The proper insulation of a kitchen

Service Description

The proper insulation of a kitchen

In order not to have problems with the water infiltrations in floors or in walls in the bathrooms and / or kitchens, they must have an efficient waterproofing insulation that prevents any kind of accidents that could damage the finishes in the adjacent rooms.

Besides the visible problems (the peeling of the plaster and of the wall painting on the walls or on the roof, deterioration of the floor finishes) the infiltrate water can also produce the corrosion of the reinforcements in floors, beams or pillars.

It is advisable to pay special attention to the way in which the waterproofing insulation of the bathrooms and kitchens is done, any subsequent intervention involves the destruction of the floor and / or wall finishes by completely changing them or by carpeting in case of the more restricted interventions.

Assessment of the situation

The waterproofing insulation of the bathrooms or kitchens is not a complicated problem, but it has a certain complexity due to the fact that several elements that can influence the waterproofing insulation behavior have to be taken into account. Through a correct assessment, we need to determine the type of structure of the building, the type of the floor, the way in which the hot water and sewerage systems are located, the chosen finish for the floor and the walls, the disposing of the installations in the walls, the type of masonry and the thickness of it.

For example, we chose a bathroom located in a masonry building with reinforced concrete floor with an outside wall and with installations buried into the wall (the most used case in London, not necessarily the best one!). The facilities are placed on one wall (convenient), and the bathroom will only have a shower cabin, washstand, bidet and toilet, installed (also convenient!) on the same wall with the installations.

Marking and the installation of the installations

We assume that the walls and floors have been correctly built and we have reached to the step where we have to mark and install the installations (hot water, cold water, electricity, sewage).

Here we have to say that the wall-buried installations are not the happiest solution, but they are widely used in most of our constructions in London. In most cases, the directions (ditches) for the hot water and cold water pipes and for electric cables are dug in the walls, and after installation of the pipes and cables, they will be covered with plaster. In this case, there is a disadvantage: so the pipes which are positioned in this way are no longer in the waterproof insulation perimeter. If they break or creep into the joints, the infiltrations may occur.

In terms of integration into the floor of a drain pipe, there are two variants that depend on the thickness of the pipe and the screed. In the first case, it is “digging” into the floor a ditch where the pipe is placed and then the floor is cast to the desired level. There is also the second variant, in which the whole pipe is only embedded in the screed (the largest thickness of this screed must be correlated with the level of screed of the adjacent room of the bathroom door).

Regardless of the chosen solution, under the sewerage pipe and drainage mouths, it is necessary to waterproofing insulate to an optimal level (dumpster level).

Pouring the screed and plastering the room

There are (rarer) situations in which, before the pipes are installed, the walls have already been plastered. In this case, the digging of the ditches for the pipes and their installation is done in the plaster, leaving only the pouring of the screed. In the usual situation, the room will be plastered and then the screed poured to the desired level, indicated by this order, to remove the coarse trace of the plaster on the screed.

Pay attention to pouring of the screed! This must have a slight slope to the drain hole (floor siphon)!!!

Waterproofing insulation of the bathroom

After drying the plaster and the screed, it is advisable to clean it well all the room and eliminate all traces of grease, detergents, soap etc. (I never understood why the craftsmen prefer the small bathrooms or bedrooms for training).

It is the time to install the waterproofing insulation:

It is recommended to use a waterproofing cement-based film (paint) so as to create a good surface with the screed and to be a suitable support for the ceramic tile adhesive.

The application is done with a roller, first on the walls (15 – 20 cm tall), and at the right of the cabin to take the entire height of the room, to prevent the water infiltration through the flooring tile joints.

Depending on the type of product (the usage instructions should be read) it is mandatory for the joints between the walls and floors and the joints between the walls to be applied a striped glass fiber tape to prevent the cracks. A waterproofing film will be applied over the tape.

In the case of drain pipes, with an iron for polishing plaster coat or with a brush, it is good to insert the waterproofing film below it.

Installing the finishes

Considering that in our example the bathroom is equipped with a shower tub at the level of the floor, it is recommended to be assembled first and then to make a test run to ensure that the sewer connection is properly executed.

It is only after this that you can proceed to the actual installation of the floor and wall finishes, to the installation of the sanitary fittings and to the water and sewer connections.

Some technical specifications

After drying the waterproofing film, it is advisable to check the correctness of the floor slope (the water drain to the siphon). The same will be done after installing the flooring tile.

All joints between the sanitary objects and walls / floors should be made water-tight to prevent the water infiltration.

To fill the joints between ceramic tiles you should use waterproofing putties.

If the mold appears, avoid rubbing the joints between the ceramic tiles with wire sponges.

Conclusions

As you can see, the waterproofing of the bathrooms is not a complicated matter, and through a correct execution you can get rid of many headaches and increase the life of the building, maintaining optimum living conditions. It is recommended to follow the execution details proposed by the designer.