Whenever the rainy season arrives once again in our country, we here at Boysen can’t help but think about waterproofing. It’s an important preventive measure to take if you want to avoid problems caused by water seepage and leaks.
And, our recommended product for waterproofing concrete surfaces? None other than Boysen Plexibond, of course. Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is Boysen Plexibond
Plexibond is Boysen’s cementitious waterproofing system. It’s applied in places that come in direct contact with water and moisture to prevent seepage and leaks. This is called positive-side waterproofing. Some spots in the home to use it include your firewall, concrete canopy, roof deck, and bathroom.
Before application, Plexibond is first mixed with cement. The resulting mixture provides excellent water resistance, superior adhesion, and flexibility on the surface you’ve applied it on.
How to Apply Boysen Plexibond
To use Plexibond, mix it first with cement. For every 4 liters of Plexibond, add 6.5 to 7.5 kg of cement. Although you can mix by hand, the job is made easier with a machine like a power mixer because you want to make sure you don’t get any lumps. The resulting mixture will have a pot life of 2 hours. Stir as often as you can to avoid settling.
When it comes to consistency, using Plexibond should feel like you’re applying any other paint. You can achieve a smooth finish with a brush or roller and a textured finish with a textured roller. The number of coats you need to apply will depend on the surface you’re working with. More details on this can be found here.
After using Plexibond, Boysen experts advise to always apply paint on top. Wait a day after application and pick one of these paint products as topcoat: Boysen Permacoat, Boysen Acrytex, Boysen Acqua Epoxy. For a full list of other paints you can use, click here. It’s not recommended that you apply skimcoat on top of Plexibond.
Where to Apply Boysen Plexibond
Plexibond is applied in places that come in direct contact with water and moisture. Here are areas of the house where Boysen engineers recommend you apply Plexibond for waterproofing.
Firewalls
Firewalls, found in many structures in the Philippines including residential homes, have a large surface area that would benefit from waterproofing. Find an instructional video on how to apply Plexibond on vertical concrete surfaces here: How to use: Boysen Plexibond.
Roof Decks
Considering that the Philippines is a typhoon-prone tropical country, a roof deck is one part of the home that benefits the most from waterproofing, Waterproofing a roof deck using Plexibond requires a different process compared to waterproofing a vertical surface. Find a guide here: How-to Guide: Waterproofing Your Roof Deck with Boysen Plexibond.
Bathrooms
Waterproof the floor of a bathroom shower area. Aim for a smooth finish so you have an even surface to work with when it’s time to place your tiles. Find an application guide here: Paint TechTalk with Lettie: Paano Gamitin ang Plexibond sa CR?.
Concrete Canopies
Concrete canopies are another common feature of Filipino homes. You’ll typically find this over exterior doors and windows. For horizontal surfaces like canopies, you will need to apply 3 to 5 coats of the Plexibond and cement mixture. That’s compared to the 2 to 3 coats when you apply it on vertical surfaces like firewalls.
What NOT to Do
Don’t mix anything else other than cement to Plexibond. This includes water, paint, putty, tile grout, tile adhesive, and skimcoat.
Don’t apply Plexibond where it will be submerged in water like ponds and pools.
Don’t use Plexibond on surfaces that are already painted. Boysen experts stress that Plexibond should also only be used on bare concrete surfaces. If you do want to use it somewhere that already has existing paint, you have to scrape the surface back to bare.
Don’t leave Plexibond exposed. Allowing Plexibond to be directly exposed to the elements, like sunlight and heavy rains, leads to a higher likelihood of cracks.
If you would like to know more about Boysen Plexibond, Let It B has a lot of info you can check out through the Plexibond tag.
For questions and inquiries about Boysen products, feel free to reach out to our technical team at ask@myboysen.com or call (02) 8363-9738 local 413 to 418 during office hours for a one-on-one consultation.
