Waterproofing is not a coating.
It is not a promise.
It is not a product designed to “manage failure.”
Waterproofing is the first and last line of defence between a building and decay.
Yet the modern building industry has normalised systems that are never intended to last the life of the structure they claim to protect. Elastomeric emulsions dominate the market, sold under the illusion of flexibility and compliance, while those who govern the industry fully understand their limitations and inevitable failure.
These products are approved, regulated, and promoted not because they work long-term — but because they are profitable, repeatable, and disposable.
The result is a broken cycle: Buildings leak.
Substrates rot.
Structures fail prematurely.
Owners pay.
Investors scramble.
The industry sells the fix — again.
This is not an accident.
This is a system.
If waterproofing truly lasted, the volume of remedial work would collapse. Property values would stabilise. Defects would be prevented instead of monetised. The market would slow — and that is precisely why longevity is discouraged.
Governing bodies speak of standards while authorising products they know will not survive a building’s lifecycle. Manufacturers write rules to protect themselves from failure rather than prevent it. Sales and stakeholders are prioritised over durability, accountability, and truth.
I reject that system.
I choose to work with materials and methods that are inconvenient to the industry because they last. I choose systems that reduce repeat work, not generate it. I choose honesty over compliance theatre, and longevity over volume.
This is not anti-industry.
This is pro-building.
A home should not be designed to fail on a spreadsheet.
A structure should not rely on planned degradation.
Waterproofing should protect — not expire.
I stand for waterproofing that endures.
For construction that respects time.
For an industry that serves people, not cycles of profit.
This is not just about membranes.
It is about integrity.
David Collins