Bottrop, 30.10.2007

To this day not enough attention is paid to the waterproofing of areas below grade. This can have terrible consequences for architects, developers and applicators.

Bottrop – Damages as a result of dampness are on the increase in the basements of Germany’s new buildings due to insufficient waterproofing. Once the first signs of efflorescence and mould make an appearance it is of little use to claim adherence to DIN 18195. Architects, developers and applicators are confronted with damage claims and may possibly have to pay for costly repair measures. Especially architects are able to prevent such risks by demanding waterproofing coatings in their tenders that should even exceed DIN standards. Such a solution does neither have to be more expensive nor is it more complex, as Nafuflex High Performance, the new high performance thermoplastic resin from MC Bauchemie demonstrates. This polymer-enhanced bituminous thick-coat system defines new safety standards with outstanding performance data in the waterproofing of areas below grade.

Exceeding the DIN standard by far
In practice building waterproofing below grade is frequently ineffective despite being applied in accordance with DIN 18195. For instance, crack formation occurs frequently because the crack bridging as demanded by the DIN norm is not capable of sufficiently balancing brickwork movement of two millimetres. Here, Nafuflex High Performance offers a degree of safety that is unsurpassed. The high performance thermoplastic achieves a crack bridging of up to three millimetres and thus exceeds the requirements of the common DIN norm by 50 percent.

Plasticity of -10° to 130° C
Nafuflex High Performance also sets new records in terms of plasticity. Based on the vastly improved cold bending behaviour building pits can be backfilled safely at a temperature of as little as -10 C°. Brittleness, often found in common bitumen coatings, thus becomes a thing of the past. MC Bauchemie has at the same token increased the heat resistance of its product innovation by 85 percent compared with DIN 18195.

Hence, the high performance thermoplastic can withstand surface temperatures of up to 130 C° without this leading to a loss of coating thickness in the upper wall areas.

Prevention rather than repair
There is no difference in price or application between Nafuflex High Performance and standard bituminous coatings. But the high performance thermoplastic offers a wealth of advantages that cannot be bettered even if several individual products were to be used. It exceeds the various requirements of DIN 18195 by far and therefore offers maximum security during the planning and execution of the waterproofing of buildings. That’s why this product is the perfect alternative for both planners and applicators – preventing troublesome damage claim negotiations altogether.