Multifamily construction is no stranger to volatility with annual project starts. In recent years, multifamily housing demand has skyrocketed from 96,000 starts in 2009 to over 400,000 starts in 2017. This increase in activity has renewed the age-old problem plaguing the construction industry: a shortage of skilled labor.
Waterproofing balconies is of particular concern due to the complexity of modern multifamily designs, the high cost of failures, and the prevalence of deficiencies. Subcontractors scrambling to deploy waterproofing crews are often faced with the difficult task of sufficiently training their field teams to be fully versed in the proper sequencing of waterproofing materials as well as balance the need for productivity to keep pace with demand.
A new apprentice in waterproofing must work months on a crew before becoming proficient in installing the products correctly and efficiently. Mastery of the skill can take years. On-the-job training without a formal course in waterproofing principles invariably results in defects in workmanship to become systematic due to incorrect training. These mistakes result in the worse type of catastrophic failures because the incorrect training results in the identical failure prone condition time and time again.
The consequences of a labor shortage and surging demand has resulted in the inevitable consequences of poor quality. Balconies that fail cost as much as 100 times the original expense to repair, depending on the degree of water damage incurred prior to repairs being made.
Formulated Materials worked with industry experts, subcontractors, and designers to develop a fully seamless waterproofing system that is designed to shorten the duration of apprenticeship and speed up productivity. The Elevation® One Seamless Waterproofing System simplifies the steps required to efficiently waterproof complex balcony conditions. In addition to being a more simplified installation, the Elevation® brand system eliminates the primary cause of leaks in balconies: seams in the system where adjacent materials must be overlapped and sealed.
Elevation Seamless Waterproofing Membrane is highly elastic over a wide range of temperatures, is resistant to UV exposure, requires no special mixing or dosing of catalysts, is water cured, and most importantly, is easy to install. Because it is fully adhered to the substrate, water cannot migrate laterally under the membrane if by chance a quality control mistake occurs. Finally, because it is seamless, it is impossible for wrinkles in the membrane (such as those present in sheet membranes) to create “fishmouths” that allow water to penetrate the system.
A new waterproofing tradesman must only understand a few basic principals in order to begin waterproofing balconies correctly.
- Installation of flashing materials
- Proper tooling of the waterproofing membrane to the desired thickness
- How and where to terminate the fluid seamless waterproofing materials
- Proper installation of T-bar and flood testing
In short, the Elevation Seamless waterproofing methodology is less complicated, more easily learned by tradesman, fast installed, and is fully seamless. Formulated Materials supplies all the essential components in this proprietary system, as well as offers classroom and field training to its network of licensed dealers. Interested in learning more? Contact us to get in touch with a licensed Elevation dealer.
