About Dr. Fixit Samshield Tape TS

On a real basement or podium waterproofing job, the membrane sheet almost never fails. What fails, nine times out of ten, is the joint between two sheets – the end-lap where roll one meets roll two, the pipe sleeve nobody detailed properly, or the internal corner where the applicator ran out of patience with the torch. Dr. Fixit Samshield Tape TS exists specifically to close that gap. It is the accessory Pidilite built to go alongside its Samshield PS/XL/P large-project membrane range, and on Space Arc sites we treat it as a non-negotiable line item on any Samshield BOQ, not an optional extra – a membrane system is only as watertight as its weakest lap, and this tape is what makes that lap disappear.

Physically it is a non-reinforced, twin-side self-adhesive tape – a core of polymerised SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) modified bitumen sandwiched between two silicone release films, supplied as a 225 mm wide, 10 m long, 1.5 mm thick roll. Because both faces are bitumen, it bonds to the Samshield membrane’s own coating chemically rather than mechanically, which is what lets Dr. Fixit describe the lap as bitumen-to-bitumen rather than glued. It is cold-applied – no torch, no primer heat gun – which matters in occupied basements, tight sumps and lift pits where an open flame is either unsafe or simply not permitted by the site’s fire plan.

The technical insight

The SBS modification is doing the real work here. Straight bitumen goes brittle in a Delhi winter and soft in a Gurugram May; SBS elastomer modification is what gives this tape a softening point of minimum 60 degrees C (ASTM D36) and elongation of minimum 300 percent (ASTM D412) – it stays flexible enough to follow minor substrate movement and thermal cycling without cracking at the lap, which is exactly where a rigid tape would split first. The nil water permeability rating at 5 bar (BS EN 12390) is tested at a head pressure well above what a typical basement or water-retaining structure will ever see, and the peel strength of 1.0 N/mm – identical whether bonding to a primed surface or to itself – confirms the lap holds as strongly as the sheet-to-sheet bitumen weld it is replacing. The one number site teams need to respect is the 4-35 degree C application window: this is a cold, pressure-activated adhesive, not a hot-melt, so the ambient and substrate temperature both need to be in range for the bitumen to properly wet out and key into the surface.

Where it is used

• Sealing end-laps and side-laps between rolls in Samshield PS/XL/P membrane waterproofing systems
• Fixing the leading/starting edge of a Samshield membrane roll to primed concrete substrate
• Sealing around pipe penetrations and sleeves passing through waterproofed basement or podium slabs
• Detailing internal and external corner joints and upstands at retaining walls and lift pits
• Localised patch-repair of small punctures or damaged sections in an already-laid bitumen membrane
• Sealing membrane joints in STP chambers, sumps and water tanks ahead of the protection screed
• Termination detailing at parapets, expansion-joint edges and construction joints
• Reinforcing over hairline substrate cracks as a spot strip before the main membrane is rolled out

Key advantages

• Cold-applied – no torch or naked flame needed at the joint, which is safer in occupied basements, sumps and confined spaces
• Bitumen-to-bitumen bonding gives a monolithic, welded lap rather than a mechanically glued seam
• Nil water permeability at 5 bar per BS EN 12390, so the lap does not become the system’s weak point
• High elongation (min. 300%, ASTM D412) lets it stretch over minor substrate movement without splitting
• Silicone release film on both faces keeps the tape workable and repositionable right up to the final press
• Chemistry matched to the entire Samshield PS/XL/P membrane family, avoiding adhesion mismatch at laps
• Resists chlorides, sulphates, dilute acids and alkalis, useful in soil-contact and water-tank environments
• Compact 225 mm x 10 m roll is far easier to store, cut and carry to detail work than a full membrane roll

Limitations & considerations

• Non-reinforced accessory tape, not a structural waterstop or standalone waterproofing membrane
• Narrow 225 mm width limits it to laps, joints and detailing – not general field/area waterproofing
• Needs a dry, oil-free substrate and a 4-35 degree C window, so it performs poorly in monsoon or on damp surfaces
• Tacky bitumen surface stains skin, clothing and tools and needs a light solvent for cleanup
• Being exposed black bitumen, it still needs backfill/protection like the rest of the Samshield system – not meant for long-term UV exposure
• 18-month shelf life means older distributor stock can lose tack, so batch/manufacturing date should be checked on delivery

Selection & best practice

Specifications

Industry use cases

How we position Dr. Fixit Samshield Tape TS

Samshield Tape TS is never bought alone – it rides on the BOQ line of whichever Dr. Fixit Samshield membrane is specified: Samshield PS 3500 AR for large basements and podiums, Samshield XL 1500/2100 or Samshield P 1500/2000 for other large-project bituminous waterproofing. Specifiers should treat the tape quantity as derived from total lap length on that membrane package, not priced separately as an afterthought. Where a project is on Fosroc’s bituminous/self-adhesive membrane line (the Proofex range) rather than Dr. Fixit Samshield, the equivalent detailing accessory is Fosroc’s own Proofex jointing tape – it is not something Space Arc currently stocks as a distinct catalogued item, so specifiers on a Fosroc Proofex system should source the matching Fosroc tape through that system rather than mixing bitumen chemistries with Samshield Tape TS.

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