Facilities require a certain amount of upkeep to look their best, maintain a safe environment and serve their intended function. Building repair workers conduct regular inspections to determine areas that need attention and then perform the tasks.

Regular building repair and maintenance might involve replacing a worn doorknob, oiling a squeaky hinge or replacing a damaged floorboard. Maintenance workers might inspect for burned-out light bulbs and replace them, change the filters in the air conditioning system or replace a hard-to-operate lock.

In an industrial setting, the maintenance worker might have a set schedule of routine maintenance procedures to perform on machinery and equipment, such as greasing the bearings or changing the hydraulic fluid.

Civil Work is primarily that work which is fixed to the house and cannot be changed easily. It includes tiling, bathroom renovation, breaking any walls, fixing the kitchen platform, electrical work, etc. It is usually more messy and tedious compared to the other work such as furniture and kitchen. Usually when you buy a new flat from a builder, he gives it to you with the civil work completed so you just have to focus on the wood work such as furniture and kitchen. In the process of building, you can just ask the builder to put in tiles, fittings, etc. as per your choice.

Civil work usually takes a long time to complete. It generates a lot of mess in the house which can affect existing furniture. The day laborers who do civil work related to masonry are pretty hard to work with, and its difficult to get this labor on your own. It also requires some scheduling as multiple teams have to work in parallel and in sync to get the work done. For example, after the bathroom tiles are broken, the piping has to be done, and the masons have to come back to fix the new tiles; electrical work has to be completed before plastering and the first coat of paint; electrical pipes need to be laid in the floor before the tiles are laid on top of them, etc.

As in our case, since we bought an old flat we decided to a whole bunch of civil work to get a newer feeling to the place. Firstly, we decided to redo the tiles and the bathrooms which meant breaking the existing tiles and bathrooms. Note that breakage adds significantly to the cost and the time. All the existing stuff has to be broken, taken away from the flat, and disposed off at a proper dump site by utilizing special tempos which do this work. Most of the delays in our case happened due to civil work. Material was not ordered in time, some of it was defective and had to be returned, laborers disappeared. Very little visible progress was being made and it seemed like things were taking forever to get completed. I have written details of each aspect of civil work further.

Plaster of Paris is made up of a hard substance called Gypsum. This is used for designing the ceilings and even the walls of a place. It is so simple to make the mixture of POP that the powder is just mixed with water and we are done with it, the material is ready for use.

There are many advantages of using POP like,

• It has a tremendous durability.

• POP is very light in weight.

• It is fire resistant and a great heat insulating material.

• Once it is fixed, it is fixed. It becomes very difficult to remove POP.

• We can make any shape using POP material and use it as a decoration material.

• It has a great shine and smoothness and even when some colour is provided to it, POP easily holds the colour, due to which it looks more attractive.

Painting is a five step process for new house (inside house).

First painters will clean building walls and ceiling

1. Apply primer.

2. Apply wall putty.

3. Apply wall putty — second coat.

4. Apply selected paint coat.

5. Apply selected paint coat — final one.

Applying Primer:

This is the first step in painting process.

Applying Putty:

This process will bring smooth surface to the walls. To identify/test smoothness you can take a tube light and wall under that lighting, you will come to know smoothness of wall.

If plastering was not done properly then you will end up spending more amount on wall putty.

Applying paint:

Once putty was applied then paint quote will start. Once you finish one quote of painting electrical people will fix switches. Carpenters can start working on wardrobes and kitchen wood work. Once you finish all the works in house you can go for second quote.

You can paint second quote once after Gruha Pravesham because of home paint color may change.

Outside house painting process:

Painting is a three step process for new house. First painters will clean building walls.

1. Apply primer.

2. Apply selected paint coat.

3. Apply selected paint coat — final one.

Mangalore tiles (also Mangalorean tiles) are a type of tile native to the city of Mangalore, India. Typically considered to be a part of Spanish and Italian architectural styles, the tiles were first introduced to India in 1860 by a German trader. Since that time, the industry has flourished in India with these red tiles, prepared from hard laterite clay, in great demand throughout the country. They are exported to Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the Far East and even as far as East Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia.These were the only tiles recommended for government buildings in India under the British Raj.

These tiles still define Mangalore's skyline and characterize its urban setting. They are a popular form of roofing and are preferred over concrete due to their good quality.

Waterproofing is the formation of an impervious barrier over surfaces of foundations, roofs, walls, and other structural members. The function of the impermeable barrier is to prevent water penetrations. The building surfaces are made water-resistant and sometimes waterproof.

