Whether it is a tiled shower, a splash zone with LVT (vinyl planking), or a full wet room, there will be moisture present below the surface. Tiles are porous, grout (no matter the type) can crack or develop fissures and plank-type flooring has unsealed joins that allows moisture to pass to the membrane below.

An easy way to visualise the installation is to consider that the waterproofing membrane forms the true enclosure of the wet area, often seen as the blue coating during installation. The visible components such as tiles, silicone, and shower screens simply encourage water towards the grate or channel outlet. The membrane is the critical protection layer, the rest is largely decorative.

Leak control, or puddle flanges, are a crucial part of the membrane system which must meet the requirements of AS3740-2010, AS/NZS4548:2004 and E3 acceptable solution. The flange must provide a minimum 50mm wide continuous surface for the membrane to terminate onto. Any screeds must finish before this 50mm flange to ensure that the membrane can track from the screed to the flange and achieve full adhesion. Often, the membrane supplier will specify a bandage that acts as a bond breaker to allow movement between the dissimilar materials. Many sheet membrane systems will require a clamp ring at the flange for correct termination. Allproof’s Tile Rite flange is purpose-designed for this application.

The flange must be installed flush with the flooring surface. Installing it proud of the surface will create a dam, trapping moisture and restricting the flow path required for moisture to escape through the floor waste system. The grate or channel installed at the finished surface height will have weep holes around the connection between spigot and flange to allow for this sub-surface drainage path. Not all products provide for this and it forms a crucial part of the system. No floor waste connection in a tiled floor should have a glued or 0-ring fitting to the waste.

Differing installs and finishes will require specific flange types to suit the finished surface and flooring system, including consideration of any passive fire protection requirements. Allproof can offer a fully tested “system” to AS 1530.4:2014.

For the Vision shower channel, Allproof pioneered the VF80 flange, a rectangular flange that will fit into the channel rebate for the drain to be installed into. The use of a round flange in a tiled floor channel waste will not provide a satisfactory flange area for membrane termination. Often an afterthought.

Point drains or floor wastes will commonly utilise the familiar leak control flange, spigot, and grate system seen through apartment, hotel, and residential floor waste installs. Allproof took this puddle flange one step further with the creation of the Cyclone Leak Control flange. It features a threaded spigot allowing for simpler adjustment of the grate to height and better install methodology by removing the double step in the flange. Subsurface drainage is achieved around the threads of the spigot.

LVT, or vinyl planking is becoming more popular in the apartment and high-density housing developments. Most suppliers have tested alternative solutions to E3 to allow a permeable floor covering in a splash zone, which requires a membrane to be installed under the planks. The use of a tile leak control flange created challenges due to limited material build-up above the flange and insufficient support of plank joins landing on the flange. Allproof has worked with NZ’s top flooring suppliers to redesign the Tilt-a-Grate system that will allow a single core hole, passive fire friendly flange with a grate that can sit as low as 4mm off the flange, providing a neat and effective solution to suit all vinyl planking requirements.

Membrane systems require precise detailing around floor waste penetrations to ensure a durable and compliant installation. Using a local manufacturer that is aligned with both membrane suppliers and flooring manufacturers will ensure that all components of the system will interact and perform to requirements.