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REVISTA
CONSTRU
CHEMICAL
7
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systems that are most extensively
used by construction companies for
waterproofing cold areas. “They’ve
also been growing in water tank and
swimming pool waterproofing appli-
cations. In small construction works,
as well as those carried out by end
consumers, they are very often used
to eliminate humidity in baseboards.”
According to Daniel Arruda,
marketing manager at Dow Con-
struction Chemicals for Latin
America, the market for these ma-
terials is hard to quantify because
it is divided into several segments.
“But we can talk about each of these
segments. For example, for pointing
and waterproofing, polymer mor-
tars dominate the Brazilian market.
In bricklaying and wall facing appli-
cations, on the other hand, standard
mortars still prevail. For the most
part, we can say that the market for
polymer mortars is on the rise in
Brazil thanks to their major advan-
tages over conventional ones.”
Epoxy Waterproof Coatings -
Proven Strength
The choice to use epoxy water-
proof coatings is usually linked with
the need to meet various require-
ments, such as chemical strength,
abrasion resistance, hygiene and
decontamination, as well as water-
proofing proper.
Epoxy-based systems are widely
used in industrial and high-strength
floor coatings because they are easy
to apply, ensure outstanding hy-
giene conditions and are highly re-
sistant to abrasion and heavy traffic.
Another very relevant application,
and increasingly so, lies in the wa-
terproofing of tanks and areas that
come in contact with water and
chemicals. Also, epoxy coatings for-
mulated for waterproofing applica-
tions feature great hiding power,
forming a waterproof film with high
chemical stability. Formulations
specifically designed to provide
high resistance to chemicals and to
coat drinking water containers have
been driving the expansion of their
use, while ensuring the quality of
any project.
According to Flávio de Camargo,
technical and marketing manager at
Denver Impermeabilizantes, these
systems have been sought especially
due to the expansion of Brazil’s in-
dustry base, which boosts the de-
mand for epoxy waterproof coatings
for floor and tank surfaces, as well
as the infrastructure projects that
are under way, including airports,
ports and stadiums, on account of
the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
High Performance
In Brazil, when it comes to water-
proofing, it is important to consider
that even though it only represents
3 to 5 percent of the total construc-
tion costs, there usually is little de-
tail at the project level concerning
the waterproofing system to be used
in construction works, according
to Sika’s technical coordinator Mi-
chel Haddad. “Because we’re talking
about epoxy-based waterproof coat-
ings, which means that these prod-
ucts have a higher added value than
conventional systems, that share in
construction costs is conceivably
larger, but, on the other hand, they
are also used in projects where the
cost of repairs required due to lack
of appropriate specifications rises in
the same proportion. However, we
see concerns about environmental
issues grow each day, including on
the part of authorities that inspect
those specific projects where water-
proof coatings are used, and this has
been increasing the demand. Today,
we are contacted two to three times
a month, on average, about high-
performance waterproofing systems
for projects that require them, and
epoxy-based products are a true al-
ternative on this front.”
Haddad remarks that those
projects basically involve concrete
structures that are exposed to harsh
environmental conditions, which