WATERPROOFING & SEALING
Waterproof Coatings & Sealing Services
✓ NC License #82081 ✓ Fully insured ✓ ISNetworld · Avetta · MSHA
Our Clients Include
Let’s keep water where it belongs
Sometimes water intrusion starts with a dramatic failure, but not always. A hairline crack, a worn-out joint sealant, or an old coating is all it needs. And by the time water shows up, it’s usually been finding its way inside for a while.
Effective waterproofing and sealing comes down to two main things: protecting the surfaces water hits, and sealing the gaps where two materials meet. We handle both.
Finding the leak is half the job
Roof leaks are fairly easy to pin down, but wall leaks are a bit sneakier. Water can enter at one point, travel along the inside of a wall, and surface somewhere entirely different, which is why chasing the stain rarely fixes the problem.
Brick and masonry buildings are especially good at hiding entry points. The usual suspects are the transitions, where one brick course meets the next, at corners, and anywhere brick meets a different material. If the sealant in those spots looks cracked or shrunken, you've likely found a way in. That’s why we start every job by diagnosing the building, not by reaching for a product, because the right fix depends entirely on where and how the water is getting through.
What are the benefits of a commercial roof coating?
A coated roof earns its keep in more than one way:
Waterproofing the surfaces. Walls take the brunt of wind-driven rain, and the right product depends on the surface and the problem:
- Clear penetrating sealers soak into brick and masonry and repel water without changing how the wall looks, ideal when you want protection you can't see.
- Film-building coatings lay down a visible protective layer for surfaces that need more than a penetrating sealer can offer.
- Elastomeric waterproof coatings are the heavy hitters: thick, high-solids, and stretchy enough to bridge cracks and flex with the building through wind-driven rain and temperature swings.
Sealing the joints. Anywhere two materials meet is a built-in weak point, and expansion joints are designed to move as your building shifts with temperature and settling. That's their job. But the sealant inside them doesn't last forever. It degrades, cracks, and pulls away, and once it does, water seeps in, freezes, thaws, and widens the gap until it's a real problem.
Replacing it properly is its own craft: cut out the old sealant, prep the joint faces so the new material bonds, set a backer rod to fill the gap and give the sealant something to work against, then install and tool it smooth. Skip a step and it fails early. Done right, a good joint seal lasts decades.
Why facility managers trust Custom Coatings
35+ years finding water in Carolina buildings
Water intrusion is a diagnosis before it's a repair, and three decades of experience means we usually know where to look first.
We diagnose before we sell
You get an assessment, a site visit, and a recommendation based on where the water is actually coming from, not a default product.
We focus on prep
Most waterproofing and sealant failures trace back to skipped surface prep. We consider those early stages to be a critical part of the process.
We tell you the honest lifespan
Different products last different amounts of time, and we'll tell you straight what to expect from each before you decide.
How long do sealers and waterproofing systems last?
It really depends on each solution. That's not a dodge, it's the whole basis for choosing well:
- Expansion joints, caulks, and sealants: 20+ years, when the right product is installed and the building doesn't see extreme movement.
- Clear penetrating sealers: 1 to 7 years, depending on product quality.
- Film-building coatings and waterproof paints: 5 to 10 years, depending on the product and the conditions it faces.
Matching the right product to the right surface, and being honest about how long each buys you, is most of what a good waterproofing plan is.
We work with commercial and industrial properties across western North Carolina, from Charlotte and Hickory up to Boone and Asheville.
Project example
View a recent waterproofing & sealing project
Project: Schneider Electric
Location: Morrisville, NC
Client Type: Industrial Equipment Manufacturer
Project Summary: Custom Coatings completed a large-scale exterior waterproofing and restoration project using Sherwin-Williams Loxon XP Elastomeric Coatings to protect the building from moisture intrusion and weather exposure. The project included pressure washing, extensive surface preparation, crack routing and sealing, rust treatment, priming, and the application of a high-build waterproof coating system designed to bridge hairline cracks and provide long-term protection. The completed system improved the building's appearance while creating a durable, water-resistant exterior envelope.
FAQ's
How do I know if my building needs waterproofing?
Stains, musty smells, discoloration, or standing water are the obvious signs. On brick and masonry, check the transitions between courses, the corners, and anywhere brick meets another material. Cracked or shrunken sealant in those spots is a common entry point. If you're seeing any of it, an assessment is worth it before the water finds insulation or interior finishes.
Is paint the same as waterproofing?
No, and it's a costly thing to get wrong. Regular paint seals a surface and some types resist water, but a true waterproof coating, often elastomeric, is thicker, heavier-bodied, and high in solids. That build is what lets it fill cracks and form a stretchy barrier that expands and contracts with the building and holds up to wind-driven rain. Paint can't do that, no matter how many coats go on.
How do you replace an expansion joint?
Carefully, and in order. The old sealant gets cut out, the joint faces are prepped so the new sealant will actually bond, a backer rod goes in to fill the gap and give the sealant something to seat against, and then the new sealant is installed and tooled smooth. The prep is the part that matters most. A joint that's just caulked over without it tends to fail within a season or two.
How long will waterproofing last?
It depends on the solution, and the range is wide on purpose. Expansion joints and quality sealants can go 20 years or more. Clear penetrating sealers run 1 to 7 years, film-building coatings and paints 5 to 10, both depending on product quality and conditions. The right answer for your building comes down to which surfaces need protecting and what they're up against, which is what an assessment sorts out.
