Waterproofing inspection in Box Hill

Stage6 of 7

When to bookAfter the membrane is applied and before any tile is laid

Time on siteAbout 1 hour on site

Inspected againstAS 3740 (waterproofing of domestic wet areas), AS 3958 (tiling), NCC Volume Two Part 10.2

What is included in a Box Hill waterproofing inspection

Membrane coverage across the floor and up the walls
Wall upturn heights at the shower and against hobs
Hob, threshold and step-down details
Bond breakers at wall and floor junctions
Floor waste flange bedded and sealed to the membrane
Falls to the floor waste and shower screed
Penetrations for taps, wastes and shower rails sealed
Membrane cure, damage and coverage before tiling
Primer and substrate preparation where visible
Set-down depth against the finished floor level
Junctions to baths, screens and vanities
Laundry, powder room and ensuite treated to the same standard

Why it matters here

Waterproofing inspections on Box Hill builds

If this site has one message it is this one. Pinholes are the most common waterproofing finding we record in Box Hill, across job after job: in shower recesses, at hobs, in niches, at entries, in powder rooms. A pinhole is a break in the membrane the size of a pen tip. It survives a glance and it fails a proper look with light behind it. Add bond breakers left out of junctions, puddle flanges not sealed, screed that does not fall to the waste and terminations stopped short, and you have the whole catalogue of why wet areas fail two years after handover.

What we find at this stage in Box Hill

Pinholes through the membrane in showers, hobs and niches
Bond breakers not installed at junctions
Puddle flanges not properly sealed to the membrane
Screed not falling to the waste
Membrane termination short of the required height

Screed falls checked before tiling, Box Hill — Screed falls checked before tiling

Sample findings

Sample defects found during our waterproofing inspections in Box Hill

Annotated findings from Waterproofing inspections on Box Hill builds. Client addresses withheld.

Pinholes in a waterproofing membrane, recorded during a waterproofing inspection in Box Hill — Pinholes through a shower membrane

Pinholes to a niche membrane, recorded during a waterproofing inspection in Box Hill — Pinholes in a shower niche

Bond breaker not installed, recorded during a waterproofing inspection in Box Hill — Bond breaker missing at a junction

Puddle flange, recorded during a waterproofing inspection in Box Hill — Puddle flange not sealed to the membrane

The other stages of a Box Hill build

All construction stage inspections in Box Hill →

Guides

Construction stage guides for Box Hill

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FAQ

Waterproofing inspections in Box Hill: common questions

What actually is a pinhole?

A break in the applied membrane roughly the size of a pen tip, usually from a bubble in the coat or debris under it. It is a hole in a layer whose entire job is to have no holes.

How do you find them?

Close visual inspection across the whole membrane, with light, rather than a walk through the room. It is slow and it is the reason this inspection is worth booking separately.

Why does a bond breaker matter?

At a junction where two surfaces move against each other, the membrane needs to span the joint rather than be glued to both sides. Without a bond breaker the membrane is stretched at exactly the point it is most likely to tear.

Which standard applies?

AS 3740 for waterproofing of domestic wet areas, read with the National Construction Code and the ABCB Housing Provisions, alongside your contract and the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2017.

Do you flood test?

No. A flood test is intrusive and sits with the waterproofer as part of their own procedure. We inspect visually and by hand, which is what identifies the failures listed above.

What happens if the tiler has begun?

We inspect the areas still open and say plainly which were already covered and therefore not assessed. A membrane we could not see is a membrane we will not report on.