Renovation: How to deal with a leaky balcony or outdoor area

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leaking balcony parapet

If your balcony parapet is leaking, resulting in mould growing on the ledges and brown water stains on the wall, here's what you can do:

The most probable cause of the water stains and mould would be a leak in your balcony floor and/or parapet wall. Your neighbour downstairs may not be experiencing any leaks, or notice damp patches on his ceiling, as leaks can travel sideways through walls and not just down through flooring. Water simply flows through the most open pathway, pulled along by gravity.

The waterproofing on your balcony probably has serious tears in it at the junction between the wall and the floor. This can be due to both poor construction and soil subsidence. To fix the problem, ask your contractor to hack up the floor tiles and the lower parapet wall, then reinforce the surfaces with a quality waterproofing membrane and grouting compound. The underlying structure below the flooring and lower parapet needs to be properly sealed before new tiles and plaster can be laid.

 

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