Company Announcement - Products supplied by a.b.e. Construction Chemicals were used to waterproof an expansive area of roofing at the Power Park building in Cape Town. a.b.e. - part  of the Chryso Southern Africa Group - supplied three products: bituprime, index unigum, and silvakote, for the two-phase waterproofing project carried out by approved a.b.e. applicator, Jaymark. A total of about 5 000 square metres of roofing was waterproofed at Power Park in Epping Industrial, Goodwood. Glenn Bouwer,  Branch & Sales Manager for a.b.e. in the Western Cape, says the roofs were initially primed with a.b.e. bituprime, a bitumen primer and sealer usually applied prior to treatment with torch-on membranes, or cold or hot-applied bituminous sealants.

"Then a.b.e's index unigum was applied in 4mm thickness. This extremely popular a.b.e. product is a bitumen-polymer reinforced plastomeric waterproofing membrane, reinforced with a rot proof non-woven polyester fabric and strengthened fibreglass mat. The membrane is heat-welded and has exceptional dimensional stability.

"The membranes are covered on the upper face with evenly distributed talc which allows for easy unrolling during application. The lower face is lined with a protective, non-stick, sacrificial polyethylene 'Flamina' film, which is embossed with small squares to assist in the rapid burn-off of the film. When the film burns off, it shows that the correct melting point for a substrate has been reached. The embossing also allows for vapour diffusion in loose laid or spot-bonded applications," Bouwer explained.

"a.b.e unigum membranes are extremely durable and have proved the solution to even the most difficult waterproofing problems in thousands of South African waterproofing projects, including on flat, sloping and pitched roofs; reinforced and prefab concrete; masonry cement; as well as metal, and timber decks and terraces." The final product used for the waterproofing of Power Park was a coat of a.b.e.'s silvakote, bitumen-based aluminium paint. silvakote is a UV-resistant, highly reflective paint, suitable for metallic, and most bituminous and concrete surfaces.