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School / university

Schools and campuses have large flat roofs, busy washrooms and long corridors that see heavy use. Roof leaks and cracked plaster before the monsoon are the most common repair calls.

Two-storey school with a verandah and playground swing in the rain, with its flat roof waterproofing shown in orange

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Solutions in build order

What this project needs, step by step

Footing, column and plinth beam in soil, all buried faces coated, with a damp-proof layer under the brick wall. Foundations, footings and plinth Protect footings, column stubs and plinth beams against groundwater and aggressive soil, and stop damp rising into the walls above. This is done during construction, before backfilling. 6 steps Section of an underground concrete water tank in wet soil, lined on the inside, with joint waterbars and a sealed pipe Underground water tank Below-ground tanks leak out when full and let groundwater or dirty water seep in when empty. Plug and repair, then line the inside with a drinking-water coating; on new tanks, build watertight concrete and joints first. 7 steps Flat roof section with an exposed coating on the slab, turned up and over the parapets and into the drain outlet. Exposed roof waterproofing A liquid-applied membrane that stays open to sun and rain on a flat or sloped concrete roof (chhat). Use it on a new roof once the slab is 28 days old, or to refurbish a leaking roof before the monsoon. 6 steps Wall section with roof coating running up the parapet and over the coping, plus a coated sunshade over a window. Parapets, copings and chajjas Parapet walls, copings and chajjas (concrete sunshades and projections) take rain on three sides. Leaks here show up as damp on the walls below, broken edges and rust stains. 5 steps Section of a bathroom floor with waterproofing turned up the walls under the tiles, sloping to a floor drain Bathroom waterproofing (under tiles) Most home leaks start in bathrooms: water gets through grout and cracks, runs along the slab and shows as seelan on the ceiling below or the wall next door. Strip, seal cracks, waterproof the floor and lower walls, then tile, grout and seal the fittings. 6 steps Floor tiles on an orange adhesive bed over screed and slab, with sealed movement joints and a notched trowel above Floor tiling (homes, shops and outdoor floors) Fixing ceramic, porcelain and stone floor tiles indoors, on courtyards and terraces, on heated floors and in shops with heavy foot traffic. A flat, mature base and the right adhesive stop hollow, cracking and lifting tiles. 7 steps Close-up of floor tiles with joints filled with orange sandy grout and a rubber grout float above Cement tile grout (everyday floors and walls) Coloured cement grout for ceramic, porcelain, marble, granite and mosaic joints, on floors and walls, inside and outside. In wet areas it is mixed with a latex instead of water. 6 steps Two concrete slabs on columns with a gap between them sealed with orange sealant over a round foam rod Building expansion and movement joints The gaps between building blocks, slabs, walls and roofs that let the structure expand, shrink and settle. They need a sealant or tape matched to the movement, a correctly sized joint and a backer rod, or water gets in and edges break. 7 steps Window in a brick wall with an orange sealant bead round the frame, and a close-up of the frame-to-wall joint Window and door frame sealing Sealing the gap between aluminium, uPVC, steel or timber frames and the wall, plus glass-to-frame and interior finishing joints. This is a common place for monsoon rain to get into a home. 6 steps Section of a rooftop concrete water tank full of water, lined on all inside faces, with sealed pipe entries Overhead water tank (drinking water) Rooftop RCC tanks that leak, wet the ceiling below or show rust stains. Repair the concrete first, then line the inside only with products whose data sheet allows drinking-water contact. 6 steps Concrete beam with a square cut-out repair: cleaned steel bars coated, and repair mortar being trowelled in flush. Spalling concrete (chhajja, balcony, beam, column) Concrete that cracks, bulges and falls away, usually with rusty steel behind it, on chhajjas, balcony slabs, beams, columns and tank slabs. This guide follows the EN 1504 sequence: remove, protect the steel, rebuild, seal and protect. 7 steps Plastered wall with hairline cracks filled from a caulking gun and a facade coating being rolled over the repairs. Surface & plaster cracks (non-structural) Hairline and map cracks in plaster, renders and concrete surfaces, mostly from shrinkage and heat, which let rain in and spoil paint. This guide covers telling them apart from structural cracks, filling them with the right sealant, and preventing them in new plaster. 7 steps