Our last day will be the 21st December 2023. We will return from the 15th January 2024. Enjoy the Christmas holiday break!
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In July 2023, we've just seen the earth's hottest month in at least 125,000 years, so global heating and reducing waste needs to be everyone's business.
Good vs Bad:
-Our product is used in cement which is by itself responsible for 8% of global emissions. But when Efflock and Effseal is used, it helps to extend the longevity of buildings by preventing defects that can result in premature demolition. Less is more; we need to build more modest-sized buildings that are much higher quality and much more efficient.
-Our product comes in plastic bottles and those plastic bottles come in cardboard cartons from native forests. Plastic is a global problem, but because we sell Efflock and Effseal in a maximum concentrate, we are keeping that waste stream to a minimum. Many other building products and domestic products are sold in a weaker dilution, which sells more units to generate more profit, but it is more costly to our environment and the end user.
-Our maximum concentrate minimises transport and manufacturing emissions. Everything from the product and each layer of packaging and handling is mined, extracted, felled, processed, manufactured and transported. All these things are shipped across oceans, driven by trucks, driven by people who drive to and from work etcetera, etcetera. Our concentrate formula helps to minimise all these impacts.
-We use reclaimed cartons where possible. It doesn't look as flash, but where we can, we re-use cartons and packaging when we ship to our customers and re-sellers.
-Lastly, on a personal level, we're endeavouring to cycle to and from work, we've just bought our first electric vehicle for other trips and we'll keep working towards doing better and financially supporting organisations who are helping to create change we desperately need. The climate crisis is now, and we need to pull out all stops for a safe future.
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We know that the optimal temperature for curing concrete is about 22 degrees. If shade is not provided, the surface temperature of a screed or tile can quickly exceed 50 degrees. Mortar needs to cure, not to bake. Tilers don't need to bake either!
The other obvious risk of not providing shade, is the loss of hydration. If we lose the construction moisture, the chemical reaction stops and we can expect our screeds and grouts to go powdery.
As soon as a screed is in place, it's important to keep providing shade and moisture curing, with something like wet hessian. Especially when you're using Efflock, once the moisture evaporates out, you cannot put it back (not that putting water back into a standard screed would be good practice either).
Australian Standard AS 3958.1-2007 (Guide to the installation of ceramic tiles) says: "Sand/cement and fine concrete screeds should be cured for at least 7 days and be subjected to continuous air-drying after curing for at least 2 weeks before the bed and tiling are applied." (See Appendix A, on page 93).
Grout is also susceptible. Clause 5.7.3 on page 89 says: "All cement-based tile installations, including Portland cement grouts, should be damp cured for 48h minimum, unless otherwise specified." In addition to that, we would flag that it's worth considering the tile that is being grouted. Natural stone tiles can often contribute to the loss of hydration by sucking moisture out of the grout. The use of pre-sealers on stone, and or liquid polymer grout additives (i.e. SBR latex) can help to mitigate the premature loss of moisture.
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Read more about the project here.
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Ben from Efflock will be there, so come along and say hello, and have your technical questions answered.
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The existing marble-clad balconies are being over-tiled with new porcelain tiles. The existing marble is being locked off with new waterproofing and Efflock has been specified for use in the new tile adhesive and grout.
]]>Joe Metlage of Casumo Constructions is the builder and still has his office located in the said building at 8 Bourke Street Mascot, in Sydney.
It was pleasing to see that Efflock has performed extremely well, keeping efflorescence under control in the expansive common areas. The tile screeds are up to 200mm thick and the granite and bluestone paving and G684 basalt cobblestones are in excellent condition, free from efflorescence deposits and picture framing.
Natural stone such as granite is notorious for picture framing defects, and in this project it has been averted. For more information on picture framing, check out this article by Stone Initiatives: Refer to the sub heading "Moisture Sensitivity".
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Efflock will be closed from 5pm 23 December, returning 7am 9 January 2017. If you have any technical enquiries over Christmas please refer to our technical data sheet (see the PDF link on our FAQS page).
