How To Use Waterproofing Rolls

Installation of waterproofing rolls is not especially complicated, but it does require labor and attention to detail. Seemingly small mistakes at key times in the installation process can cause disastrous results that compromise the waterproofing integrity of the entire project.

Here’s a quick guide to the key moments in your waterproofing roll installation.

Purchase

Of course, you want to start by buying a quality waterproofing roll product.

Bentonite waterproofing rolls are high quality, long-lasting waterproofing rolls sold by professional materials providers in your area. The key ingredient is a special, naturally-occurring clay called bentonite. Its ability to repel and retain water is practically unmatched among other affordable natural components.

Bentonite expands to fill cracks and crevices, leaving your final prepared surface impermeable to rain, snow melt, and other forms of condensation. This “self-healing” property of bentonite to expand a little when wet makes it an almost ideal ingredient.

Preparing the surface

This is the most time-consuming part of the process, and arguably the most important. Whether it is a foundation wall or a roof, taking these steps will make the rest of the installation more successful.

Clear the surface of sharp objects. This includes corners of substrates, exposed nails or improperly seated nail heads. This can even involve sanding down exposed ridges to create a surface as smooth as possible.

Clean the surface according to the instructions in the specific product. These may require cleaning with water to leave the surface free of dirt and dust. And this might also require some time for the surface to dry.

Pay special attention to seams

As with any surface installation, whether paint or waterproofing, you will want to pay special attention to the seams and corners of the project.

First you should take great care to make sure the sheets line up precisely over the length of the roll. This will help keep water out and allow your product to work as advertised.

Also in seams, at walls, and in corners, you will want to make a second pass after installation. This time around, the addition of an approved sealant will help make sure that your space remains waterproof for the life of your project.

Of course, you should always pay special attention to the instructions on your product, as each set of chemical compounds have their own specs and requirements to maintain the warranty.

Man working on roof

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/focused-man-building-roof-of-wooden-construction-3771111/

First Time Home Builder? Use Proven Mar-Flex Waterproofing Products

Building a home can be tough. This is especially true in today’s market with the rapidly opening and expanding American and world markets.

Home builders are troubled with the increasing cost of borrowing money as interest rates rise. Additionally, with the growing economy comes inflation, and prices are going up on every part of building a home. And finally, they have an unprecedented number of environmental concerns they can consider and address during their project.

This means that it is more important than ever to not skimp and cut corners. Protecting your biggest lifetime purchase is not a cost, it is an investment that will save you time, money, and trouble over the years.

This is why you should build with quality Mar-Flex products.

A full line of waterproofing supplies

Mar-Flex has what you need for your home building project.

Full waterproofing is available with spray-on membranes, dampproof membranes, and a wide array of dimple boards, tiles, GEO-Mats and more. These full waterproofing solutions can offer you improved LEED scores, long-term waterproofing guarantees, and a wide array of cost entry points, from the beginner practical to the high quality comprehensive solution your family deserves.

But in addition to the full waterproofing, Mar-Flex can handle individual project, patch, or repair needs as well.

Our drainage tile can supplement your water management system around existing walls and structures.

Our mastics and concrete sealers can add a layer of confidence to your construction inside and out.

Further, we have a wide range of options for helping to waterproof your basement windows, window wells, and basement entryways.

Crack repair and tools

The solutions don’t end there. We also have a range of materials to help your contractor or avid do-it-yourselfer seal cracks in concrete.

Is your waterproofing tool kit a few pieces shy? Get the right tool and industry-recommended safety equipment to do this important work from Mar-Flex.

And ask a sales agent about how our vortex vent can fit into your water management system. After all, part of preventing water from getting into your structure is managing it and sending it where you want it to go.

Home builders know to trust Mar-Flex products.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-black-and-white-plaid-dress-shirt-holding-white-paper-6474493/

LEED Status – “Certified” is Pretty Good

In an era of global awareness of the impact of cman-made climate change, LEED certification for buildings remains an important marker. With buildings rated Silver, Gold, and Platinum earning accolades and space in newspapers and architecture magazines, it is easy to forget that a large number of new buildings could easily achieve LEED status.

And that LEED status – “Certified” – is still pretty darn impressive. It means that the builders took a close look at their processes and supplies, methods and means, and made wise decisions about the impact their work was having on the environment.

“Certified” is not exactly last place

But what does “Certified” mean?

According to the LEED official website, any building achieving any of the LEED status levels earned this award …

“…by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality. Projects go through a verification and review process by GBCI and are awarded points that correspond to a level of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points).”

And while Platinum’s lofty scores and “better than gold” status speaks to an extremely meticulous attention to detail, simply being certified is still pretty good.

