Dr. Fixit Bitufix
The cold-applied bitumen coating that keeps rising dampness out of footings, basements and buried concrete — before the backfill goes back in.
What is it?
A water-based, cold-applied bituminous emulsion coating that Dr. Fixit positions specifically for below-ground damp-proofing — footings, basement walls, plinth blockwork and buried tanks.
Where is it used?
Foundation footings and raft edges, basement and retaining wall exteriors, plinth-level blockwork, underground water tank walls, and as a protective coat under built-up bituminous roofing.
Why use it?
Once backfill goes back over a footing, nobody is digging it up to fix a damp problem. Bitufix gives that surface a bituminous barrier against rising moisture and soil salts while it’s still accessible.
How is it applied?
Applied cold by brush, roller or airless spray in two coats — the second laid perpendicular to the first to close pinholes — at roughly 4 m²/litre per coat, onto a clean, primed, structurally sound surface.
About Dr. Fixit Bitufix
Dr. Fixit Bitufix sits in Pidilite’s Dr. Fixit range as the below-ground damp-proofing option — a straightforward, water-based bitumen emulsion that a mason or waterproofing crew can brush or roll onto footings, plinth blockwork, basement walls and buried tank exteriors before the backfill or cladding goes on. Unlike hot-applied bitumen, which needs a kettle, an open flame, and real caution around anyone standing near a trench full of rebar and formwork, Bitufix is cold-applied straight from the pail. That single fact is why it gets specified so often on ordinary residential and small-commercial footings across Delhi NCR: no gas cylinder, no molten bitumen near an excavation, and a crew that already knows how to run a roller doesn’t need retraining to apply it correctly.
What Bitufix is not — and Space Arc tells clients this upfront — is a full tanking membrane. It’s a protective damp-proof coating: it stops capillary rising damp and resists the chlorides and sulphates that NCR and coastal soils carry, but it isn’t rated to hold back standing groundwater under real hydrostatic pressure the way a bonded HDPE membrane or a crystalline slurry system is. For a footing above the water table, a plinth wall, or a tank exterior, that’s exactly the right amount of protection at the right price. For a deep basement sitting in a high water table, it’s usually paired with — not substituted for — a proper Type A barrier system. Getting that distinction right at the specification stage is the difference between a coating that does its job quietly for decades and a callback six months after handover.
The technical insight
Bitufix is a bitumen-in-water emulsion, not a solvent-cutback bitumen paint, and that distinction matters more on site than it sounds. A solvent-based bituminous coating cures as the solvent flashes off — fast, but with fumes that make confined trench and basement work unpleasant and occasionally hazardous. An emulsion cures instead as its water phase evaporates out, which is why the application is specified as two coats laid at right angles to each other: the crossed pattern closes the pinholes that any single emulsion coat inevitably leaves once the water has left the film. It also means Bitufix needs a genuine drying window — apply it under a monsoon sky in Gurugram or Noida, and rain before the film has set will wash uncured emulsion straight off the substrate. Sequencing below-ground work around this coating means checking the forecast, not just the clock.
