From green concrete to green roof in three days

With increasing pressure on building costs and owners strictly enforcing projects to be delivered on time and within budget, any roof waterproofing system that can save almost a calendar month in time and allow other trades to begin work within days of new concrete being laid, has to be welcome.

At present it is generally considered that green concrete cannot be waterproofed until around 28 days after installation. The maximum amount of trapped water contained in the concrete has to be allowed to escape for the concrete to cure properly which effectively means that the project can be on hold during that time.

So all credit to Proteus Waterproofing, one the fastest growing companies of its kind, for developing such a system - Cold-Melt® - which is making all other waterproof membranes look obsolete. It’s a seamless application consisting of two main waterproofing layers – the first of which can be laid over green concrete after just three days sealing the building while still allowing the concrete to cure and continue drying out in the usual way.

The system is so advanced that the first layer is all that is needed to waterproof the building and if the project demands it, then the final layer does not have to be applied until all other trades have completed their work. This is another significant plus as other trades frequently damage membranes leading to costly repairs and delays.

Cold-Melt® is not as prone to such damage, is easily repaired and will have an additional finishing waterproof layer as the project progresses. In fact the BBA have certified that the Cold-Melt® system is so tough that it will last for the life time of the building on which it is installed.

No one is saying that Cold-Melt® will replace all other types of waterproof membrane – each has its own particular place in the market – but there is no doubt that this is a unique product that is ticking a lot of boxes for building owners and specifiers.

As well as the fact that it can be rapidly installed, Cold-Melt® as the name suggests, does not use any naked flame or molten material and because it is virtually odour free, delivers maximum health and safety and minimum disruption.

It is manufactured from recycled rubber crumb and other environment friendly materials such as castor oil and other organically grown products to create an elastomeric, cold applied membrane so sustainability also gets the thumbs up.

But let’s get back to the beginning – green concrete to green roof in just three days is now a reality. This seems to be a system that is ready for anything and for the moment - there is nothing else like it in the roofing market.