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Why tilers keep a record of the tanking

A tanking record is a dated note of the waterproofing behind a shower or wet room: the system, batch numbers, layers, curing time, any flood test, and photographs of corners, pipes and the drain before tiling. If a leak appears later, it shows what you did. This site has a free template to print or save as a PDF.

Updated

Illustration: a shower tray covered in green tanking membrane with taped corners and a drain, seen from above, beside a clipboard with a ticked record and a phone showing a photo of the membrane

Why keep one?

A shower leak usually shows months after the job, as a stain on the ceiling below, and by then the tanking is behind tiles. Without a record, it is your word against an assumption. With one, you can show the system used, that each layer went on, and that the weak points were treated, often enough to point the search at a failed tray seal, a pipe joint or a silicone joint instead.

What goes in it

The job address and date. The tanking system and maker, and batch numbers from the tubs, rolls or boards. The number of layers and the drying time between them. Reinforcing tapes, corners and pipe collars used. The drain type and how the membrane is clamped. Any flood test, how long and the result. And photographs of each corner, pipe entry and the drain before tiling, with something in shot that shows the room.

Illustration: a wet room floor falling to a linear drain, with the green tanking membrane and tape still showing where the tiling stops
A wet room drain with the tanking membrane and tape still visible: the stage a tanking record photographs before tiles cover it.

What it does for the customer

It tells the homeowner what is behind the tiles, which helps the next person who works on the room, and it helps when they sell. Several tanking makers tie their guarantees to installation in line with their instructions, and a record is how that is shown.

Using the template

The tanking record and quote sheet on this site are free to print or save as a PDF for every tiler, listed or not, from the tanking record page. Print it or fill it in on a phone, attach the photos, and give the customer a copy with your invoice. It does not replace the maker's own paperwork, and it is not a certificate: it is your note of what you did.

Tanking in section: substrate, primer, tanking membrane with tape across the corner, tile adhesive, tile and groutTileTile adhesivesolid bed, no voidsTanking membranewalls and floor in onePrimerwhere the system asks for itSubstratebacker board or screedTape across the corner,and at joints and pipesGrout in the joints,flexible sealant in the cornerSection through a shower corner. The membrane is continuous; the tile and grout are not the waterproofing.

Common questions

Is a tanking record a legal requirement?

No. It is good practice and evidence of what was done. BS 5385-4 and tanking makers' instructions set how tanking should be done; the record shows you followed them.

Do I need to photograph the tanking?

Photographs of corners, pipe entries and the drain before tiling are the most useful part of the record, because nobody can see them afterwards.

Does the template cost anything?

No. It is free to every tiler, whether or not they are listed on this site.

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