Where it is used
- Foundation footings and raft-slab edges before backfilling
- Basement and retaining wall exteriors on the soil-facing side
- Plinth-level blockwork and brickwork damp-proof coating
- Underground and semi-buried water tank exteriors
- Protective bituminous base coat under built-up felt roofing with fabric reinforcement
- Buried pile caps, grade beams and column stubs
- Compound and boundary wall footings in high water-table or saline-soil areas
- Below-ground construction joints as a supplementary damp coat ahead of a dedicated joint detail
Key advantages
- Cold-applied — no bitumen kettle, open flame or hot-work permit needed on site
- Water-based formulation with low odour, more workable in confined trenches and basements
- Bonds well to concrete and masonry without elaborate substrate treatment
- Resists attack from soil chlorides and sulphates common in NCR and coastal ground conditions
- Roller, brush or airless-spray application means any competent painting or waterproofing crew can apply it correctly
- Priced well below membrane or crystalline systems for straightforward damp-proofing scope
- Flexible cured film tolerates minor substrate hairline movement without cracking through
- Backed by Dr. Fixit’s pan-India technical helpline and Space Arc’s own applicator support
Limitations & considerations
- A protective damp-proof coating, not a hydrostatic tanking membrane — not the right call for deep basements under real water pressure
- Needs a genuine drying window between coats and before backfill; premature rain or backfilling can undo the application
- Film thins out at sharp arises and corners, so edge detailing needs deliberate care, not just a quick roller pass
- Not meant for long-term UV/weather exposure — must be covered by backfill or cladding, not left exposed
- Positive-side application only; not specified for treating dampness from inside an already-built structure
- Performance depends entirely on surface prep and priming — skipping that step is the single biggest cause of early failure
Selection & best practice
Treat surface prep as half the job: the substrate must be sound, free of loose laitance, oil and dust, and primed per the Dr. Fixit datasheet before the first coat goes on. Apply two full coats, the second run perpendicular to the first, and let each coat dry through before recoating or backfilling — in Delhi NCR’s monsoon months that means actually watching the weather window, not just the calendar. Pay particular attention to corners, pipe penetrations and construction joints, where a single roller pass tends to leave the film thinner than the field area; a second dab coat there is cheap insurance. And for basements or tanks where groundwater pressure is a real factor, don’t ask Bitufix to do a tanking membrane’s job — bring in a Proofex-class barrier or a crystalline system for the water-facing element and let Bitufix handle the damp-proofing it’s actually built for.
Specifications
| Chemistry | Water-based, cold-applied bituminous emulsion coating |
| Coverage | ~4 m²/litre/coat (to achieve ~125 micron dry film per coat) |
| Coats | 2 coats; second coat applied perpendicular to the first |
| Application method | Brush, roller or airless spray |
| Pack sizes | 5 litre, 20 litre |
| Substrate | Concrete and masonry (blockwork/brickwork), primed |
| Key resistance | Resists attack from soil chlorides and sulphates |
Industry use cases
Residential construction (Delhi NCR)
Coating exposed footing and plinth blockwork faces before backfill on independent house and builder-floor foundations.
Basements & semi-basements
Damp-proofing retaining wall exteriors as part of a layered system, alongside a dedicated tanking membrane where the water table runs high.
Underground water tanks / sumps
Exterior coating on buried sump and tank walls to keep soil moisture and salts from migrating into the structure.
Institutional & boundary works
Boundary wall footings and buried plinth beams on saline or waterlogged sites where soil-salt attack is a known risk.
Built-up roofing
Protective bituminous base coat beneath felt/fabric-reinforced built-up roof systems on terraces and podiums.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitufix a waterproofing membrane or just a coating?
Can Bitufix be applied directly on freshly cast (green) concrete?
How soon can we backfill after the second coat?
Does Bitufix need a primer, or can it go straight onto masonry?
Can Bitufix be used on the inside face to fix an existing damp basement?
How is this different from the loose black bitumen paint sold at a hardware store?
How we position Dr. Fixit Bitufix
Within the Dr. Fixit range, Bitufix is the below-ground specialist — pair it with Dr. Fixit Pidiproof LW+ dosed into the footing or raft concrete for integral waterproofing, and hand the roof and above-ground envelope to Dr. Fixit Raincoat or Roofseal so the whole structure runs on one brand’s system logic rather than a patchwork of unrelated coatings. Where a basement sits deep in a high water table and needs a fully bonded, puncture-resistant tanking barrier with radon and vapour protection rather than a liquid-applied damp coat, Space Arc will usually point specifiers toward Fosroc’s Proofex 3000 self-adhesive HDPE membrane instead — different technology, same underground problem, and the right upgrade path when hydrostatic pressure is genuinely in play.
Fosroc Proofex 3000 — Where a basement sits deep in a high water table and needs a fully bonded, puncture-resistant Type A tanking barrier with radon and vapour protection rather than a liquid-applied damp coat, specifiers often move up to Fosroc Proofex 3000’s self-adhesive HDPE membrane instead.
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