Whether you live in a villa or an apartment, having a balcony is one of the spectacular features of your home. Some people enhance the visual appeal by adding décor items like furniture, plants, artificial lawn, wall hangings, curtains, etc.
While balconies stand as an attractive space, they are also more susceptible to water damage. As the pipelines of your home are often connected near the balconies, you can experience leaks and wetness on the walls, leading to a leaking balcony.
When you ignore the retaining moisture on the wall, the problem is escalated to more serious issues like chronic leaks, growth of mould and mildew and many more.
If you want to enjoy the extra space of your home, then maintaining and repairing balconies is essential. You can avoid damage to the internal structure of your home and save a lot of money from the costly repairs.
All these problems are avoided using waterproofing solutions. They protect your balcony and can extend the life of your home when you act on time. This blog will help you explore waterproofing solutions that you can use to repair your balcony.
Why do balconies leak?
Knowing the causes of leakages in balconies will help you find the solution to repair them. Leakages are caused by cracked or broken tiles, as they let water seep into the inner layers, causing water retention. If your home has a poor drainage system, it leads to water pooling in the balconies. Any damaged or broken waterproof membrane near the balcony also gives rise to leakages, as there is no longer a protective layer. Sometimes, movement in the structure also leads to causes of gaps in joints and sealants, giving rise to water leaks.
What To Do When You Detect a Leakage in Your Balcony?
Water leakages give rise to various issues like water pooling, retention, growth of mould, a breeding place for pests and emission of bad odour. All these issues are solved with timely intervention. Following routine maintenance will help you identify problems faster and react sooner. Here is the step-by-step guide you can follow:
- Inspect where the damage is
Examine your balcony carefully and understand where the leakage is coming from. You can identify leakage if there are cracked tiles, peeling grout, stains and mould growth. These are the clear indicators of water damage.
- If there are damaged tiles and grout, remove
Broken or damaged tiles retain water that leads to leakages over time. Remove those tiles and repair grout lines by using adhesives. Before replacing, ensure the place is cleaned to get proper sealing and re-tiling.
- Add a waterproof membrane
Adding a waterproofing membrane to your balcony is an excellent way to prevent leaks.
For instance, you can paint your balcony to create a protective barrier and prevent water seepage. You can also use sheet membranes, also called pre-fabricated sheets, to create a layer on the balcony for extra durability. Additionally, you can use cementitious waterproof coatings,which are easy to apply and ideal for concrete balconies. Learn here to identify common problems of waterproofing so that you can understand when to replace waterproofing layers.
- Ensure there is proper drainage
No matter how many repairs you do to your balcony, if the drainage system isn’t proper, then the water has nowhere to go. Always ensure that your home has a proper drainage system. Check the drain pipes to see if water is freely flowing through the tubes to avoid water jamming and pooling.
- Replace the tiles and seal them
Finally, after installing the waterproofing layer, you should re-tile the balcony only by using quality adhesives. Adding this process with a strong grout will help prevent water penetration through the joints.
What are the long-term solutions?
You can do fewer leaking balcony repairs by focusing on long-term waterproofing solutions. While the above-mentioned points are effective, they are for a short period. The problem will recur if you are not regularly inspecting or maintaining your balcony. To do this, you have to check the sealants and tiles yearly for any cracks or wear and tear.
Ensure that you have proper balcony sealing systemsthat provide long-term protection. You don’t have to replace tiles often, and you can always have a leak-proof balcony.
Seek Help from Professionals
Sometimes, leaking water from the balcony becomes difficult to handle. No matter how many DIY methods you try, the water still leaks. If you don’t take timely action, the problem worsens,leading to expensive repairs. To avoid this, you can rely on professionals to do the expert work for you. Ensure you find the best ones near your area and make contact with them.
Final thoughts
It’s not only an inconvenience to have a leaking balcony but also a threat to the safety of your home’s structures. Water retention in floors and walls due to leakages will give rise to several issues that are easily avoidable with timely intervention from your end. Inspect your balcony and repair the damage as soon as possible to make the situation controllable.
