After 20 years waterproofing Australian bathrooms, I’ve seen improperly sealed showers and leaky plumbing ruins tens of thousands worth of renovations and possessions countless times. Yet clients often question why professional waterproofers need to open up freshly tiled walls or concrete to check barrier installations meet stringent standards. Isn’t examining the surface grout enough? Here’s why auditing water barriers behind the visible finishes matters so much.
While beautiful new tiles may temporarily hide flaws, inferior waterproofing quality shows itself eventually. Improperly secured sheet membranes tear at seams. Inadequate coats of paints and liquid sealants let moisture pass through. Rushed jobs skip key layers or leave tiny gaps at corners and penetrations that turn into major leaks. Water invades unseen spots for months before traces seep out visible tile grout lines.
But by then, huge damage brews inside walls and below floors. Uncontrolled moisture Loosens plaster and drywall screws. Swells wooden studs and door jambs. Warps cabinet boxes. Corrodes pipes and wires. This destruction often exceeds $15,000, especially if mould spreads through HVAC systems into the rest of the home before getting caught.
Tiling over questionable water barriers is like placing expensive crown moulding and floors atop a cracked home foundation. It merely masks structural shortcomings bound to undermine everything you built on top, sometimes catastrophically. Only opening up walls exposes whether shower membranes got correctly secured under prep tiles or sealant beads fully contact penetrations. Don’t blindly trust waterproofing under wraps.
This is why Australian Standards mandate checking bundled shower linings or visually tracing painted barriers on slab edges before closing them up. I know verifying installation compliance takes more time and work upfront. But confirming waterproofing systems appropriately manage leaks according to legal obligations behind the scenes cuts off exorbitant expenses later. Because just a few improperly sealed sections eventually washes away thousands in overlooked DIY savings or subpar contractor cutting corners. Simply put – audit your water barriers, not just the beautiful finishes covering them up!
