While the dry season is expected to last until next month, it’s always worth prepping your home for the rainy season. In fact, use this time to address the needs of your exterior walls. This includes waterproofing your firewall if it hasn’t received that specific treatment yet.
Filipino homes are required by law to have a firewall, a side of the home with no windows or entrances, to avoid the spread of fires. It’s a flat, wide section of the home that doesn’t serve any aesthetic purpose, but it’s an important protection for your home.
Why Does A Firewall Need Waterproofing?
While keeping your home safe from external fires, a firewall is also exposed to exterior elements like rain or sunlight. This means the wall is more vulnerable to cracking. Once cracks have started to form, moisture can pass through the porous, sponge-like material of concrete. When moisture seeps through your walls, it can cause different problems for paint films to appear, including paint coatings inside your home.
While paint alone can withstand water, UV, and heat, our experts highly recommend waterproofing for a greater reinforcement for your firewall. For this, Boysen Plexibond is the product you should use to provide the necessary protection for your home.
How to Waterproof Your Firewall
Step 1: Surface Preparation
For new masonry, allow concrete to cure for 14–28 days. When planning to apply on painted walls, you have to strip the paint off using a scraper until the surface is bare. Use Boysen Paint and Varnish Remover if necessary to remove old paint. Ensure the surface is clean, free from oil, dust, or any loose grit.
Dampen the concrete surface with water to avoid abrupt drying and cracking of the Plexibond mixture when applied. This is going to be more important when working during hot days.
Step 2: Preparing the Mixture
Boysen Plexibond has to be mixed with cement to form the waterproofing material that you’ll apply on your walls. The ratio is 6.5–7.5 kilograms of cement for 4 liters of Boysen Plexibond.
In a separate container, mix cement with the liquid Plexibond, adding cement in intervals while continuously stirring to avoid lumping. Let the mixture pass through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Stir as often as possible to avoid settling. Don’t add too much or too little of the cement in order to get a uniform texture.
Do not mix anything else, such as paints or sediments, to Boysen Plexibond. It should only be cement. The resulting mixture has a workability of 30 minutes.
Step 3: Applying Boysen Plexibond
The Plexibond mixture should have a liquid, paint-like consistency. Apply using a textured roller (to get an orange peel texture) or a brush.
When using a textured roller, apply one (1) coat of the Plexibond mixture. When using a brush, apply at least two (2) coats. Wait 1-2 hours before applying the second coat, with the same drying interval for subsequent coats. Maintain coverage rate at 5–6 square meters.
Step 4: Paint
You can’t leave your firewall with just Boysen Plexibond. It’s important to have a topcoat to ensure it won’t crack easily due to UV.
Boysen Acrytex is a good product to use as topcoat, where it forms a strong waterproofing duo with Plexibond for your firewall. Paint with this to create a nonporous film to prevent water seepage.
Another option is Boysen Permacoat Latex. It has good durability, hiding, and color retention. It also comes in a variety of colors, which means it’s a good option if you have a particular color in mind.
Reinforce Your Firewall with Waterproofing
It’s important to be prepared for the wet season. With Boysen Plexibond, you can defend your home from water seepage, especially for a section of your home that’s exposed to the elements.
Do you want to also provide waterproofing to your roof deck? Check out this article.
How-to Guide: Waterproofing Your Roof Deck with Boysen Plexibond
If you have more questions on using Boysen Plexibond, send us an email at [email protected]. Our technical team will be happy to help. Subscribe to the blog for more guides for improving your home.
