Is this the big wake up call for flat roofing?

New concrete which is part of every new build and refurbishment takes 28 days to cure and conventional wisdom will tell you to forget about installing any type of protective membrane during that time. Until a building is properly waterproofed few trades can start work leading to increased costs, frustration and delays – or that used to be the case – but thanks to a new type of membrane it looks like things are going to change.

Cold-Melt® from Proteus Waterproofing is so tough that once installed it is BBA certified to last the life time of the building and can be used to cover green concrete or damp surfaces in just three days.The membrane could return huge savings in reduced labour costs and time on site and could even make all other types of membrane obsolete as contractors and building owners switch from more established products. Experienced contractors will of course say they have seen all these kind of developments before and suggest that a product such as Cold-Melt®, will simply take its place alongside its competitors in the normal course of events.

That could well be the case, but if the project demands a warm roof application – a significant sector within the flat roofing market – then Cold-Melt® is going to be difficult to beat. For a start there is nothing else quite like it on the market and because it ticks every box for specifiers and building owners, then it is almost impossible to find a direct competitor. As the name suggest the membrane is cold applied, is odour free so can be used in confined spaces and offers a two layer installation which means a deck can be waterproofed the same day allowing other trades into work, before the top waterproofing layer is applied later.

It is going to change the face of flat roofing and could be one heck of a wakeup call for the rest of the industry – when building owners finally realise the potential – and they will.