The job
Ducale is a new apartment building on Wyandra Street in Teneriffe, Brisbane, built by MelroseCo. Before the waterproofer could go in on the lower levels, every block wall base, hob, upstand and window rebate had to be ground back to sound concrete and the low spots patched, so the membrane had a flat, clean surface to bond to.
MelroseCo brought in Perfect Concrete Care for that preparation, and then for a run of cutting and breakout work on the same levels: chasing and breaking out concrete wall sections with the reo kept in, floor saw cutting around existing pits and chasing blockwork to expose pipes. Our Queensland crew was on site from 22 June to 10 July 2026.
What the waterproofing preparation involved
- Hand grinding block wall bases, hobs, upstands, steps, rebates and window drop downs back to sound concrete, on dust extraction
- Patching window frame areas and low spots with render so the membrane had a smooth, even surface
- Sanding and touching up the patches before handing each area to the waterproofer
- Chasing a concrete wall with two 30 mm cuts and breaking the section out with breakers while keeping the reinforcement in place
- Floor saw cutting around existing pits and breaking the concrete out to drop the pipes to the right level
- Chasing blockwork to expose PVC pipes for the plumber
What made it hard
It is a live build with a lot of trades on the same floors. Areas were handed over as they came ready, so the crew moved between levels and worked around other trades rather than running one area start to finish.
Breaking out concrete inside a building makes dust, and other trades were working close by. Windows were sealed with poly and the breakout areas were closed in with poly curtains before any breaker started, and every tool ran into an extractor.
The walls were thick, hard concrete, and the reo had to stay in for the new work. That meant stitch drilling and careful breaker work instead of just knocking the wall down.
How it was done
The prep work came first. The crew ground each wall base, hob and rebate with hand grinders on vacuums, patched the low spots and window frames with render, then came back the next day to sand and touch up before the waterproofer moved in.
For the wall breakout, the cut lines were set out with a laser, the area was sealed off with poly, then the wall was chased either side and broken out between the cuts, leaving the bars exposed for the new wall to be poured.
Outcome
The block wall bases, hobs, upstands and window rebates on the ground floor, level 1 and level 2 were handed to the waterproofer ground and patched. The wall sections were broken out with the reinforcement kept for the new pour, and the pits and pipe chases were done for the plumber.
Lessons learned on this job
Every job teaches the crew something. These are the ones we took from Ducale.
What worked
- Sealing windows and hanging poly curtains before the breaker started, so the dust stayed in the work area
- Coming back the day after patching to sand and touch up, so each area went to the waterproofer ready
- Setting out every cut with a laser before touching the wall
What was difficult
- Working around other trades on a busy build, with areas coming ready at different times
- Very hard, thick concrete walls where the reo had to stay in
- Keeping dust down inside a building with other people working close by
If you have something similar
Builders getting a new building ready for waterproofing need the walls, hobs and rebates prepared properly the first time, and often need cutting and breakout done by the same crew. Have a look at our concrete grinding Brisbane, concrete cutting Brisbane, concrete patching and surface preparation pages, see a rooftop waterproofing prep job in Windsor, or get in touch.
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