Purpose:

Safety Joint is a geotextile reinforcement tape that bridges corners, junctions, and transitions where movement or cracking is most likely to occur. Embedded in WATstop, it creates a flexible, crack-resistant waterproof membrane at every critical point in your wet area installation. This is the most important waterproofing step—skipped corners lead to failures.

Where Required (Do Not Skip Any):

Inside corners: All wall-to-wall, wall-to-floor, and wall-to-ceiling junctions
Outside corners: Curbs, bench edges, niche openings
Floor-to-wall transition: Entire perimeter of shower floor
Around penetrations: Pipes, valves, shower controls, drain flanges
Shower niches: All four inside corners plus the back edges
Benches and seats: Where bench meets wall, floor, and all edges
Curbs and thresholds: Both sides and top of curb, corner transitions
Expansion joints: Any control joints in the substrate
Material transitions: Where cement board meets drywall, different substrates meet

Preparation:

Map out ALL locations requiring Safety Joint before mixing WATstop
Pre-cut pieces to length—label them if helpful (e.g., "left wall," "niche top")
For inside corners: cut pieces 50mm (2") longer than the run to ensure full coverage
For outside corners: cut separate pieces for each face, overlapping at the corner
Have a putty knife, trowel, and clean rags ready

Application Sequence:

Apply WATstop base coat: Brush or roll WATstop onto the corner/joint area, extending 50-75mm (2-3") on each side of the joint
Position tape: Center Safety Joint tape over the joint while WATstop is still wet
Embed tape: Press firmly into wet WATstop starting from the center and working outward
Remove air bubbles: Use putty knife or trowel to smooth tape flat, pushing air bubbles toward edges
Saturate tape: Tape should be fully wet through—dry spots indicate insufficient WATstop beneath
Top coat: Apply additional WATstop over the tape to fully encapsulate
Feather edges: Blend edges into surrounding surface—no ridges or lips

Inside Corner Technique:

Apply WATstop to both surfaces of the corner
Fold tape lengthwise to create a crease (or use pre-formed corner tape)
Press into corner, ensuring tape contacts both surfaces fully
Work from one end to the other—don't start in the middle
Use putty knife to press tape firmly into the corner crease
Apply top coat, working WATstop into the corner

Outside Corner Technique:

Apply WATstop to the corner and both adjacent surfaces
Cut separate pieces for each face of the corner
Apply first piece, wrapping slightly around the corner edge
Overlap second piece onto first by minimum 25mm (1")
Press firmly and apply top coat over both pieces

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