What you need to know about waterproofing on The Block

If you're undertaking a renovation, you may be inclined to cut costs by taking on jobs yourself.

But there’s one task you should leave to the professionals: waterproofing. And this year on The Block, there’s a huge change when it comes to finishing your waterproofing.

Contestants can say goodbye to ‘Waterproof Wednesday’.

Because of this year’s reduced working hours and site shut-downs, the goal is to have waterproofing done a day earlier than we’ve seen in the past.

“We’re aiming for ‘Waterproof Tuesday,’” host Scott Cam revealed.

Due to a massive leak in their family bathroom because of the rain, Courtney and Sev might not even make Wednesday at this stage.

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At least they can leave it to the professionals.

“It definitely has to be done by an expert,” The Block’s former foreman Keith Schleiger told nine.com.au. “It has to be done by a certified waterproofer.”

He added that any problems or mistakes can be incredibly detrimental to your building, and costly to fix.

On The Block, waterproofing follows best practice, requiring plastic angles that tuck behind the wall and under floor sheets to create a barrier, as well as two coats of membrane.

Keith explained that there are many problems that can occur in the waterproofing process that you need to look out for.

"The wall sheet application has to be done thoroughly without big gaps. We don't want to see big holes in the wall sheets. We don't want them just filled with silicone. We want to minimise the amount of silicone used in the joints," he said.

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Returning this year alongside site supervisor GMac, Foreman Dan will check the contestants have got their waterproofing right before they can move on to tiling, an important step on The Block.

Every year we hear about how important 'Waterproof Wednesday' is and there's an important reason why it must be done earlier rather than later in the week.

That’s because the contestants often underestimate the drying time involved when waterproofing, which is why Blockheads tend to fall behind in a bathroom week.

“The membrane, especially in winter, will take a lot longer to dry. In summer, it might take six hours but in winter it could take 24 hours,” he said.

The appropriate materials also need to be used, which can vary depending on what glues and tiles have been chosen for your bathroom.