Waterproofing Membrane Elastoclad Exteriors RX from Neoferma

The Quest for Extensibility
Laboratory V Real Life

Liquid waterproofing membrane manufacturers have, in the last few years, been chasing the holy grail of extensibility.

Some have been able to achieve upwards of 700%

Why?

If a substrate has a crack, a waterproofer worth his salt, will repair it and pre-stripe it to allow for any future movement before applying the waterproofing membrane.

If a crack appears after the membrane is applied (and it will Henry...it will) then 700% extensibility means very little and if the crack continues to grow then there are far worse problems looming than worrying whether the waterproof membrane will fail or not.

The real problem with high extensibility is that hardness is sacrificed (measured as Shore A in Australia)

Some membranes are showing 25 - 35 Shore A hardness which is quite soft.

Although this is quite acceptable and measureable in a laboratory, in the real world of construction where an external membrane is often subject to construction traffic after it is applied including following trades, wheel barrows, trolleys, machines and so on, a soft membrane is not going to cut the mustard.

Because nobody owns up (it wasn't me!) the waterproofer is often faced with repairs at a minimum and sometimes complete replacement at their own cost!

Any sensible waterproofing business will raise their prices to compensate and this will add to the cost of the building.

Neoferma Australia have developed a new waterproofing membrane; Elastoclad Exteriors RX, UV resistant; with a Shore A hardness of 70 it complies as a class 111 membrane (extensibility over 300%) under the AS/NZS 4858 standard for waterproofing membranes.

The system can be completed as a trafficable membrane with the addition of an aliphatic top coat called Elastoclad Exteriors TC which is able to be made slip resistant with the addition of kiln dry aggregates or the like.

The system can be used on rooftops, car parks, podiums, balconies, retaining walls, lift pits and under cementitious toppings for tiling.

Neoferma also have available, fully trained and approved applicators in every state of Australia.