PU Grouting in Singapore: Does It Affect Your Interior’s Structure?

Houses are commonly plagued by cracks. The presence of these insects in your interior is not surprising, but if left unattended, this seemingly simple problem could turn into a much bigger one. The cracks allow water to find its way into your home. In order to address this problem, waterproofing solutions in Singapore like PU grouting have grown in popularity.

PU grouting is also known as polyurethane injection, which is a waterproofing technique that injects polyurethane, a fluid resin, into the concrete of building structures to prevent water leakage. As the resin has a low viscosity, it can seal tiny cracks and prevent further leaks. Furthermore, it retains its flexibility after injection, permitting subsequent movement within the structure while keeping the gaps filled.

As a homeowner, you might be hesitant about trying new ceiling waterproofing methods because you are worried about its effect on the structure of your interior. PU grouting in Singapore does less damage to your home than not addressing the leakage issue.

How Does Water Leakage Affect Your Interior?

As we’ve established, simple cracks lead to a bigger problem once water seeps through them. Some of the ways that water leakage affects your interior structure include the following:

• Strange Odors

Water leakage often leaves a musty smell inside your home. The odour is strong and very noticeable. Once you smell a musty odour that hasn’t been there before, check the possible source of the smell. It may have been from an unattended leakage. Take this as an early sign that you need PU grouting.

• Discolouration

Another problem caused by water leakage is the discolouration of the walls or ceiling. If you notice an off-white or yellowish stain within your interior, it may mean that water has passed through cracks. Consider it a major warning sign of a possible problem.

• Sagging Walls or Ceiling

If left unaddressed, cracks lead to the accumulation of water in one spot of the home interior. Due to the heavy flow, you will start to notice sagging in the walls or ceiling. It may not be noticeable at first, but as time goes by, water volume becomes fuller, causing the interior to sag further. Once you notice a sudden bulge in the ceiling or walls, it may be a sign of water accumulation and waterproofing is needed as soon as possible.

Process of PU Grouting in Singapore

Then why do so many homeowners choose PU grouting over other ceiling waterproofing methods? PU grouting in Singapore is a foolproof solution to water leakage, as well as being very cheap and having a short curing time.

The interior of your home can be protected by PU grouting to some extent. It does not require you to remove your present flooring, walls, or ceiling, which would also require you to buy new tiles, wallpaper, or paint. It’s also convenient as you don’t need to do a major clean up after it’s completed, nor does it produce much hacking noise.

To have a clearer idea, here is how PU grouting in Singapore is done:

1. Cleaning
   • The technician cleans the area and removes mineral deposits left from the water leakage. This way, they can analyze the site and determine the location of the crack.
2. Drilling
   • A hole is drilled to make way for the injection of the resin. The angle while drilling should be 45 degrees or less towards around 2/3 of the structure’s thickness. There’s also a 20 cm to 30 cm space between the holes.
3. Insert Packers
   • The technician will place a grouting nozzle injection packer in the drilled hole. A special hexagon wrench is tightened, leaving no gap between the nozzle and drilling hole for the water to leak into. 
4. Seam Cleaning
   • The technician will inject clean water into the mechanical packers using a high-pressure cleaning machine. At the pressure of 6Mpa, the device will clean off the area from dust.
5. Sealing Cracks
   • The leaking cracks’ surface is sealed with a cement-based waterproof material during the washing stage so that the polyurethane will not seep out.
6. Grouting
   • The technician will then inject the polyurethane into the hole using a high-pressure injection grouting machine. They will elevate the grouting machine bottom-up and start injecting the resin one hole at a time.
7. Removing the Packers
   • After grouting, the grouting nozzle will be removed by the technician if there is no more leakage. They will then proceed to clean up the irrigation fluid that may have spilt and solidified.
8. Sealing
   • The technician will again seal the injected area of the concrete with cement-based waterproof material.
9. Waterproofing
   • The technician will smear the grouting area with a single component waterproof material to fully fortify the area, with a 10-20 cm width and 20-30 cm length at both ends.

PU grouting is a more technical and niche method of waterproofing in Singapore. Doing it by yourself may cause more damage to your interior. Luckily, some contractors specialize in the technique that can help you.