If you have any urgent enquiries not in the TDS, please email ben@efflock.com.au and I'll do our best to respond as promptly as I can amongst our holiday schedule.
Enjoy some rest and be safe on the roads!
Many thanks and best wishes,
Ben Burdett
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Ben from Efflock will be speaking during the waterproofing session between 4 and 6pm on 3 November. Please click on the following links to register:
https://www.mba.org.au/…/cou…/professional-development-week/
]]>Every detail in a system is important. Caulked movement joints may seem an insignificant detail, but if they are installed incorrectly excessive water can enter masonry to cause efflorescence. Below is an information sheet which explains how to install caulked movement joints correctly, with some information on selecting the best sealant for the job:
]]>Please take a look around, and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with Ben (that's me). Details are on the "Contact Us" page.
Click here to view our Master Builder magazine insert
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Repeglaze is an advanced glass and glazing coating that sets a new bar for its competition. Hydrophobic glass treatments have been around for a while, and there are lots of them, both for automotive and domestic glass. However, the performance of most brands lasts only a number of weeks, and the very best of them claim up to 3 years longevity. We can double that.
Our new product is for all building glass such as pool fences, shower screens, sky lights, glass roofs, windows, glass furniture, glazed ceramic and glazed porcelain tiles, ceramic toilet suites, ceramic cisterns, and ceramic sinks and basins.
The coating is actually harder than the glass to give increased scratch resistance, and that is what gives the product an unrivalled service life.
Repeglaze reduces 90% cleaning effort, provides better hygiene, and provides a self cleaning effect for surfaces exposed to clean water and rain.
The product will be sold in 100ml spray bottle kits, which provides for 40m2 of surface protection.
For more information, please feel free to speak with Ben Burdett directly on +61 414 730 736. We will provide more information on our website in the coming weeks.
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Ben will be on hand to demonstrate and discuss Efflock's unique advantages and various uses to prevent problems for builders. Come and have a quick chat as you chew on a sandwich ahead of a forecast 40 degrees work day!
]]>Efflorescence does occur in bathrooms. With the growing trend of underfloor (under tile) heating, the potential for this problem is dramatically increased. The reason for this is that by heating an ordinary saturated tile bed, adhesive and grout, dissolved calcium hydroxide and other salts are driven back up through the grout through forced evaporation. The dissolved salts then react with carbon dioxide to form insoluble efflorescence deposits on the grout and tiles.
Thank you to Peter McCabe Builder in Pottsville NSW for sending the photo!
]]>This test was made independently by Don's Tiles in Narellan (near Sydney). At the time this photo was taken, the screed had been flooded for 48 hours (notice on the right hand side one small leak coming from the sealant).
Don's Tiles now include Efflock into their bathroom installations because it makes good sense. When an average bathroom costs around $20,000, $30 worth of Efflock is cheap insurance against the ever-present potential for waterproofing failure.
For a waterproofing membrane to work, it has to be absolutely 100% perfect. A tiny pinhole caused by human error in the haste of construction, such as a wayward brush stroke, a defect in a welded sheet, building movement or accidental damage can be a conduit for future problems caused by water damage. Without Efflock, the pore structure of ordinary tile screed, adhesive and grout is perfect to promote water absorption and capillary action which places the performance of a waterproofing membrane under sustained pressure.
In a bathroom, Efflock added to the screed, adhesive and grout provides:
For more information, get in touch via our Contact Us page.
]]>Water is the most destructive compound that works against the health and longevity of any building, in so many different ways other than just efflorescence. Therefore, a quality building specification must always pay careful attention to preventing the ingress of water and damp in every situation.
For over a decade, a cement rendered and painted finish has been very popular in Australia. Render has often been applied to renovate face brickwork that is out of step with current trends. Render is sometimes also used incorrectly to try and address or aesthetically solve other problems such as spalling of bricks and mortar caused by salt attack, (but that is a whole other story).
