Retaining Wall Waterproofing

Retaining walls can be external walls forming part of the landscape design or walls that form part of a property. Landscape walls are much less critical but often require a retaining wall waterproofing membrane to prevent dampness from the ground spoiling the aesthetic nature of the design, with weep holes being incorporated to alleviate hydrostatic pressure where required. Walls that protect accommodation areas must be considered as a higher risk and tanked accordingly (See also External Tanking). Subsoil drainage will enhance the structural waterproofing design and is often a requirement by the structural engineer to reduce hydrostatic pressure on the structure.

RIW LAC is most often used to damp proof walls, and is applied to the soil face of the wall with appropriate drainage or protection boards (See RIW Protection Board and RIW Double Drain). The product is more suited to reinforced concrete walls.

RIW Flexiseal is a much higher specification and allows greater flexibility and colour coded quality control. It is suitable for masonry and reinforced concrete construction but must be protected from backfilling operations with RIW Protection Boards or RIW Double Drain.

RIW Structureseal is a sodium bentonite composite sheet system for damp proofing walls that are constructed from concrete. It can be installed against permanent shuttering or be applied into temporary formwork. The product is generally pre-applied, and especially useful when subsoil drainage is not feasible.

RIW Sheetseal 226 is a traditional self-adhesive preformed bitumen sheet membrane and although not the simplest of membranes to use vertically, it can with a little care provide a cost effective damp proofing walls solution to larger areas, provided it is adequately protected against backfilling operations, and continuous below ground level.

(Identify the most appropriate RIW product(s) for your specific application from the text above and click on the product icon on the right to access the product page for more information and downloadable data sheets).

For more information about retaining wall waterproofing and damp proofing walls please contact the RIW Technical Department.