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The up front costs for installing sheet membranes are negligible, according to Ron Kazemi of Kazemi & Associates, who uses ProtectoWrap products. The only special equipment he bought was a linoleum roller, which costs about $50 today. This roller is used to install the membrane by pressing it firmly against the concrete wall. An angle grinder is also needed to smooth and clean the wall during the preparation process to remove any protrusions from the concrete, but this is a tool most concrete contractors already own. Other equipment includes roller covers, brushes, knives and scrapers, which he had on hand as part of his normal concrete work.

Getting started with sprayed-on waterproofing is more costly, but still reasonable. "We bought a cube van," Richert recalls. "We put a bulk tank inside it with the spray rig, hoses and nozzles." They also purchased ladders to get down into the excavation and personal protective equipment including respirators and face shields. Workers are supplied with disposable Tyvec coveralls to protect them from the spray material. The total startup cost was about $40,000.

Excel Concrete also put its tank inside a box truck. "The product has to be heated before it's sprayed by running hoses off the radiator system," notes Greemann. "Once the truck is running, the product is being heated. There are gauges to control the temperature, and when they get to 100 degrees you're ready to start spraying. The engine on the spray unit circulates the product and will keep it warm enough while completing the job." It cost his company $30,000 to get into waterproofing.

Tri-State Concrete economized by purchasing a used 3⁄4-ton pickup truck to haul its waterproofing unit. "We put a flatbed on it to make it more accessible to gas and service the machine," Wernimont explains.

Learning to waterproof
These users of spray-on waterproofing systems say they were trained by representatives of the manufacturers. The one-day training provided by Mar-Flex involved demonstrations of how to use the system and how to spray the waterproofing product onto walls properly. Wernimont says in addition to this initial training, Mar-Flex visited his company a few months later to observe their technique and make sure they were using the right application rate. As they have worked with the product longer, they are becoming more expert in how much to heat it based on the outside temperature.