Crystalline Waterproofing

One of the magazines I started reading is "Waterproofing Magazine." In the newest issue there is a very good article titled "The Basics of Integral Crystalline Waterproofing" by Sunny Shao. In it is described the basics of how crystalline waterproofing works. The article explains that the crystals grow, filling the pours of the concrete. It can be as an admixture to the concrete or applied to the surface later.

In my experiences with crystalline waterproofing products, I have found that they work well in certain circumstances. Rules that I have found out about them are they require water to work. Which according to the article is true. They take a little time to work with the water. They also do not stop large cracks. I had a customer that used some ICW (Integral Crystalline Waterproofing) in a fountain. A few days later he was called by the owner that the fountain was leaking. It was suggested that he wait about another week and it would no longer leak. There was plenty of water in the fountain and it stopped leaking because the ICW had plenty of water. Another time I had a customer with a concrete flat roof on a house with living space below. He bought some to mix with the concrete, not from me, and as he was building the house he noticed every time it rained that the concrete roof leaked. I told him there was not enough constant water coming through the roof for the ICW to work and grow to stop the leaks. Lucky for me that I sell a good deck coating and got that sale.

I tried to get the whole article online at

http://www.waterproofmag.com/index.php

I never made it to the online article because of the way they have it set up to get the catalog online. However, there are 3 articles that you can read "Green Roofs ", "Deep Foundations" and "Dimple Membranes."