Waterproofing Coatings and Sealants

If you are experiencing water intrusion, then water is coming in through your roof or walls. A leaky roof is fairly simple to pinpoint. Leaky walls can be trickier. For example, brick buildings often have wall leaks that are hard to identify. Look at transitions between brick courses, at corners, and where brick meets other materials. If your “caulk” looks to be cracked, it could be a water entry point. In this case, a clear, penetrating sealer is a good solution.

Expansion joints are designed to prevent your masonry from cracking by allowing your building to shift and flex with ground movement and temperature changes. If your expansion joint’s caulk is damaged, it can’t do its job.

To replace it, fist the old caulk must be cut out. The sides of the joint where the old caulk was must be prepared so that new sealant will adhere properly. A neoprene “backer rod” will be inserted into the joint to act as filler and give your new sealant something to join with. Finally, new sealant will be installed and “tooled” smooth for a clean-edged, nice-looking finish.

No. Regular paint seals external surfaces and some varieties feature water repellent properties, but a true waterproof coating (often referred to as an elastomeric coating) is thicker and heavier bodied, with a high solids content. This heavier build fills cracks and creates a thick, stretchy barrier that expands and contracts with the building itself and prevents water penetration from downpours and even wind-driven rain.

There’s a lot of variables to how long waterproofing may last.  Expansion joints, caulks and sealants have a very long lifespan: 20+ years, if the correct product was installed for the project and the building doesn’t experience extreme movement. Clear penetrating sealers last anywhere from 1-7 years, depending on the quality of product applied. Film building waterproof coatings and paints have a typical life span of 5-10 years, depending on the quality of product installed and the environmental conditions.