LEED certification takes into account the fact that every building project is a little different. So, for instance, a new single-family home is not evaluated on the same standards as a new office building, and neither is compared against the interior redesign of an existing building.

Each LEED certification level can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the LEED site. These exhaustive and detailed checklists help builders and planners understand every part of the LEED certification standard. Nothing is left to chance and interpretation.

Many builders are pleasantly surprised when they check these documents to discover that some existing practices and products put them on the road to certification. With careful attention to detail, and sometimes a bit more money or forethought about how to accomplish a specific goal, even a noncompliant project can make the step up to “Certified.”

With LEED certification becoming a household name, it makes sense to build every project with platinum in mind, while understanding that achieving certification is a pretty positive step for the community and the environment.

Any LEED certification is better than no LEED certification

Photo by DS stories: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-round-number-pendant-on-a-pile-of-coins-7267577/

How Much Should I Spend on Waterproofing My New Home?

Building a new home is an exciting time. Whether you are young and starting out a new life in a new location, or retiring and finally building your dream home, you want to make sure your investment is protected from water. It is, after all, one of the biggest and most important investments of your life.

The averages are a good place to start with making an estimate for your building. In the United States, waterproofing of existing structures typically costs between $3 and $10 per square foot. These depend on a wide range of factors including the amount of water getting in, the location of the home; and more.

However, these ranges are for houses that have already been completed.

If you are waterproofing new construction, you have the chance to save thousands of dollars by doing it right the first time.

Use cost-effective Mar-Flex products

To avoid time-consuming and expensive repairs when your house is already built, you should plan ahead. Planning your site well is an important step. Using professional grade Mar-Flex products helps make sure that you have a lifetime free from water intrusion.

First, choose a location that is generally free from standing water. Building in a swamp is possible, but it is an expensive proposition. Choosing a dryer spot gives you a head start.

Second, use landscaping and water management to your advantage. Nowhere around your foundation should be the lowest point in the landscape. Slope water away from your foundation.

Third, use various Mar-Flex products to waterproof your foundation for that water that will eventually, inevitably, get through.

One possible solution for a lifetime of protection is the Mar-Flex 5000 membrane. Seamlessly attached to your building’s foundation, it provides an extra layer of protection against water in the worst of conditions – and peace of mind in the best conditions.

It’s like a raincoat for your building’s basement.

Why take a risk during the building phase that will later cost you up to $10 a square foot to fix? Who needs the hassle of construction and water abatement … and digging around your foundation a second time?

The answer is, don’t take that risk. Build your home – and protect your biggest investment – with quality Mar-Flex waterproofing products.

Photo by Pixabay

What Does Longevity Tell You About a Company?

When you are looking for a company to work with, whether repairing your home or building it, you look at many factors. Which of those factors are the most important in deciding which company to choose?

Let’s examine some of the information you might be able to find about a company. Then let’s see which is most reliable in determining whether you want to work with them in an important project and a major financial investment.

Found them in the yellow pages / internet

It might go without saying, but it is very easy to place an ad in the yellow pages or online today. In fact, many yellow pages actively seek out companies to list in order to boost their profits. And as WIX ads constantly remind us, anyone with internet access can create a professional looking website in a matter of minutes.

But can they do the job that you need done? A yellow page listing or website simply does not answer that question.

A friend’s recommendation

The most common source of a reference is word of mouth. When a friend recommends the services of someone, it carries weight. But you also need to ask yourself some questions. Did your friend have the exact same kind of work done? Is the reference just a friend of theirs who is in the business?

A reference is a decent source of information, but generally only speaks to one event or project and not their ability to do the work you need done, or to do it well.

BBB Rating

A more reputable place to seek information about a company you want to hire is the Better Business Bureau. In most communities, the BBB provides information about every business. Importantly, they also provide information about struggles that customers have had, and whether the company resolved those problems to the customer’s satisfaction.

If a company does this well, they stay in business a long time.

Longevity

One of the most important signs of a successful company is longevity. That is, how long has the company been in business doing the work you need done?

The longer a company has been in business, the clearer their qualifications are. It’s more likely that they have done work like yours, and that they have experienced employees who can solve problems and prevent issues before they impact the final project.

If you find a company that has been in business for 20 years or more, you can be sure it has the experience to do the job well, and a desire to make sure you are another satisfied customer.

Photo by Wendy Wei.

I’m Building on Top of a Hill, I Don’t Have to Worry About Water, Right?

A common question that builders get involves waterproofing for buildings at the top of hills. It usually sounds a lot like this: “I’m building on top of a hill, I don’t have to worry about water, right?”

