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HarmsWay
10-24-2005, 10:39 AM
I thought this was going to be fairly straightforward. I expected to be able to walk into the local building supply stores, buy some kind of sheet drainage membrane (what's the correct generic name for that dimpled plastic stuff?), attach it to the wall with glue or nails then move on. Well in spite of the fact it rains here practically every day for three months during the winter, it seems everyone still just rolls on a bit of tar and hopes for the best. All but one supplier had no idea what I was talking about - on a related note, they all sold lots of products that deal with wet basements.

The one supplier that came through had something called "Delta-MS" (http://www.deltams.com) which they considered a commercial product. Unfortunately they didn't really know anything about it and didn't appear to sell all the components necessary to install it. After an on-line search I found a few similar products available elsewhere including "Platon" (http://www.armtec.com/foundation). The Platon and Delta-MS both have the dimples against the foundation creating an air gap for the water to travel down and require no surface prep other than caulking a top bead and a blob where the form ties exited. Other systems like the"American Wick Drain" (http://www.americanwickdrain.com) mentioned in a different thread here have the dimples facing out with a geotec fabric between the sheet and the soil. As well it requires a liquid waterproofing be applied prior to the drain sheet. That sounds like considerbly more expense and labour. What am I gaining with that? Does anytone have any experience with something like Delta-MS (which seems to be all I have access to here in Victoria)?

Thanks.

Sweep
10-24-2005, 04:17 PM
The "tar" you see being used is probably trowel-on fiber-reinforced asphalt dampproofing which is not waterproofing.

The best membrane waterproofing and drainage mat system I have found for residential projects is a spray-on modified-bitumen (rubberized asphalt) with either a thick rigid fiberglass mat ( http://www.owenscorning.com/around/insulation/products/warm-n-dri.asp and http://www.northerntrends.com/plumbing2.htm)or vertically grooved extruded polystyrene (Styrofoam) boards.

The system is called Tuff-N-Dri and was invented by by Koch Industries who sold it to Owens-Corning. The rigid fiberglass insulation board is called Warm-N-Dri. I don't know what it is called when Dow's Styrofoam is substituted.

HarmsWay
10-25-2005, 02:26 PM
Thanks for the recommendation. It looks like a great product but this is just a shed so it's not going to need an insulated foundation. Plus, looking at the installation procedure for Tuff-N-Dri, it doesn't sound like a DIY job.

I'm getting a lot of pressure to just get this done. What about Blue Seal (http://www.bluesealwaterproofing.com/BlueSealICF/BlueSealICF_Overview.shtml) (a.k.a. Blue Stuff)? Claims to be "an elastomeric waterproofing membrane based on ETV copolymer rubber" and can be applied by spray, trowel, roller or brush.

Sweep
10-25-2005, 02:40 PM
Blue Seal should work fine. Be sure to read the application instructions carefully. Don't leave it exposed to sunlight in the final work. You may need to protect it with something if there are rocks in the backfill.

HarmsWay
10-25-2005, 02:50 PM
I would probably coat it to the top of the forms then paint over what's above grade. It says it's paintable so can I assume sunlight exposure is not an issue after it's painted?