Mastic asphalt is damp proof. It is an outstanding waterproofing membrane known as 'The King of Waterproofing' and has been used for structural damp-proofing for more than 100 years.
A lot of the pavements and staircases in London and the home counties are damp proofed with mastic asphalt. Asphalt is a great product for waterproofing as it is totally seamless and can be formed around almost any detail. For example, as an upstand detail against a building. The asphalt is tucked into the chase line, or terminated with mortar, or a separating flashing with a height of 150mm. This height will allow for ‘splash back’. This is what happens when rain hits the floor and bounces up, which can create a damp spread up the wall.
The asphalt will turn grey once the sun has bleached and drawn the bitumen out of the material, this colour change blends in with a lot of the buildings and creates a ‘heritage’ look. Alternatively the asphalt can be finished with solar reflective paint.
As a product asphalt will create a high-level damp course that will last in excess of 20 years. Mastic asphalt is a lot more robust than a lot of other products on the market. And can boast more than 100 years of tested service.
If you need any more information about the damp proofing properties of mastic asphalt, please get in touch with our friendly team at Heritage Asphalt or call us today on 0207 781 8150.
For more interesting information about mastic asphalt please read more of our blog posts. An index of all our blog posts covering all aspects of asphalt can be found by clicking on the following link: Mastic Asphalt Blog.