17 Nov Floor to Wall Construction Joint Water Ingress Solution – Brisbane Parliament Building

Floor/Wall Construction Joint Water Ingress

Water ingress in the floor to wall joint is commonly experienced during heavy rain due to the rising water table bringing the groundwater closer to the surface. This increases the hydrostatic pressure on to the slab of your building and can force water passing through the construction joint between the floor and the wall. This joint effectively begins working as a highway passage for water. 

Image: Typical water entry point in basements. Floor to wall joint water ingress.

Water ingress in a typical floor to wall joint.

Waterstop Solutions frequently rectify these types of issues.  We use a trade-leading system – injecting a flexible polyurethane grout directly into the floor/wall joint. This creates a deep flexible seal and stops water from passing through the construction joint between the floor and the wall. The flexible seal will allow for some movement. A negative side waterproofing membrane will be applied to the affected walls creating an extra seal between the floor and the wall.

Brisbane’s beautiful Parliament Building – a signature project that Waterstop Solutions was awarded recently – exemplifies the efficacy of the polyurethane system.  In times of heavy rainfall, the Parliament Building was showing evidence of water ingress in two of the internal stairwells, the car park entrance and in the wine cellar.  The wet areas caused an increased risk of slips and falls and concern for the protection of the fine wine collection in the wine cellar.  Waterstop’s polyurethane leak-sealing injection system was successfully used to remedy all of the water ingress problems in the Parliament Building – and no harm was caused to any vintage!