A house built with love, needs protection, and, above all, from moisture. The quality of the waterproofing depends on how long the foundation and the roof last. Among all the variety of modern materials, there is one that provides hermetic seamless protection against water even in hard-to-reach places and on complex surfaces at an affordable price - this is bitumen mastic.
Nowadays, bitumen mastic is a "cocktail" made of natural bitumen( one of the refined products) and synthetic modifying components that increase the life of the coating, adhesion to the surface and ease of application. It is suitable not only for waterproofing of surfaces made of brick, concrete and wood, but for plastering irregularities, filling cracks, gluing roofing material, membrane. Mastic has such obvious advantages as high elasticity, the ability to retain almost any surface, the absence of cracks and faults for a long time, immunity to aggressive influences of the environment.
Types of mastics
Modern mastics of various manufacturers, having a basis of bitumen, differ in properties and composition of additives. Main groups:
- bituminous mastics - traditional inexpensive material,
- bituminous rubber mastics - coating with increased elasticity and resistance to external influences,
- bituminous emulsion mastics - designed for pre-treatment of surfaces before waterproofing, also called "primers"( they can be read here), have a more liquid consistency,
- bitumen-polymer mastics - compounds with additives made of artificial rubber, plasticizers, solvents, increasing the timeand the quality of the coating.
According to the method of application, the mastics are divided into cold and hot. For hot mastic coating, its preheating with a gas burner or in a special tank is required, the advantage of cold mastics is that they do not require this time-consuming and dangerous operation. However, heated mastics penetrate faster and deeper into the pores of the processed material, they can be recommended in cases where increased protection is required and heating equipment is available.
There are one- and two-component mastics. The former are completely ready for application, they must only be mixed thoroughly before use. The second requires the addition of an active compound, after which they begin to rapidly solidify. The advantage of two-component mastics in a longer shelf life is over a year, while for single-component mastics it is significantly less.
Bituminous mastic, intended directly for waterproofing, in its composition has a sealant, which after hardening forms a dense protective layer. Also, it may include antiseptics and herbicides for additional protection of the building against mold.
Calculating the amount of
Buying bitumen mastic, it is worth considering that its consumption varies greatly from brand, manufacturer and, most importantly, from the material and porosity of the surface. On average, it is 250 g / m2.Mastic is applied to improve the waterproofing in two layers. Before purchasing, it should be clarified whether primer primer needs to be primed beforehand, as well as additional dilution with solvents.
Waterproofing with mastic
Bituminous mastic is applied quite simply without the use of special equipment. Previously, the surface is thoroughly cleaned of debris and dust, completely dried, although now there are mastics that can be covered with a damp surface. Mastic can be laid on the old bituminous coating, if it retained integrity, metal structures with traces of rust. Dangerous for the integrity of the mastic waterproofing the sharp protruding edges and edges, so before work it is necessary to make sure of their absence and to remove all tapering projections.
If necessary, first coat 1-2 coats of primer or primer with roller, brush or spray.
For cold mastic, a wide flat brush or roller, or a wide spatula for thicker formulations. It is possible to apply mastic in bulk with subsequent leveling, the main thing is to follow the uniform thickness of the coating. The layers must be integral, the strips should be parallel to each other. If the mastic is applied to a vertical surface, then it is made from the bottom up.
External waterproofing of the foundation and basement is done by applying 2-4 layers of bitumen mastic with a total thickness of 2 to 6 cm with reinforcement reinforcement mesh. The thickness of the coating depends on the depth of the foundation and the level of groundwater. For walls, 2 layers are enough. A new layer of mastic is applied only after the previous one has dried completely. The drying time depends on the composition of the product, the temperature and the humidity of the environment. The dried layer ceases to stick to your hands. Violation of this rule can lead to detachment or deterioration of adhesion of the mastic to the surface.
Correctly applied mastic will protect the foundation, basement, walls and roof for 20-50 years.