The utilization of liquid waterproofing membrane, cementitious materials, polyurethane liquid membrane, and bituminous material are common in the waterproofing of buildings.

Waterproofing is necessary for the basement, walls, bathrooms, kitchen, balconies, decks, terrace or roofs, green roofs, water tanks, and swimming pools, etc.

Waterproofing Methods

1. Cementitious Waterproofing

2. Liquid Waterproofing Membrane

3. Bituminous Membrane

4. Bituminous Coating

5. Polyurethane Liquid Membrane

1. Cementitious Waterproofing

Cementitious waterproofing is the easiest method of waterproofing in construction. The materials for cementitious waterproofing are readily available from suppliers of masonry products. And they are easy to mix and apply.

The applications of the cementitious waterproofing technique are in the internal wet areas, such as toilets. That is why it does not go through the contract and expansion process.

Applications of Cementitious Waterproofing

1. Water treatment plants

2. Sewage treatment facilities

3. Bridges

4. Dams

5. Railway and subway systems

6. Marine cargo ports and docks

7. River locks/channels

8. Parking structures

9. Tunnels

2. Liquid Waterproofing Membrane

The liquid membrane consists of a primer coat and two topcoats. The application of the coatings is by spray, roller, or trowel. The liquid layer is thin and offers more flexibility than the cementitious types of waterproofing.

The liquid cures into a rubbery coating on the wall. The elongation properties of the coat can reach as high as 280%. The durability of the waterproofing coating depends on what type of polymer the manufacturer used for the making of the liquid waterproofing.

Liquid waterproofing membrane can be of a spray-applied liquid layer composed of polymer-modified asphalt. Polyurethane liquid membranes in separate grades for trowel, roller, or spray are also available from various manufacturers.

3. Bituminous Coating Waterproofing

Bituminous coating (asphalt coating) is made of bitumen based materials. It is a flexible protective coat based on its formulation and polymerization grade. The flexibility and protection against water can be influenced by the polymer grade and reinforcement of fiber.

The most common applications of bituminous coatings include areas that are beneath screed wet. It is an excellent protective coating and waterproofing agent, especially on surfaces such as concrete foundations.

It is not suitable for exposure to sunlight unless it is modified with a more flexible material such as polyurethane or acrylic-based polymers.

4. Bituminous Membrane Waterproofing

Bituminous membrane waterproofing is a popular method used for low-sloped roofs due to their proven performance. The bituminous waterproofing membrane has a torch on the layer and self-adhesive membrane.

Self-adhesive compounds comprise asphalt, polymers, and filler; additionally, certain resins and oils may be added to improve adhesion characteristics. The self-adhesive type has a low shelf life as bonding properties of the membrane reduces with time.

Torch on membrane has exposed and covered types. The exposed layer often has granular mineral aggregate to withstand the wear and tear of the weathering. For the other kind of membrane, the contractor needs to apply one protective screed to prevent the puncture of the membrane.

5. Polyurethane Liquid Membrane Waterproofing

Polyurethane liquid membrane method of waterproofing is used for the flat roof area and exposed to weathering. This waterproofing method is expensive.

Polyurethane Liquid Membrane can offer higher flexibility. Polyurethane is very sensitive to moisture content. Therefore before application, one has to be very careful evaluating the moisture content of the concrete slab, otherwise peeling or de-bonding of membranes may happen after some time.

FAQs on waterproofing types, methods, and applications

What are the types of waterproofing?

The most common types of waterproofing are cementitious waterproofing, liquid waterproofing membrane, bituminous membrane, bituminous coating, and polyurethane liquid membrane.

What is the purpose of waterproofing?

The purpose of the waterproofing is to prevent water penetrations into concrete surfaces.

Where is waterproofing used?

Waterproofing is necessary for the basement, walls, bathrooms, kitchen, balconies, decks, terrace or roofs, green roofs, water tanks, and swimming pools, etc.

What are the applications of cementitious waterproofing?

1. Water treatment plants

2. Sewage treatment facilities

3. Bridges

4. Dams

5. Railway and subway systems

6. Marine cargo ports and docks

7. River locks/channels

8. Parking structures

9. Tunnels

What is liquid membrane waterproofing?

The liquid membrane consists of a primer coat and two topcoats. The application of the coatings is by spray, roller, or trowel. The liquid layer is thin and offers more flexibility than the cementitious types of waterproofing.