Waterproofing the ceiling with your own hands

There are very insulting situations in life, when after diligently carried out repairs in the bathroom or in the kitchen, neighbors suddenly burst a pipe, and water pours a new ceiling. Or, if you come to the dacha for the weekend, you notice the yellow streaks on the ceiling after the last rain. To avoid such problems, the next repair must begin with a waterproofing.

Main tasks of waterproofing

When carrying out repairs, a lot of money goes to building materials and decorative decoration of the premises. If the environment is excessively moist, they can be damaged, mold grows in time, which not only damages the wallpaper, walls and ceiling of the room, but also causes allergic reactions of the human body, eventually turning into asthmatic conditions.

It is also very dangerous if, if moisture gets on the electrical wires hidden in the walls, a short circuit will occur. This threatens to ignite the room, and this is absolutely not necessary. The main task of waterproofing the ceiling in the apartment is to protect it and the whole room from moisture, steam generation, the appearance of mold and fungus. Having a dry ceiling, you can not worry about the beauty of decorative plaster and expensive wallpaper.

Mixtures for work

For the work on the waterproofing of the ceiling from the inside, different lubricating or penetrating compounds are used. The cost of lubricating materials is relatively inexpensive, they are applied to the surface of a concrete ceiling, after which a screed is already made. The composition of such mixtures is different. There are cement-polymer, bitumen-polymer and bitumen-rubber.

In penetrating formulations active particles are present, which when applied to the ceiling penetrate deep into the slits and microcracks, filling them. They are non-toxic and do not interfere with air access. However, they are used only for waterproofing the concrete ceiling. If, over time, new cracks appear, then the penetrating mixtures continue their operation for the entire period, until the next major overhaul.

Types of waterproofing compounds

1. Mixtures in the form of a powder consisting of cement with the addition of plasticizers and some resins. Before use, the mixture is diluted with water in the proportions indicated on the package. Apply it to the surface of the ceiling with a spatula. Such a mixture is cheap, therefore short-lived. In mechanical influences, it can fracture.
2. The mixture for coloring resembles paint or varnish, which contains rubber, latex, bitumen. Such mixtures are applied by paint brushes. Can be used for waterproofing wooden ceiling. However, over time, the surface needs to be reapplied, since the service life is short.
3. You can buy ready-made universal compounds (water repellents).
4. There are waterproofing materials, which need to cover the ceiling. This polyethylene film, roofing felt, roofing paper, fiberglass and other modern materials. The cost of such products is high, the labor-consuming process. Usually, such material is applied to the ceiling, which will later be sewn with a wooden or plastic lining. The methods of gluing are different, too. There are self-adhesive, and some, in order to keep, you need to preheat with a gas burner.

Surface preparation

For the work on the waterproofing of the ceiling, the surface is prepared in different ways, depending on the materials. First of all, the old ceiling is carefully peeled off, the existing mold is removed, it is treated with antifungal solutions. Further purification from dust and the remains of the old painting is carried out.

If the ceiling is covered with a penetrating mixture, it will be necessary to permanently moisten the ceiling. For such a coating, the following requirements exist: to avoid drying, constantly wetting the mixture on the ceiling from the sprayer, the temperature in the room should not be high, the repair should be done before the start of the heating season, sometime in late September or early October. If you follow all the recommendations correctly, then the mixture will last 7 or 8 years. If there are large cracks in the floor slabs, they must first be sealed with a mixture for suture insulation or glued joints with sealing tapes.

Before applying the powder mixtures, the surface of the ceiling must first be primed. Then the clutch will be reliable. Waterproofing of the ceiling in the form of paints and varnishes is also applied only to a completely leveled and primed surface.

Waterproofing process

In an apartment and in a private house there are several dangerous places, most often subject to accumulation of moisture and possible leakage. It has bathroom and toilet, kitchen, balcony. In a private house this is the top floor and attic rooms. They require special attention and careful work on the waterproofing of the ceiling.

After preliminary cleaning of the surface and sealing of the joints and slots, the main mixture is applied. It can be applied with a thick coarse brush, spatula or paint brush, depending on the composition chosen.

Not only the surface of the ceiling, the joints between the ceiling and the walls, but also the upper part of the wall, about 15-20 cm, are smeared. It is important to observe the application rules, to withstand the time interval specified in the instruction, to dry the layers and apply the required amount.

In the variant of waterproofing with moistening it is necessary to check the condition of the composition every few hours, spraying the ceiling with water. The procedure is 3-4 days. But with the observance of the norms of the technique of application, such a composition will serve for a long time.

Stretch ceiling

Modern and most effective means of waterproofing the living space are stretch ceilings. The film, stretched in a warm state, is able to withstand a large amount of water. If you are flooded with neighbors from the upper floors, the film will stretch, collecting the entire amount of liquid, and do not spoil the floor and the walls of the room. To get rid of it, you just need to drain the water through a hole in the chandelier in some kind of container.

In this case, the film assumes its original shape, not deforming at all. This is very convenient, and even a beautiful ceiling gives the room a well-kept appearance, hiding all surface irregularities.

Protection of the balcony

The main attention in the work to eliminate moisture formation on the balcony is given to the supporting floors. Rains and high humidity can not only destroy the concrete layer, but, even more dangerous, damage the metal fittings on which the whole structure is held. Metal from the moisture begins to rust, which leads to the destruction of the material.

First of all, joints with the wall of the house are greased, then it is necessary to conduct external work. Namely, to make a good visor, to fill up all the cracks between the upper balcony and yours, if the balcony is built large, then seal the cracks between the roofing material, whether it be slate, tile or metal roofing sheets.

The work on the ceiling of the balcony ends with a waterproofing compound or a tension of the film ceiling.

Working with a wooden ceiling

In wooden buildings, the main problem of humidity is the formation of steam. To solve this problem, modern materials for vapor barrier insulation are used. It can be a polyethylene film, roofing material, roofing felt, special foil, protective membrane.

The action of such materials is aimed at complete isolation from moisture. She is not released from the house and does not go inside. If water gets into the wooden beams and logs of the house, then in the winter it freezes. Everyone knows from the school program that the water, freezing, increases in volume. Hence, the tree can burst, and large cracks and crevices will appear.

Steam insulation of ceilings in wooden houses does not allow the formation of condensate and counteracts the destruction of logs. How to make a ceiling waterproofing? The boards are first covered with a layer of waterproofing impregnation. Then spread the strip of waterproofing material (for example, glassine), longer than the roof level, on the beams, and strengthened lapping so that there are no cracks.

Foam sheets are embedded behind the beams, the remaining slots are filled with mounting foam. Then lay another layer of waterproofing. Then the ceiling is insulated with a layer of mineral wool. Next, a layer of vapor barrier is stretched and reinforced with additional rails, which are then hung on a clean ceiling.

Important Tips and Tricks

1. Protective film can not be pierced with nails. In order for it to be firmly fixed, it is necessary to use the frame system of laying.
2. Be sure to attach the reeds on top of the film. The thickness of the material will allow the air to be ventilated and moisture will not accumulate under the film, especially if the dacha, for example, does not live all the time, but by arrivals, and in winter the room is not always heated.
3. The room, covered on the ceiling with a layer of vapor barrier film, should be periodically ventilated. Then the decorative coating of the ceiling will not suffer.

To conduct work on waterproofing the ceiling with your own hands, you need to follow all the recommendations. Then the repair work will not be done in vain. The ceiling will be dry and will last a long time.