Waterproofing piled foundations

The waterproofing of concrete-piled foundations presents a problem for many waterproofing systems – particularly those based on sheet membranes. The majority of these systems cannot be used over pile heads and pile caps because they do not have the bearing capacity to support the applied load.

Vandex Super crystalline active waterproofing slurry offers a solution to this problem. Because its waterproofing action relies on penetrating into the concrete pile head or pile cap rather than forming a waterproof layer on top of the concrete, it is able to accept the load applied by subsequently poured ground beams or foundation slabs.

Vandex Super can either be used in its own right to provide a complete foundation waterproofing solution or combined with other waterproofing systems. Each 25 kg bag of Vandex Super waterproofs up to 20 m² so it is extremely economical in use.

An example of a typical application is shown below, however, because piled foundations vary widely in their configuration it is strongly recommended that our technical department are consulted early in the design process. To contact our technical department, please call 01403 210204 or submit an enquiry.

Example 1 – Waterproofing of Pile Head and Ground Beam

1. Slurry coat the piles with Vandex Super 1.5 kg/m² applied in two coats.
2. Dry sprinkle Vandex Super at the rate of 1.2 kg/m² to the blinding concrete prior to the concrete pour.
3. Apply Vandex Expaseal circular around the piles in the middle of the slab.
4. After pouring the concrete slab dry sprinkle Vandex Super at the rate of 1.2 kg/m² on top of the raft foundation when the concrete reaches initial set. It is then troweled in until coverage is uniform and the specific finish is achieved. Alternatively slurry coat the horizontal surface with Vandex Super 1.2 kg/m² in one coat.