IS 3067 : 1988Code of practice for general waterproofing and damp-proofing of buildings

IS 3067:1988 is the code of practice for general design, construction and detailing of waterproofing and damp-proofing of buildings — the umbrella workmanship code covering DPC, basement/below-grade waterproofing, roof/terrace, wet-area and sunken-slab waterproofing, and the detailing that makes them work. It is the parent practice code that the system-specific waterproofing standards sit under.

It is read with the waterproofing stack:

• IS 456 — concrete (impermeable concrete is the first line of defence) · IS 2645 — integral cement waterproofing compounds
• IS 1346 — code of practice for waterproofing of roofs with bitumen felts · IS 3384 — bitumen primer
• IS 13182 / IS 12027 — APP/membrane references · NBC 2016 Part 6 — finishes/weatherproofing

Waterproofing fails at junctions, terminations and penetrations, not in the middle of the membrane — so IS 3067 emphasises *design and detailing* over product choice:

• Damp-proof course (DPC): continuous horizontal barrier at plinth (and vertical DPC where required) to stop rising damp — continuity is everything
• Below-grade / basement: tanking (membrane) vs integral 'water-resistant concrete' approach; the water table and hydrostatic head drive the choice; drainage to relieve head where possible
• Roofs/terraces: falls/slopes to outlets (no ponding), membrane with adequate upturns at parapets, treatment of expansion joints, and rainwater-outlet detailing
• Wet areas / sunken slabs: bonded waterproofing turned up the walls, with the drain/pipe penetrations sleeved and sealed and the floor laid to fall
• Junctions/terminations: the recurring leak points — wall/floor coves, parapet upturns, pipe penetrations, construction/expansion joints, level thresholds
• Protection of the membrane during follow-on work (most membranes are punctured by subsequent trades)

The key engineering point: slope, continuity, upturns/terminations and penetration sealing decide whether a building leaks — not the brand of membrane.

Scenario: terrace roof and a sunken toilet slab.

Terrace — Step 1: provide slope to outlets (≈1:100 min) so there is no ponding; the screed/brick-bat-coba or membrane is laid to this fall.

Step 2: carry the waterproofing as a continuous membrane with upturns ≥ ~150–300 mm at parapets/abutments, tucked into a groove; treat expansion joints and rainwater outlets with dressed/clamped detailing.

Sunken toilet — Step 3: apply bonded waterproofing to the sunken slab, turned up the surrounding walls; sleeve and seal every pipe penetration through the slab before filling.

Step 4 — flood test: pond-test (24–48 h) the terrace and the sunken slab *before* tiling/filling — leaks found now cost a sealant; leaks found after finishing cost a demolition.

Step 5 — protect: screed/protect the membrane before follow-on trades. Almost every building leak is a *detailing/penetration/slope* failure caught by this flood test, not a membrane-material failure.

1. No / inadequate slope → ponding. Flat 'waterproofed' roofs/terraces pond, and standing water finds every weakness — falls to outlets are part of the design, not the screed contractor's guess.

2. Discontinuous DPC / no upturns. A broken DPC lets rising damp bypass it; membranes with no/short upturns at parapets and walls leak at the very junctions they exist to protect.

3. Unsealed pipe penetrations. The single commonest sunken-slab/toilet leak — every penetration must be sleeved and sealed before filling.

4. No flood/pond test before covering. Covering un-tested waterproofing converts a cheap fix into a demolition; the pre-cover flood test is mandatory practice.

5. Membrane punctured by follow-on trades. Unprotected membranes are routinely holed by subsequent work — protect immediately.

• IS 456 — concrete (impermeable concrete; IS 3370 for liquid-retaining) · IS 2645 — integral waterproofing compounds
• IS 1346 — waterproofing of roofs with bitumen felts · IS 3384 — bitumen primer
• IS 13182 / IS 12027 / IS 13826 — membrane / bituminous-felt references
• NBC 2016 Part 6 — building finishes / weatherproofing · IS 1742 Part 1 — drainage (outlets)
• IS 3370 Part 1 — liquid-retaining concrete (water-resistant-concrete approach)

IS 3067 is old (1988) and reaffirmed; waterproofing technology has advanced enormously (APP/SBS membranes, crystalline, PU/acrylic liquid-applied, integral admixtures) but the failure mode has not changed — buildings leak at *junctions, terminations, penetrations and where water ponds*, almost never in the field of a correctly-laid membrane. So IS 3067's emphasis on slope, continuity, upturns/terminations, penetration sealing and protection is exactly the right mental model regardless of which modern system is used.

The practitioner contract: design the falls and outlets, specify continuous DPC and adequate upturns, sleeve-and-seal every penetration, flood-test before covering, and protect the membrane from follow-on trades. Choose the below-grade strategy by the water table/hydrostatic head (tanking vs water-resistant concrete + drainage, read with IS 3370). The expensive lesson on every project: a premium membrane installed with poor detailing leaks; an ordinary system with disciplined detailing and a flood test does not.