It starts with something small. A brown mark on the ceiling, a few floors below a balcony. Someone notices, takes a photo, forgets about it. By the time anyone actually checks, water’s already travelled through concrete, behind walls and ultimately into other units. What started as a tiny stain is now a costly mess.
That’s how most leaks begin in high-rises. Water never stays where it starts. One weak joint or cracked seal and it travels through the façade, behind panels, along slabs until it finds somewhere to show itself.
By then, damage is done. Concrete holds moisture, steel rusts, repairs get expensive.
Good balcony sealing and façade waterproofing stop this. But they need to be done properly – not patched, not rushed, not with the wrong product.
Why Façade Sealing Fails
Buildings move. All of them. Every day.
The sun hits one side, it expands. Shade comes, it contracts. Wind pushes and pulls. Over time, that movement stresses every joint, every seal.
A tall curtain wall can move over a centimetre between morning and night. Doesn’t sound like much, but to a sealant joint, it’s massive. Cheap or wrong caulking cracks or pulls away within months. Water starts working its way in.
Usually happens at the same spots:
- Where two façade panels meet
- Along balcony edges
- Around windows and doors
- Between slabs and cladding
- Where different materials touch
Most failures happen because someone used the wrong product. What works in a house won’t cut it 30 floors up. Commercial towers need flexible, high-grade silicone that can stretch and hold as the building moves.
Modern towers mix concrete, glass, steel, aluminium, composite panels – all moving differently when it heats up or cools down. If the sealant can’t handle that movement, it lifts, cracks, or pulls away. Then the leaks start.
Expansion Joints: Where They Come Together
Expansion joints let buildings move without cracking. When they’re not sealed properly, they become the easiest entry for water.
In Perth, this matters. The temperature difference between summer heat and winter cold is brutal. Surfaces swing from 5 degrees in the morning to 70 degrees under the sun. That stress happens every day.
If the sealant isn’t made for it, it breaks down.
Quality silicone caulking Perth contractors use stretches and flexes through all that movement without losing grip. Stays soft enough to move but strong enough to stay sealed. Resists UV and weather better than cheap options and lasts years longer.
That’s why it’s standard for expansion joint sealing and high-rise waterproofing jobs.
Balconies: The Trouble Spot
If leaks start anywhere, it’s the balcony.
Balconies cop it from every direction. Rain, wind, direct sun, pooling water. Multiple materials meeting at once – concrete, metal, glass, tiles, waterproof membrane. Each one expands and contracts differently.
The edges where the balcony meets the building are most vulnerable. They need flexible, reliable balcony caulking because they move in more than one direction.
Drains, balustrade anchors, door thresholds cause problems, too. Water finds its way into the smallest gaps. Once it’s under the surface, it spreads.
Leaks show up long after the problem begins. By the time the inside ceiling shows water stains, the slab underneath might be soaked through. Concrete holds moisture for weeks. Steel inside corrodes. A small sealing issue becomes a serious structural one.
Balcony sealing done properly stops this. Takes the right products, right prep, right knowledge.
Material Compatibility: Getting It Right
A big part of long-term façade sealing success is matching the sealant to what it’s touching.
A product that works on glass might not stick to aluminium. Something that bonds to raw concrete might peel off painted surfaces. Every façade is different.
Testing before a large façade waterproofing job saves money later.
Neutral-cure silicone is usually best. Bonds to most construction materials, doesn’t corrode metal, stays flexible through all the temperature changes Perth throws at it. Reliable and lasts.
Perth’s Climate: Tough Test for Any Sealant
Perth’s weather is hard on buildings. Hot summers, cold nights, constant UV, salty coastal air – all wear down sealants.
On a summer afternoon, dark cladding hits 70°C. The same surface can be 10°C by the morning. Constant cycle of expansion and contraction. Over the years, that movement pulls cheap caulking apart.
High-performance Perth waterproofing systems using neutral-cure silicone are made to handle it. They resist UV damage, don’t go brittle, keep their grip through every season. Installed properly, they last 20 years or more.
Maintenance Matters
Even the best job won’t last forever without upkeep. Small cracks are easy to fix when caught early. Ignore them and they become big, expensive problems.
Every building needs simple façade maintenance:
- Check joints once a year
- Professional inspection every two to three years
- Full commercial tower sealing assessment every five years
- Inspect after major storms
Joint re-caulking of a few spots costs almost nothing compared to repairing multiple floors of water damage.
Catching things early saves time, money, stress.
Why Professional Work Matters
Sealing tall buildings isn’t quick. Takes experience, skill, right materials. Anyone can squeeze sealant into a joint. Doesn’t mean it’s done right.
Real façade sealing work means removing old product completely, cleaning the joint properly, using correct backer rod, applying primer if needed, sealing under the right conditions. Slow, detailed work. That’s what keeps water out for good.
For owners and managers, choice is simple. Pay for professional façade waterproofing and high-rise waterproofing now or deal with major repairs later. Buildings that stay watertight do so because work was done properly, not by luck.
Silicone Caulking Perth
At Silicone Caulking Perth, we work with strata managers, builders, property owners all over the city. Our team handles balcony sealing, facade waterproofing, commercial tower sealing.
We use tested neutral-cure silicone caulking systems made for Australian weather. They hold up against Perth’s heat, UV, coastal conditions.
From expansion joint sealing to complete high-rise waterproofing, we handle it start to finish with care and precision.
When it comes to keeping water out, there’s no halfway. Either sealed properly or it isn’t.
