic and exposure to the elements. For example, Durex Silane WRS 100 is a penetrating monomeric silane solution capable of forming a water-repelling layer on and in the surface of masonry and concrete. The deep penetration protects from weathering, ultravi- olet radiation and abrasion, plus it enables concrete and masonry to breathe, therefore reducing corrosion activity – and making Durex Silane WRS 100 especially effective on parkades, ramps and traffic decks. Durex is equally valued as a vapour barrier: Durex Green Guard, a liquid applied, water-based copoly- mer rubber air/vapour barrier, cures to form a tough, seamless, elastomeric membrane resistant to vapour transmission within a building envelope, and its versa- tility of application (it can be applied to most common surfaces and integrated into various wall systems) makes it ideal for new construction or restoration. Brian Salazar, national business development man- ager for Euclid Canada, cites the recent MThree resi- dential complex built by Cressey Development Group in Coquitlam, B.C. as a prime example of a facility that benefits significantly from the use of the high per- forming integral crystalline waterproofing admixture Eucon Vandex AM-10. "For one thing, the building sits in close proximity to a body of water on a high water table," he says. Salazar goes on to point out that the 47-storey MThree was designed to be on piles and have a raft slab above the water table. "Eucon Vandex was used as an extra precaution to minimize weeping from below," he says. "It was used in all the concrete around the entire core and the top one foot of the raft slab." Eucon Vandex AM-10 is specially formulated to interact with concrete capillary pore structures and provides a waterproofing system that is a permanent part of the concrete matrix; it can be used in above- and below-grade applications. Perhaps more than other construction solutions, waterproofing systems are constantly being improved and refined, to the point where their effectiveness is Single coat application of Maxxon MVP (Moisture Vapour Protection).