Signs water is getting in
- Dark staining, drips or white salty deposits under the balcony edge
- Bubbling paint or cracked render on the soffit or walls below
- Water marks on ceilings or walls inside, below the balcony
- Drummy or loose tiles, or water sitting on the balcony after rain
- Cracks in rendered cladding, especially around windows and junctions
Leaks rarely fix themselves. The longer water gets in, the more damage it does to render, framing and the structure behind it.
Where balcony and cladding leaks usually come from
- Failed or missing waterproofing membrane under the balcony tiles
- Poor falls, so water sits instead of draining away
- Door sills and hobs where the membrane wasn’t turned up or sealed properly
- Cracked render or cladding letting water in behind the finish
- Failed sealant around windows, penetrations and junctions
- Missing or poorly lapped flashings at the balcony edge
How we fix it
- Investigate. We inspect the balcony, cladding and staining pattern to work out where the water is actually entering.
- Explain the options. Some leaks can be fixed at a specific point; others need the balcony surface lifted and re-waterproofed. You get the options and prices in writing.
- Repair the substrate. Damaged render, cladding and edges are repaired before anything is sealed.
- Waterproof. We use Kerakoll waterproofing systems, installed to the manufacturer’s requirements.
- Finish. Render and cladding are refinished and recoated so the repair is sealed and blends in.
Warranty on waterproofing. A full Kerakoll waterproofing system carries the manufacturer’s system warranty as well as our workmanship warranty. How our warranties work.
For owners corporations and property managers
We work with owners corporations, strata managers and property managers on apartment and townhouse leaks. We can inspect, report on what we find with photos, and quote the repair so the committee has what it needs to make a decision.