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Free checklist

Waterproofing inspection checklist

Waterproofing is the definition of concealed work: the moment it is doing its job, nobody can see it. The record made during installation is the only thing that will ever explain a leak, so build the walk around the details, not the field.

Items
12
Photos required
26

Who runs it

Waterproofing applicator with the GC; a manufacturer's representative where the warranty requires one.

When in the schedule

Before backfill below grade, before topping or protection board on decks, and before tile or finish in wet areas.

The checklist

Every item, and the photo that proves it

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as-is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.

01

Substrate

  • Surface sound, clean, dry and cured to the required age

    No laitance, no form release, no honeycomb left unpatched.

    2 photos
  • Cracks, tie holes and voids repaired

    Each repair photographed before it is covered.

    2 photos
  • Cove and fillet formed at inside corners

    Continuous, correctly sized, no gaps at the wall-to-slab joint.

    1 photo
02

Detailing before the field coat

  • Reinforcement at corners, joints and transitions

    Detail work done first, photographed before the field membrane covers it.

    3 photos
  • Every penetration detailed individually

    One photo per pipe, sleeve, drain and anchor — collars sealed and reinforced.

    3 photos
  • Drains set at the low point and clamped correctly

    Membrane carried into the clamping ring; weep holes clear.

    2 photos
03

Membrane and termination

  • Applied at the specified thickness or lap width

    Wet mil readings for liquid systems, lap width for sheet systems — record the number.

    2 photos
  • Terminations sealed and mechanically secured where required

    Reglet, bar or counter-flash at the top; nothing left with an open edge.

    2 photos
  • Protection board or drainage layer installed before backfill

    Full coverage, no punctures, no exposed membrane left in the sun.

    2 photos
04

Testing

  • Flood test held for the required duration

    Photograph the water in place, the depth marker, and the clock at start and end.

    3 photos
  • Underside inspected during and after the test

    Walk the space below during the hold, not only afterwards.

    2 photos
  • Repairs re-tested and documented

    A second test record for any area that failed the first.

    2 photos

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

  • Flood test signed off with no photo of standing water and no recorded start and end time.
  • Terminations at pipe penetrations detailed but never photographed individually.
  • Backfill placed before the protection board walk, damaging the membrane invisibly.

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 26 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.

Submission state

Mandatory items answered12 of 12
Photos attached23 of 26
Submit locked — 3 photos missing

The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.