STP ShaliKote DPC
A water-based, elastomeric asphalt emulsion that brushes onto masonry and concrete to stop rising damp and moisture ingress at plinth, sub-grade and concealed levels.
What is it?
A single-component, water-based elastomeric asphalt (bitumen) emulsion that dries to a seamless black damp-proofing film on masonry and concrete.
Where is it used?
Plinth-level DPC courses, sub-grade concrete faces, retaining and parapet walls, and other concealed surfaces where a moisture barrier is needed.
Why use it?
Non-toxic and water-based, it can be applied over slightly damp substrates, cures at ambient temperature and forms a flexible, jointless film without the fire risk or fumes of hot bitumen.
How is it applied?
Prime the surface with a diluted coat, then brush or roller-apply two full coats at right angles, the first at about 0.25 L/m2, allowing each to dry before the next.
About STP ShaliKote DPC
STP ShaliKote DPC is the water-based damp-proofing coat that many Indian sites reach for when they want the reliability of bitumen without the hazards of a hot-applied job. It is an elastomeric, emulsified polymerised asphalt: a brownish liquid that you brush or roller straight onto masonry bed joints or concrete, and which dries to a continuous black film that blocks capillary moisture from creeping up through the structure. Because the carrier is water rather than solvent, there is no naked flame, no boiler, and no solvent odour to manage on a live site, and the same tin can be used indoors or in a confined plinth trench.
STP Limited, formerly Shalimar Tar Products, has made bituminous and waterproofing products in India for the better part of a century, and ShaliKote DPC sits in their damp-proofing range as the economical, general-purpose choice. It is designed for concealed, protected situations rather than exposed roofs: plinth DPC bands, the buried face of foundations and retaining walls, sunken portions and parapet backs. The film stays flexible enough to bridge fine settlement movement, tolerates being applied over a slightly damp surface, and once dry is left concealed under plaster, backfill or the next masonry course.
The technical insight
Rising damp is a capillary problem: fine pores in brick, block and mortar wick ground moisture upward, carrying dissolved salts that later blister plaster and paint. ShaliKote DPC interrupts that path with a bonded, pore-blocking barrier. The polymerised asphalt is dispersed as fine droplets in water; as the water evaporates, those droplets coalesce and knit into one continuous elastomeric film keyed into the substrate. Being polymer-modified, the cured membrane keeps a degree of stretch instead of drying brittle like straight-run bitumen, so it accommodates the small movements and hairline cracks a masonry course sees over time without splitting. The tolerance for a slightly damp substrate matters on real sites, because freshly cured masonry rarely dries out fully before the programme moves on, and the emulsion still bonds where a solvent bitumen would struggle.
Where it is used
- Horizontal damp-proof course band over the plinth beam or masonry coping
- Buried external face of foundations, retaining walls and basement walls
- Backs of parapet and boundary walls to arrest lateral moisture
- Sub-grade concrete surfaces and pile caps before backfilling
- Under-floor and sunken slab moisture barrier below screeds and finishes
- Retrofit treatment of walls suffering rising damp before re-plastering
- Concealed junctions and chases where a brush-applied barrier is easier than sheet
- Protection coat over concrete against soft ground water and soil moisture
Key advantages
- Water-based and non-toxic, so no solvent fumes, no naked flame and no hot-work permit
- Applies over slightly damp substrates, avoiding long drying delays on the programme
- Brush or roller application means no specialist torching crew or boiler on site
- Dries to a seamless, jointless film with no laps or welds to fail
- Stays flexible and elastomeric, bridging fine cracks and minor movement
- Cures at ambient temperature, workable across most Indian site conditions
- Economical general-purpose damp-proofing at a low applied cost per square metre
- Convenient 5 L and 20 L packs suited to small plinth runs and larger sub-grade areas
Limitations & considerations
- A concealed, protected coating, not intended as a final exposed or trafficked membrane
- Must not be applied below 5 degrees C or when relative humidity is above about 85 percent
- Water-based emulsion should not be applied when rain is imminent before it dries
- Not a structural crack-bridging system for wide or moving cracks; treat those separately
- Being bitumen-based, prolonged UV exposure ages the film, so keep it covered
- Full drying between coats needs around 24 hours, which the sequence must allow for
Selection & best practice
Start with a sound, clean substrate: remove laitance, loose particles, oil and dust, and rake out any hollow mortar. Dampen very dry masonry lightly and prime by brushing on a coat of ShaliKote DPC thinned with potable water at roughly four parts product to one part water, letting it soak in and dry. Then apply the first full coat by brush or roller at about 0.25 L/m2, working it well into the pores, and allow it to dry, typically around 24 hours. Apply the second coat at right angles to the first so any pinholes are covered, and add a third coat where extra assurance is wanted on sub-grade work. Do not apply below 5 degrees C or above about 85 percent relative humidity, and protect the fresh film from rain. Once fully dry, cover it promptly with plaster, the next masonry course or backfill so it is not left exposed to sun.
