Domestic construction chemical sector expected to expand in future

“Majority of waterproofing products manufactured in India and imported are well formulated and designed to be long-lasting,” says V. Ramesh, Managing Director, HINDUSTAN WATERPROOFING. 

How are the construction and infrastructure segments impacting the market for chemicals and waterproofing products in India? 

The construction chemicals market is divided into two product groups. One group is Admixtures which are usually added to concrete in order to improve their strength, durability, workability, and other operational and functional properties are of large volume segment and goes into infrastructure & domestic construction. The other product group of construction chemicals are used for waterproofing and concrete protection such as crystalline, cementitious, adhesives, sealants and protective coatings.

There was a pause and slowdown due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 & at the beginning of 2021, we have passed the difficult phase and overcome the challenges. 

With thousands of kilometres of road works in progress and many cities across India being transformed into Smart Cities, the domestic construction chemicals market is expected to grow many folds in the next 10 years. 

What makes efficient and reliable waterproofing to be the most viable solution for Indian climatic conditions? 

India covers a large geographical area with regions having high temperatures to lowest, heavy rainfall to low rains. The selection of an efficient and durable waterproofing product & system is based on the climatic conditions where the project is located. 

In general, most of the waterproofing products manufactured in India and also imported are well formulated and designed to be durable.

What are the impacts of construction chemicals and waterproofing on roofing? Which coatings and solutions are widely used in the construction and infrastructure segment?

There are many roof waterproofing products available in the industry to suit the project budget and performance criteria.

Economical grades of construction chemicals are easily available and most widely used which are cement & polymer-based twocomponent coatings. The other mid category are Acrylic based coatings which have been very successful. 

The top category in terms of price, quality & durability are specialised crystalline coatings, Polyurethane & Polyurea coatings imported from Europe & America. 

Looking at the present trends, which waterproofing and chemical solutions are primarily in demand?

• Polymer & Cement-based coatings
• Acrylic Coatings
• Crystalline, Polyurethane & Polyurea coatings

Which waterproofing solutions are available readily and widely for industrial purposes, and which segment consumes a major chunk of waterproofing systems and solutions? 

The waterproofing scope for Industrial projects is limited, small in size and volume as most of the factory roofs are Metal Roofs with slope, doesn’t require waterproofing when new metal roofs are installed. Over a period of time (5-7 years), there emerge leakages which comes under repair & maintenance. 

The administration & other office buildings in industrial projects with concrete roofs covers only 5 to 10% of the project size. These buildings require waterproofing which can de done with either of the above-mentioned waterproofing systems depending on the site conditions and location of the project.