If at all you are planning to have a garden on your terrace, you need to have waterproofing done. Waterproofing can be easily be done by application of waterproofing polymer coating on concrete slab/surface. But this coating is done on concrete. Once a waterproof polymer coating is done, home owners can plan for a small garden on terrace.

Are Tiles flooring on Terrace good option ?

One cannot do waterproof coating on tiles. That is, if the terrace is done with tiling, waterproofing treatment cannot be done on finished surface. Simple reason being, if tiles happens to break or come out in future, the waterproof film would come out along with it. This will cause water leakage problems then. Waterproof coating needs to be applied on concrete surface only.

Remove old existing Bituminous Coating

If at all the terrace is treated with any other applications like a patch of tar (dambar in hindi), bituminous coating, etc. then that layer needs to be broken. The first and very basic step to waterproofing is application of polymer coating on concrete surface. The thickness of this polymer coating layer is around 2mm. The waterproof polymer coating is available in liquid form like paint. This polymer is mixed with cement and then applied on concrete surface. Since the polymer is mixed with cement it takes the color of that of cement.

Concrete on top of Polymer coating

The polymer coating is left for a days’ time to dry and settle. Next day a 2” layer of screet concrete is applied. Concretes are available in different grades from 10 to 100. Here M-20 grade concrete is used by most of them. But this layer in not just concrete. It’s a mixture of Integral Waterproofing Compound and concrete. The silicate of integral waterproofing compound comes in contact with calcium of cement to form calcium silicate. This compound of calcium silicate chain fills up the gaps of porous surface thus providing strength to surface.

The terrace edges or skirting is given similar treatment of waterproofing as terrace flooring to protect against water leakage.

For bigger terraces add Fiber net

For big terrace structure, a fiber net is installed. This net is very thin like mosquito net that is sandwiched between two polymer coating layers. i.e. The procedure of water proofing is the same as previous one. The only difference is that after step one i.e. after first polymer coating layer, the fiber net in installed followed by 2nd layer of polymer coating.

Installation of fiber net is essential especially for huge terrace. Installing fiber net adds to strength and reinforcement to structures.