Cement Based Waterproofing of Toilet Floors – Procedure and Testing

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Cement Based waterproofing of toilet floors helps to stops the ingress of water flushing. This is one of the easiest and conventional methods of waterproofing which is gaining popularity due to its ease of construction. Cement Based waterproofing products are easy to mix and apply. Cement Based waterproofing are readily available products and easily mixed with cement mortar or concrete.

Waterproofing Toilet Floors with Cement Mortar and Concrete

Below mentioned are the procedure to waterproof the toilet floors with cement mortars.

1. Initially, the surface of the floor slabs of the toilet must be cleaned from dust, loose material etc. The surface must be washed properly.
2. Over this clean and damp surface, a screed of cement mortar of mix ratio 1:3 is applied. The mix is combined with a waterproofing agent. The thickness laid can be 20mm.
3. The continuity of joints can be avoided by laying a brickbat layer with an average thickness of 115mm. The bedding for this must be 10mm. The jointing must be performed with a waterproof cement mortar of mix ration 1:3.
4. The layer is made with a slope to move water to the drain. The layer prepared is allowed to cure for 3 days before laying the next layer.
5. Final layer can be made with the concrete layer of thickness 40mm with mix ratio 1:2:4. The aggregate size of this mix ranges from 3 to 6mm.
6. The cement tiles are laid over the same with mortar of ratio 1:2.
7. The layer is cured for 21 days by flooding the water maintained at a depth of 25mm.

Note: Water-repellent types and waterproofing additives can be combined with cement used for the floor slabs. The additives added can be either in liquid form or in powder form. The proportion of additives is as per the manufacturer's specifications. Read More: Waterproofing Toilet Floors

Advantages of Cement-Based Waterproofing

The main advantages of employing cement based waterproofing are:

1. Materials are easily available in the market
2. A cheap waterproofing method
3. A properly cured floor will give a watertight concrete or cement floor.
4. This method of waterproofing does not require highly skilled labor

Testing of Cement-Based Waterproof Floors

Waterproofing of slabs shall be tested by ponding the surface with water to a depth of 50 mm for 48 hours or longer. This tests the water tightness of the floor. The test is found satisfactory if there is no leakage and there is no damp patches observed on the surface of the floor. The waterproofing shall be considered satisfactory if no leaks or damp patches show on the soffit. The waterproofing material used for this must be either a polymer modified cementitious coating or any approved liquid coating. As per EN 12390, the material must conform to the permeability tests. As per the tests, no leakage must be observed after 24 hours. This statement is followed for waterproofing treatment conducted for toilets and bathrooms, basically wet areas. Read more on Specifications