It’s a good question. We all are taught at an early age the scientific fact that water runs downhill. Water pools at the lowest point it can reach. Rivers run down, and gather in ponds, lakes, and oceans.

So, theoretically, the house at the top of the hill should need very little waterproofing.

Here’s why that’s not absolutely correct.

Water management factor: soil

First, it matters a great deal what type of substrate the structure is built on. Your builder will do a site survey that will include this information.

The soil type and soil drainage class will have a large impact on your structure’s waterproofing needs. Builders are looking for, and might bring in solutions to create, a well balanced, well drained supportive soil. This will help keep your structure dry. But it does not mean that you will not need to do waterproofing.

Water management factor: slope

Another important factor is slope. Even at the top of a hill, the slightest slope can create water pressure on the walls of your construction. In a downpour, this pressure can be pretty obvious to see and understand. However, even light rainfall spread over a wide area then collects at the first obstacle it encounters.

Your builder will work to slope the surface away from your foundation, but under the ground are unseen slopes and forces that will deliver water to the base of your project. Waterproofing is still essential.

Water management factor: pressure

We have understood water pressure for years. We have mastered it by lifting water high above our communities in water towers to create pressure in our faucets and for our showers and lawns.

These same principles apply underground. In some places, water can build up underground and seek routes to vent that pressure, and those escapes can occur a long way away from the original source. In fact, these escapes can sometimes happen uphill from the location.

We call these spots springs when they occur in nature. But when they occur at a building site, they are an expensive problem.

For these reasons (and more) it is important to waterproof carefully even if you are building at the top of a hill.

Photo by Megan Ruth

Waterproofing: The Unsung Hero Of Your Home

We all have favorite parts of our home. Perhaps it’s the kitchen – the home of many fine meals and after-dinner conversations. Perhaps it is an elegant dining room. Or maybe for you it is an expanded family room with the surround sound and big, comfortable couches for lounging and sleeping.

These are not bad parts of your home. They are great. However, they are not the best part of your home. There is one part of your home that makes everything else worthwhile.

It makes the whole place able to stand up over time.

Waterproofing.

Without quality waterproofing, every other part of your living experience would be worse.

What can go wrong without quality waterproofing?

Waterproofing makes everything else possible.

What does this mean? Well a humid living space can lead to bad outcomes in every other beloved part of your house.

The kitchen you love? If your home is too humid, it becomes hard to store fruits there for any length of time. Pests find your home more hospitable and easier to get into.

Thinking of the wonderful memories around your dining room table? Imagine instead of a Thanksgiving meal, the air is instead filled with the dank smell of earth, humid mold. It’s not a welcoming space.

And without a dry basement, would your family room exist at all? No electrician will wire the space for thousands of dollars of gadget and games if they know that the next rain will just short out the fuse box …. Or that the work might possibly not pass inspection.

Waterproofing is the part of the house that makes everything else possible. That’s why it might be exaggerating, but only a little, to say that waterproofing is the unsung hero of your house.

So when you’re building a new house, you don’t want to cut corners on waterproofing.

Instead, hire trusted experts with years of experience in waterproofing. And use quality durable and time-tested materials that are trusted by professional homebuilders.

Mar-Flex Waterproofing Materials offer consumers a wide range of options to fit the situation. Whether you are looking to waterproof a residential space on a limited budget, or if you have a sensitive commercial space that needs top of the line waterproofing, there is a Mar-Flex product for you.

And if you have concerns about the environmental impact of your work, or are shooting for a top LEADS score, Mar-Flex has solutions there too.

Call one of our knowledgeable associates today for more information about how we can help your building stay dry for a generation.

Waterproofing is important to your whole house

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

The Average Cost of Building a New House Has Risen To What?!?!?

In the midst of unprecedented housing demand, a booming economy, shipping delays caused by the pandemic, and unusual price spikes for building materials, the cost of building a new house seems staggering.

In fact, HomeAdviser suggests that this year the average cost of building a new home will top $280,000.

With costs running over $300 per square foot, what options do you have for building a new home without breaking the bank. Or without being able to afford the furniture to put in it?

Prospective homebuilders need to think about where they can sacrifice and compromise. More importantly, they need to set parameters about where they need to make sure they spend the money upfront without sacrificing quality.

Where you can sacrifice

Wait for some spaces – While it is true that the best time to do the work of building a house is while the house is being built, there are still cost savings to be had. You can delay the cost of an expanded deck or a completed basement until the price of supplies comes down. By waiting until later to finish a few spaces, you can have your house now, and finish it when prices come back to earth.

