Gripset

The range covers most common Australian wet-area and external substrates, including concrete, screeds, render, fibre cement sheet, plasterboard, blockwork, timber flooring sheets and existing tiles. Preparation matters as much as the substrate itself: the surface needs to be sound, clean, dry enough and free of anything that blocks adhesion such as dust, curing compounds, form oil or loose material. Not every membrane in the range suits every substrate, so match the membrane and its primer to what you are actually coating before you order.

Yes. Gripset membranes cure to a continuous flexible film that stops liquid water passing into the substrate, and the primers, tapes and bond breakers in the range exist to keep that film reliable at the joints and junctions where leaks usually start. A membrane is only waterproof as a complete system though, so it needs the correct primer, the full number of coats and proper detailing at floor to wall junctions, penetrations and drains.

Most membrane failures are workmanship, not product faults. The usual culprits are skipping or using the wrong primer, spreading the membrane too thin to stretch out coverage, recoating before the previous coat has cured, leaving bond breakers out at movement joints and internal corners, and stopping short of the required falls and upturn heights. Poor substrate preparation and applying in weather outside the product's stated conditions are close behind. Get those right on site and most membrane callbacks disappear.

Only if the adhesive is rated for bonding over membranes, so use a polymer modified cement based adhesive that its own manufacturer states is suitable for use over waterproofing membranes. Standard sand and cement or unmodified adhesives should not be relied on over a cured membrane film. The membrane also has to be fully cured and the surface clean and free of dust or overspray before tiling starts. Check the technical data sheet for the tile over window that applies to the product you are using.

In almost all cases, yes. Primers control how porous the substrate is, bind residual fine dust and improve adhesion, and a membrane applied straight onto an unprimed porous surface can dry back too fast, pinhole or lift. Different substrates call for different primers, so check which primer the membrane you have chosen calls for rather than assuming one primer suits every surface.

Waterproofing of domestic wet areas in Australia is governed by AS 3740, external above ground waterproofing by AS 4654 and membrane performance testing by AS 4858, and wet area membranes are subject to WaterMark certification under the National Construction Code. Certification applies to a specific product in a specific application rather than to a brand as a whole, so check the certification documents for the exact product and the area you are waterproofing. If the job is being inspected or certified, keep those documents with your site records.

The Waterproofing Shop stocks the Gripset range online, covering membranes, primers, tapes, bond breakers, corners, collars and rapid set water plug compound, so you can order the whole build-up for a bathroom, balcony or planter box in one order instead of chasing the detailing products separately. That matters with Gripset because the primers and accessories are matched to the membranes, and mixing components across brands is where adhesion and system warranties usually come unstuck. If you are not sure which primer or membrane suits your substrate, tell us what you are coating and we will point you to the right combination.