Balcony waterproofing membrane.

[BBob]

Leaky balcony redo repair.
Looking at Schluter or Redgard. Preferences? Anything else you’d consider? Any additional tips are welcome too

Edit: The balconies are tiled and will be re-tiled after the repairs. I need to look to see what's actually there and what sort of original material thickness we're working with and have room for.

 

[TaperPin]

The two part systems made for plywood decks is the best - that’s what all the new houses use. There’s a water based product, GacoDeck, that is much more DIY friendly. Between the best and GacoDeck there are a lot of products, but suppliers report problems with many of them.

Not really designed to be a walkable surface, but really tough, is laticrete Hydroban - rated as a liquid pond liner and often used under tile. Many times as durable as Redguard and somewhat spendy. For a long time Hydroban has been the gold standard for tile.

 

[Beendare]

I wouldn't trust the Redguard for that.

I would use bituthane or equal heavy continuous barrier.

 

[longspeak74]

Another vote for bituthane.
Been in the building trades for 3 decades.

 

[BBob]

Thanks for the responses. This is something I’ve never dealt with before so I’m not up on materials at all. I’ll look into the Bituthene

 

[BBob]

So another question. These decks/balconies are tiled and will be re-tiled after the waterproofing repair. I see the Bituthene can’t be tiled directly over it. Is it possible to still use Bituthene and tile? Some sort of substrate over it?

I see it requires a thin hardboard and a reinforced mortar bed over the Bituthene to tile it.

 

[Beendare]

Thanks for the responses. This is something I’ve never dealt with before so I’m not up on materials at all. I’ll look into the Bituthane

Its sold in different thickness and configurations…bulletproof stuff but hard to work with when its cold

 

[HbDane]

Hotmop for waterproofing. Float deck with deck mud using dry pack method with slope for drainage and tile over it. You can add a step by applying red guard or something similar over float as a crack isolation membrane if you want.

 

[displacedtexan]

Of those two... Schulter.

I'd want more information to make a decision though.

 

[BBob]

Its sold in different thickness and configurations…bulletproof stuff but hard to work with when its cold

Just to be clear is this the stuff you are talking about?

BITUTHENE® Post-Applied Waterproofing | GCP Applied Technologies

A self-adhesive waterproofing product with 50 years of real-world tested performance. Discover Butene Post Applied waterproofing now.

gcpat.com

GCP Applied Technologies Bituthene 4000 36 in. x 66.7 ft. Roll System Waterproof Membrane and Conditioner (200 sq. ft.) 5003004 - The Home Depot

Bituthene 4000 is a self-adhesive HDPE waterproofing membrane with super tacky compound for use with patented, water-based Bituthene System 4000 Surface Conditioner. The Bituthene System 4000 200 sq. ft. Waterproof Membrane and Conditioner is a flexible, pre-formed membrane designed for...

www.homedepot.com

 

[3Esski]

You said "balconies" as in multiple. Are you doing this as a contractor or a homeowner? If this a a contract job, my suggestion is decline the work. The liability is massive, especially if these balconies are over occupied space. There are methods listed in the NTCA handbook for exterior tile, if you don't employ one of the approved methods, you are literally putting your business on the line here. If your a homeowner doing this, there are likley legal consequences if you sell the home and there is a failure. I just dealt with a similar situation and had product reps from Schluter tell me basically what I just said here.

 

[loganwayne]

^ i agree with above. Tile on exterior areas over living space is a bad idea. no matter the system you use you will have a leak again at some point. If your in an area where freezing can occur its going to happen faster.

only time that there hasn't been a leak is if a continuous concrete slab was poured from the inside to the outside and sloped but it is most likely to late to do that.

Schulter has a no leak guarantee... only if you use 100% of their system and have receipts. as well as being a certified installer of their system. Then they are still going to say it was install error.

 

[Nine Banger]

Schluter of those 2 choices.

In our region for residential most contractors would be using Gaco (siliconized) or one of the latex guys (Sealoflex, Aguaseal, Hydrostop, etc...these are essentially all the same)

Tile shops will have generic versions of these types of products that get painted on a membrane too.

I wouldn't use oil based product as mentioned above it will bleed thru certain types of tile, perhaps even years later or the mortar won't bond with it properly.

Pull the patio doors out of their openings and flash all the way up under the pan or do this again in 6-10 years.

 

[Weldor]

BBob, ironic about the balconies. House down the the hill had major leaks during the monsoons. Flat tile roof over the garage and mother in law suite. As in patio area as a roof over the garage. Tile and grout. Leaked since they purchased it 10 years ago, they band aided it and now it's time to pay the piper. The only contractor that will touch it recommends Q deck and concrete. No cheap fixes here.

 

[BBob]

The only contractor that will touch it

That in itself is part of the problem. Most don't want anything to do with it.