February 2010

Watertight surfaces, well-protected edges – Spruce up patios and balconies using systematic solutions from Dural

After a long, cold winter, the reawakening of spring can bring its own problems with it. Cracks can appear on tiled patios or balcony floors, weeds or loose pavings outdoors can spoil the mood awaiting the outdoor leisure season. So any restoration carried out now could improve a lot of things, with better sealing, better protection better surrounds. Dural provides all the necessary accessories, durable watertight decoupling underlay and edging profiles to match any of the various demands and building configurations.

Dural provides two separate systems for sealing balcony or patio floors:

Durabase CI matting for sealing floors, covering up cracked foundations (whether the surface is composed of tiles, pavings, natural stone, screed or concrete) and to provide thermal decoupling. The matting is 3 mm thick. Individual mats are laid after priming the surface (for example with acrylic resin) and directly on top of the tile adhesive (flexible mortar), then sealed at junctions between mats or with walls using sealing tape. Afterwards, the new tiled surface can be laid on top using the fluidised bed method. If time is of the essence, quick-bonding, C2-quality flexible mortar can ensure that the surface is ready to walk on in double-quick time.
Durabase DD matting is ideal for the drainage of ceramic surfaces in outdoor locations. The mats are 8 mm thick and are capable of draining away even large quantities of water without difficulty thanks to the special layout of their drainage channels. Durabase DD underlay mats make sure the foundations are resistant to frost and prevent damage. They can either be laid in a fixed mortar bed or on a loose layer (gravel or ballast) under a surface of tiles or pavings. The foundations need to have a slight slope (1.5% approx.).

Dural’s “Durabal” profile system provides the ideal protection for the perimeters of brand new or newly restored balconies and patios:

L-shaped balcony edging profiles have a perforated square base which is fully embedded into the thin-bed mortar. After sealing by means of Durabase CI decoupling mats, tiles can then be laid on top.
Balcony edging profiles with angled drip sill can protect any edges of balconies and patios that are open to the elements from damage by damp or weathering.
NEW! Balcony edging profiles for an overall height of 3 mm provide protection where the height of an installation is particularly low. The profiles are laid in thin-bed mortar or in reaction resin mortar. Then it is possible to lay suitable thin-bed installations on top of the foundation,e.g. using self-levelling reaction resin materials or coloured artificial resin granulate mortar. The angled drip sill on the “Durabal 3 mm” profiles diverts water away from the edges and protects them from the weather.
Balcony edging profiles in T-shape are embedded directly into the fresh screed, they provide for attractive edging and protect plain screed edges from weathering and disintegration.
Balcony edging profiles for laying on ballast are ideal when pavings (concrete, ceramic or natural stone) are to be laid loose onto ballast. They then provide for targeted drainage of water.
BKAE balcony edging profiles for horizontal or vertical installationare distinguished by their versatility, e.g. providing a flush junction between a tiled surface and the edging profiles.

Prepare the foundations, priming where necessary
Cut the Durabal edging profiles to the right lengths
Apply flexible mortar at the edge and press the edging profile firmly into place
Smooth the flexible mortar evenly over the surface
Press Durabase CI matting firmly into the tile adhesive
Lay the decoupling underlay right up to the edging profile and seal the joints with sealing tape
Seal junctions with walls using sealing tape as well
A fully decoupled and smartly edged patio surface
Lay tiles using tile adhesive
Well prepared for hot summer days and cold winter nights. Neat and safe