Perhaps you were looking at the latest appliances and fixtures. These costs can devour a budget without adding any real functionality. Get into your house now, and when the market is right, but in the luxury features that looked so good on paper and in the showroom.

Where you can’t sacrifice

You would be wise to look for cost savings in every part of the work. However, there are fundamental aspects of building a house where you can save without scrimping.

The best example of this is in waterproofing. While there might be a large temptation to save some money by scaling back on the best quality waterproofing you can get, this is not a place where that makes sense. The choices you make underground around your foundation are – in a word – foundational. They help determine the overall quality of your work.

One company that can help you spend your money wisely without sacrificing long-term quality is Mar-Flex. Our experienced builders and wide range of efficient, cost-effective, and eco-friendly products make us an excellent partner in your homebuilding experience.

We can help you get the long-lasting results you want, while leaving money for building the rest of your house of dreams.

A new home will cost more than ever. Here’s where to save and where not to scrimp.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Mar-Flex Celebrates 35 Years – An Amazing Accomplishment

Mar-Flex Waterproofing and Building Products is marking an unusual milestone in American businesses this year. By making it to their 35th year of business, Mar-Flex has outperformed expectations.

Although there are not statistics on *every* business created or dissolved in the United States, there are some very reliable measures to use to evaluate what it means to last 35 years in one business. And there are some common sense conclusions to reach.

What the statistics say

While we can’t dig deep into the lifespan of every company ever formed, we can taker a sample from the most successful companies.

The Standard & Poor’s Index tracks the 500 of the nation’s largest and most successful companies in a wide array of industries. It is considered in many circumstances to be the best indicator of our country’s economy and is intended to be a reliable snapshot of what success looks like in the United States.

According to Statista.com, the average age of a S&P 500 company is currently a little more than 19 years. This means that Mar-Flex has been around almost twice as long as the average S&P 500 company.

1979 was the last year that the average S&P 500 company exceeded 35 years in age. If you reach back to 1965, when company longevity was a bit more normal, the average was still less than Mar-Flex’s mark. That year the average age of an S&P 500 company was 32 years.

Obviously Mar-Flex has found a way to buck the modern trends and remain in business more than three and a half decades. What does this mean?

What the evidence says

There are multiple reasons why companies disappear. These reasons include being bought out, creating one or more unpopular products, or suffering other forms of mismanagement.

It is certain that a company that routinely puts out a bad product, or one that fails to meet their customers’ needs, are going to quickly go out of business. Word of mouth and successful projects are what keeps a company alive.

Thirty-five years of being alive is a testament to a job well done, over and over again. Decades of satisfied customers, and successful projects are what allow a company to survive.

Despite recessions, booms and busts, and waves of legislation changing rules and expectations, Mar-Flex has remained successfully in business and thriving.

Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-anniversary-signage-2072175/

What To Look For In A Backhoe Loader

Are you looking to tackle any type of landscaping, construction, or extreme yard project? Are you getting into farming and need some assistance with lifting hay bales or evening the land? If the answer is yes, a backhoe loader might be the tool for you.

If you do not know what a backhoe loader is, it is a common piece of machinery that can be used for material transportation, digging large holes, displacing large yard objects such as rocks and gravel, and more. There are different sizes and types of backhoe loaders to choose from, and making sure you have your project fully planned out will make selecting the right one easier.

You can choose to rent, buy new, or buy a used backhoe loader. If you only have one project, consider renting! You’ll be able to get the job done without the hassle of finding a place to store it long term. If buying a backhoe loader is something you are interested in, there are several things to look for.

If you are buying it used, double check the maintenance history to help anticipate whether you will need to do any immediate repairs. Even if it is up to date for check ups, knowing how well the previous owner or owners took care of the machine is a generally good piece of information. If you are a part of a new company deciding whether to invest in one, starting with a used backhoe loader may be the recommended business tactic, as it saves you money on the initial investment while serving the same amount of customers. Ask your supplier to walk you through each part of your backhoe loader and help you understand the functionality.

If the backhoe loader does not seem to do everything you hoped it would, look into one of the numerous attachments available. The attachments range from hammers to break through larger rocks, concrete, or asphalt, a tiger tooth to break through ice in colder areas, log grapples specifically made for grasping and transporting logs, and augers for drilling through dirt and more heterogeneous and rocky soils. There is even a broom attachment to assist in your clean up after bigger projects!

All in all, looking into a backhoe loader for your construction, landscaping, and other larger projects might be a smart decision. From the machine itself to the various attachments, you can be sure that most of your necessary tasks can be taken care of. Visit your local equipment store and see if they have one available!

Photo by Zac Edmonds on Unsplash