Drainage mats

Protection against waterlogging: Drainage mats as a solution

What is meant by drainage mats?

Drainage mats are particularly useful outdoors, where water can often accumulate on surfaces. If rainwater cannot drain properly, it can lead to slippery and dangerous conditions, especially on sidewalks, patios, or balconies. Outdoor drainage mats help minimize these hazards by allowing for quick drainage of surfaces.

Furthermore, drainage mats in outdoor areas can help extend the lifespan of surfaces by preventing water from stagnating beneath the surface and thus causing damage such as cracks and chipping. Drainage mats are special mats, usually made of plastic or rubber, used for draining surfaces and reducing moisture. They have a special perforated structure that allows water and moisture to drain through the mat. By using a drainage mat, the risk of water accumulation on the surface is minimized, preventing damage.

When is a drainage mat used?

Waterlogging: Due to errors in the waterproofing gradient, such as elevations in the overlap area or unevenness, waterlogging can occur under tile coverings. Drainage mats do not have the function of sealing a floor, but are intended to drain accumulating water. They are easy to install and drain water better than simple drainage pipes ever could.

Frost and heat: When laying ceramic floors outdoors, for example on balconies or terraces, tile coverings are exposed to high thermal stresses, which can lead to long-term damage in the floor structure.

If moisture penetrates the ground without a functioning drainage system and freezes in winter, it can lead to cracks in the floor covering. This can happen with tiles as well as with stone slabs or concrete. To prevent this, a functioning drainage system is necessary. If a floor heats up strongly in summer, this can lead to moisture rising from the ground. Water from this source can also be successfully drained away by using a drainage mat, as drainage channels are located on the top and bottom of a drainage mat.

Cracks in the flooring structure: These lead to severe moisture penetration into the flooring, associated with tile detachment, hollow spaces, efflorescence and structural defects.

Our range of drainage mats

We offer you a small but high-quality selection of drainage mats:

Drainage mat PLUS

This drainage mat is a very dimensionally stable and pressure-resistant, closed drainage mat made of polyethylene with a dimpled structure, which is equipped with a laminated fleece. The dimpled side with the fleece, on which the covering structure lies, acts as drainage with very high water drainage.

The free space between the studded membrane and the non-woven fabric creates a cushioning layer of air that provides impact, sound, and thermal insulation, protecting the seal from thermal stress and ensuring even load distribution on the seal.

The covering construction on the mat can be composed in many different ways. This includes constructions with drainage screed in combination with tiles or slabs as a top covering, as well as under gravel screed and crushed stone screed or cement screed. This drainage mat is particularly suitable for realizing large-area drainage in combination with tile coverings, as required on balconies and terraces. It provides effective drainage and additional sealing between the building waterproofing and the overlying covering construction.

Installation

The drainage mat is loosely placed on the building waterproofing with the mesh facing upwards. Prerequisites are building waterproofing adapted to the requirements of the project, e.g., with our waterproofing mat with decoupling effect, and a slope of approx. 2% for drainage of the waterproofing layer.

1. The properly prepared substrate must be load-bearing, even and free of components that could damage the building waterproofing. Any leveling measures to achieve a sufficient slope must be carried out before laying the drainage mat and must be arranged below the building waterproofing. If necessary, sealing is required to protect the leveling layer, e.g. with our sealing tape.
2. Lay the sheets, cut to size, loosely on the building waterproofing with the mesh fabric facing upwards.
3. The mats can be laid overlapping or, depending on the application, butted together, shear-resistantly bonded with the sealing tape and glued together with tile adhesive.
4. Seal wall connections with sealing tape if necessary. The sealing tape is partially glued to the drainage mat and the adjacent wall surface using flexible mortar. For most substrates, a hydraulically setting flexible mortar or a fast-setting flexible adhesive according to DIN EN 12004 / C2 can be used. Internal and external corners should be formed with the appropriate corner pieces.
5. Then, apply the chosen pavement structure, taking into account the specific requirements and in accordance with generally accepted engineering principles.