Wall & Shower Waterproofing in Durbanville & Northern Suburbs
Vetted Durbanville specialists for leaking showers, baths and splashbacks. Tanking slurry, liquid membrane and external wall sealing — flood-tested with a 10-year guarantee.
Benefits
Flood-tested every job — 24-hour standing-water test before re-tiling
Body-corporate-ready written reports with photos for trustees and managing agents
Non-invasive options first — penetrating sealers and clear epoxy grout overlays where tile-strip is avoidable
Tanking slurry compliant with SANS 10400-L (waterproofing of buildings)
10-year workmanship guarantee on full re-waterproofing installations
Coordinated access for sectional-title units — including downstairs neighbour notification
Our Process
Leak diagnosis — moisture-meter survey of the wet wall plus the unit/room below, dye trace through the drain trap if needed
Quote with two options where possible — non-invasive (penetrating sealer + epoxy regrout) vs full strip-and-tank
Tile and screed removal back to sound substrate (only the affected wet zone, typically shower box plus 300mm overlap)
Substrate prep — repair cracks, fillet all wall-to-floor junctions with a flexible bond breaker, prime the surface
Apply two-coat cementitious tanking slurry (Sika SikaTop Seal-107, ABE Super Laycryl or Aquaflex) with reinforcing fabric at corners
24-hour flood test — plug the drain, fill the shower tray, photograph water level at 0h and 24h
Re-tile with epoxy grout in wet zones, fresh silicone to all movement joints, hand over flood-test photos and 10-year guarantee certificate
Pricing
From R3,500 per shower
2026 indicative ZAR pricing. Shower re-waterproofing without retiling R3,500-R7,500 per shower. Full strip + tank + retile R8,000-R18,000 per shower depending on tile choice and box size. External wall sealing R85-R180/m² (penetrating silane vs pigmented elastomeric). Body-corporate jobs quoted per stack — discounts on multi-unit blocks.
Get Accurate QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Why does my shower leak even though the silicone is fine?
Silicone is the last 2% of the waterproofing system, not the first 98%. If the cementitious membrane under the tiles was skipped, applied too thin, or never carried up the wall and across the floor-to-wall fillet, water tracks behind the tiles through the grout — which is porous by design — and exits through the back of the wall or through the slab below. The silicone bead at the visible joint is irrelevant once water is already behind the tile face. Diagnosis is a moisture-meter reading on the dry side of the wall: a wet outside wall with intact silicone is the textbook signature of a failed tanking layer.
Do tiles need to come off to fix a leaking shower?
Not always. If the substrate is sound and the leak is mild, a clear penetrating sealer plus epoxy regrout (R3,500-R7,500) buys 5-8 years and avoids the dust and disruption. If the substrate has hollow tiles, cracked grout lines wider than 2mm, visible damp on the outside wall, or the leak is dripping into the unit below, tiles must come off, the membrane must be reapplied properly, and the area is re-tiled (R8,000-R18,000). The free inspection includes a moisture-meter survey to determine which option fits.
How long does shower waterproofing last?
A correctly applied two-coat cementitious tanking slurry with proper corner reinforcement lasts 15-20 years before any review is needed. Liquid polyurethane systems last 10-15 years. The grout and silicone on the tile face age faster and should be redone every 5-7 years as routine maintenance — that maintenance is not the waterproofing failing, it's the surface finishes. All listed contractors offer a 10-year workmanship guarantee on full re-waterproofing.
Penetrating sealer vs full re-tile — which should I choose?
Penetrating sealer (silane/siloxane based) plus epoxy regrout is the right call when tiles are sound, grout is intact but porous, and the leak is slow. It is not a fix for a failed membrane — it is a fix for porous grout. Full re-tile with new tanking is the right call when there is visible damp on the outside wall, tiles sound hollow, the unit below has water marks on the ceiling, or the original installation predates 2005 (when SANS 10400-L tanking became standard practice). When in doubt the contractor will quote both options so you can weigh cost vs longevity.
What is a 'tanking slurry'?
A tanking slurry is a two-component cementitious waterproofing membrane applied as a paint-on coating before tiling. Two coats build a continuous, flexible, fully bonded waterproof skin across the shower floor, up the walls, and across every junction. Common SA brands are Sika SikaTop Seal-107, ABE Super Laycryl, Aquaflex and Cemix Aquablock. Reinforcing fabric is bedded into the first coat at every corner and pipe penetration. Once cured (typically 24-48 hours) and flood-tested, tiles are bonded directly over it. It is the South African standard for internal wet-area waterproofing under SANS 10400-L.
Can a leaking shower cause damp on the wall outside?
Yes — and it is the single most common cause of an isolated damp patch on an external bedroom or hallway wall that backs onto a bathroom. Water tracks horizontally through the wall cavity, often emerging 1-2 metres from the actual leak source, which is why home-owners frequently mistake it for rising damp or a roof leak. The diagnostic giveaway is the damp pattern matching the height of the shower head or the bath rim on the other side of the wall. In sectional-title blocks the same mechanism feeds into the unit directly below — a common trigger for body-corporate insurance claims, and one of the biggest categories of work our Durbanville contractors handle.
Wall & Shower Waterproofing Across Durbanville & the Northern Suburbs
Our team provides wall & shower waterproofing across these Northern Suburbs neighbourhoods — free on-site inspection on every quote:
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