Render is a form of concrete, generally applied to common brickwork. Like any concrete, it shrinks and leaves shrinkage cracks. Shrinkage cracks can be exacerbated in new construction when render is applied to new clay bricks. Clay bricks leave a kiln with no moisture content, and slowly expand as they regain equalibrium moisture with their surroundings. Like any other fabric of a building, the masonry to some extent will always be dynamic, forever reacting with changes temperature and humidity.
Efflorescence is common in render. Most often it is due to water entering a control joint, or through a paint layer that has cracked with the render's shrinkage cracks. Normal exterior grade paints are thin with no elasticity, so they move with the render and allow water to be absorbed. Ordinary render is incredibly porous, so a tiny crack can draw enormous amounts of water into the wall with capillary action. Elastomeric paints are capable of bridging small cracks, so they should be used on any rendered surfaces that are subject to weather exposure. Control joints should be properly detailed against water ingress with a suitably flexible and paintable sealant such as Polyurethane or MS Polymer, and a backing rod.
An additive such as Efflock in the render is a worthy consideration to prevent the "sponge" effect. Efflock not only gives another barrier against water entry if the paint system degrades, but even more importantly, it will prevent salt damage that can effect the paint system from behind. This situation most often occurs below the damp proof course (DPC), where ground salts are absorbed into the render from rising damp. Over a period of time, the salts build to a point where they start to cause blistering of the paint and spalling of the render through the action of crystallisation. Salt can exert expansion pressures with the pores of masonry that exceed 200 MPa. Salt attack can be prevented below the DPC with 3 measures: 1. Exposure grade bricks. 2. Efflock in the brick mortar. 3. Efflock in the render.
Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney.
]]>Readers of APN can request more information on Efflock or any other product through the magazine's enquiry card system.
]]>An excellent blog article by V-Vo Architectural Mosaics based in Western Australia makes a strong argument for more attention to waterproofing, based on simple building facts that we all accept. V-Vo are leading experts in pool tiling systems with extensive experience in Australia and internationally. This is well worth a read: Waterproofing a Pool
]]>The TDS is always available on site by scanning the QR code on the label of the Efflock bottle.
A QR code reader app is available for free on your smart phone.
]]>With over 80 independent stores across Australia and New Zealand, Efflock is being asked for by name and our customer base is growing exponentially.
We are only at the tip of the iceberg. Efflock is a stand alone product that compliments rather than competes with existing produce lines, and offers a solution to an enormous, well known problem.
If you're part of a dynamic building supplies business with passionate knowledgeable staff, then please contact ben@efflock.com.au
]]>Pierre Cerroni and his staff offer welcoming personalised service and infectious enthusiasm for all the latest trends and best quality installation products for tiles.
Gasparre Tiles are one of our newest Efflock stockists, but already promise to be one of our leading stores in NSW, with a large customer base and experience stretching back to 1964.
Gasparre Tiles are located at 357 Canterbury Rd. Canterbury, NSW 2193.
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We are listed online at item #73, please click here to view.
The unique advantage with using Efflock for efflorescence protection is that it is an additive which is compatible with all cement based products, meaning that in tiling, it will prevent efflorescence leaching from tile adhesive and grout as well as tile beds.
We have sought many tile adhesive manufacturers' approval to combine Efflock with their products, and we're delighted that the Sydney based company Novatex Products are the first company to lend their support.
Novatex Products have recently completed testing with their range of proprietary cement based products. Their testing has concluded that Efflock can be used in their products and does not have any detrimental effect towards the performance and final strength.
We have always recommended that Efflock be combined with adhesive and grout in tile installations, but understandably, a number of tile stores and tilers have been hesitant to follow that advice, fearing they will void product warranties. Unfortunately, in a number of cases, efflorescence has appeared from the layer of those very materials that have been installed without using Efflock.
We are very pleased to have Novatex Products' support, and we look forward to reciprocating by directing our growing customer base towards using their products which have official approval. As a further demonstration of Novatex Products' good will, director Gorizio Di Censo made a point of indicating they are in complete support of Efflock obtaining testing and endorsement by other brands. So the invitation is here! Please email us at info@efflock.com.au
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