Bathroom Waterproofing in Sydney
The part of your bathroom you’ll never see, and the one that decides whether it lasts.
Empire Bathrooms provides licensed bathroom waterproofing across Sydney, completed in-house to Australian Standard AS 3740. Waterproofing is the hidden membrane behind your tiles that stops water reaching the structure of your home, and getting it wrong is the single most common and most expensive bathroom failure.
Waterproofing is where corners get cut, so we don’t.
Because we hold building, plumbing and waterproofing licences, we certify our own waterproofing rather than subcontracting it, which is why every bathroom we build is backed by a 10-Year Leak-Free Guarantee.
Here is the uncomfortable truth about bathroom renovations, waterproofing is invisible once the tiles go on, so it is the easiest place for a renovator to save a day and hope for the best. When it fails, water gets into the floor and wall framing, and you are looking at mould, rot, ruined ceilings in the room below, and a full re-tile to fix a problem that should never have happened.
In New South Wales, wet-area waterproofing must comply with Australian Standard AS 3740, and it is licensed work. Many renovators subcontract it out or let the tiler rush it. Empire is licensed in waterproofing and does it with its own team, to the standard, every time. That is the whole reason we can stand behind a 10-Year Leak-Free Guarantee.
How we waterproof a bathroom
Waterproofing is a system, not a coat of paint. Skipping any step is where leaks start. Our licensed team follows the AS 3740 process:
Surface preparation
The substrate is cleaned, repaired and primed so the membrane bonds properly.
Sealing joints and penetrations
Every wall-to-floor junction, corner, tap and drain penetration is sealed, with bond breakers at movement joints so the membrane can flex without splitting. We also install the correct water-stop angles at doorways and hobs, and drainage floor connection flanges at every waste, so water is contained and directed to the drain rather than tracking into the structure.
Correct falls to the drain
The floor is set to fall to the waste so water always drains, never pools.
Membrane applied to the correct thickness
Most companies apply two coats and call it done, but two coats is only the bare minimum. What actually matters is the dry film thickness, the membrane must be built up to the thickness the manufacturer specifies. We calculate the litres per square metre needed to hit that thickness, so the membrane is installed exactly to the manufacturer’s requirements and their product warranty stays in effect. We use the highest-quality solvent-based polyurethane on floors and water-based polyurethane on walls, applied to the full floor, up the walls, and above shower-screen height in the shower.
A flood test
Where practical we test before tiling, so the waterproofing is proven, not assumed.
Only then does tiling begin. You receive a waterproofing certificate on completion, which matters for compliance, insurance and resale.
Where waterproofing matters most
Leaks almost never start in the open middle of a floor. They start at the junctions, penetrations and high-splash zones below, which is exactly where cheaper jobs get lazy.
Leaking shower or a suspected leak? If your bathroom is a few years old, these are the warning signs of failed waterproofing, loose or drummy tiles, cracked or crumbling grout, mould that keeps coming back, a musty smell, peeling paint or water stains on the wall behind the bathroom or the ceiling below.
Areas We Service
Based in Dural. Serving Sydney.
We deliver bathroom renovations across the Hills District and entire Sydney metropolitan area. Here are just some of the suburbs we serve most regularly. Not sure if we cover your suburb? Just ask.
The Hills Shire
Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Bella Vista, Rouse Hill, Beaumont Hills, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Dural, Kenthurst, Annangrove, Galston and surrounding suburbs.
Hornsby Shire
Hornsby, Cherrybrook, Wahroonga, Thornleigh, Waitara, Mount Colah, Pennant Hills, Asquith, Beecroft, Berowra, Normanhurst and surrounding areas.
City of Parramatta
Epping, Parramatta, Carlingford, Merrylands, Westmead, Granville, Toongabbie, Winston Hills and surrounding areas.