The gable nearest the roadside is South West facing and as a result tends to get a lot of bad weather. This has obviously been a long term problem since the interior of this gable end had been dry lined previously.
We have put a waterproof membrane on the inside of the all, but decided that a coat of a silicone sealant would do not harm. We decided to use Clear Cladding from Belzona as this is a micro porous silicone product and as such allows the wall to continue to breathe. This is an alternative to Sovereign that seems to be popular with many builders.
Clear cladding is expense – it is around £100 for a 1 litre tin – however, this concentrate is diluted before it is applied and a small amount seems to go a long way. The product dries clear and it is difficult to tell where (or not) it has been applied to the wall.
Clear cladding is a silicone based product that is used to seal stonework and mortar. This concentrate is mixed 1:9 with water. As a result a small amount goes a very lond way. It is important to make sure that you don’t get any of the solution on glass as it is nearly impossible to get off!
This has now been treated with clear cladding. It was done the previous day and you can tell the bits that have (and haven’t) been coated. Let’s see if it works!
We have just given this gable end another coat of Clear Cladding. Unfortunately, one coat did not stop the water penetration. However, a second coat will do the trick.
I’m thinking of using this product and called the company rep who suggested that if the building is exposed to driving rain a 1:7 mix might be more suitable.
Did you spray it on or apply by brush?
Has it been effective?
Thanks
Adrian P
Adrian,
We brushed it on. It is really important that this stuff doesn’t get onto any glass – this includes any nearby windows or rooflights, or probably more importantly, nearby parked cars. So we avoided spraying it on as we thought it would be easier to control with a brush.
At first, we thought it hadn’t worked. We gave it a second coat and we haven’t had any further problems. This end of the building is South-West facing so picks up the worst of the weather.
So, six months on, two coats of Clear Cladding at 1:9 seems to have done the trick. I hadn’t heard about using it at a higher concentration, but if the company rep is recommending it, it’s probably a good idea. Only downside is that at 1:7 it won’t go as far and it is expensive!
Hope this helps.
S.
UPDATE:
8 months on, we recently noticed in the wet weather how well the Clear Cladding seemed to be working. You will find more information and photos here.