Specifications
| Product type | Elastomeric emulsified polymerised asphalt (bituminous) liquid membrane |
| Base | Water-based, single component |
| Appearance | Brownish viscous emulsion drying to a seamless black film |
| Specific gravity at 30 C | 1.02 plus or minus 0.02 |
| Solids content | 35 plus or minus 5 percent |
| First-coat application rate | Approx. 0.25 L/m2 by brush or roller |
| Coverage | Approx. 2 to 2.75 m2 per litre for two coats |
| Number of coats | Minimum two coats at right angles; optional third coat |
| Primer dilution | 4 parts ShaliKote DPC to 1 part potable water |
| Drying time | Approx. 24 hours between coats |
| Application limits | Not below 5 C or above about 85 percent relative humidity |
| Pack sizes | 5 litre and 20 litre |
Industry use cases
Residential construction
A dependable plinth-level DPC band on brick and block masonry that stops rising damp before it reaches plaster and paint in homes and low-rise buildings.
Commercial and institutional
Brush-applied moisture barrier on sub-grade concrete and retaining walls of offices, schools and hospitals where hot bitumen is impractical in occupied or confined zones.
Boundary and compound walls
An economical damp course and back-face coating for parapet, garden and boundary walls exposed to soil moisture on one side.
Repair and rehabilitation
Retrofit damp-proofing of older walls affected by rising damp, applied before re-plastering to break the capillary path.
Infrastructure sub-structure
Protective coat over foundations, pile caps and sunken slabs against soft ground water before backfill and finishing.
Frequently asked questions
Is ShaliKote DPC a solvent bitumen or a water-based product?
How many coats do I need and how much will I use?
Can I apply it over a damp wall?
Can ShaliKote DPC be left exposed on a roof or terrace?
What pack sizes are available and how long between coats?
How is it different from a cementitious waterproof coating?
How we position STP ShaliKote DPC
ShaliKote DPC is the economical, water-based choice for concealed damp-proofing and rising-damp control at plinth and sub-grade level. For fully buried tanking or basement faces where you want to trade up from a bitumen emulsion to a tougher, non-reemulsifiable membrane, STP’s own bituminous membrane systems or a hot-applied line extend the same family upward. Where the requirement shifts to an exposed, wet-area or water-retaining surface such as a terrace, sunken bathroom, water tank or overhead slab, a cementitious system is the better fit, and we would point you to Fosroc Brushbond or Brushbond RFX from our Fosroc range. For crack-prone concrete decks needing a heavier elastomeric coat, Fosroc Nitoproof 600 is the pitch-modified polyurethane upgrade. Talk to Space Arc and we will match the coating to whether the surface is concealed or exposed, and to the movement and head of water it must resist.
Fosroc Nitoproof 600 — Specify this pitch-modified polyurethane when a concealed below-grade area needs a tougher, non-reemulsifiable elastomeric membrane that will not soften or re-flow like a cold bitumen emulsion.
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