What initially started off as a minor assignment for Desert Roofing and Flooring (DRFCO), entailing application of a special cementitious coating for the piles of Al Qasr at the Madinat Jumeirah (Phase II), grew in size to become a major waterproofing contract involving an area of over 180,000 sq m at the project, says a senior company official.

The project called for waterproofing up to 115,000 sq m of the substructure, 50,000 sq m of roof and 15,000 sq m of wet areas and fountains, says Afroze Saleem, vice chairman of DRFCO Group of Companies. “In addition, the task of waterproofing (cementitious) 8,000 sq m of walls and floors in wet areas and 17 km of aluminium flashing covering all villas, the health spa, Al Qasr Hotel and all associated buildings of Phase II project also came our way.’’
The company used Index bituminous SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) and APP (atactic polypropylene) membranes for the substructure and the roof areas while Mariseal polyurethane coatings from Europe were applied in all wet areas and fountains. “These state of-the-art coatings are of consistent quality and have been used in Athens, Greece, for a venue of the Olympics 2004,” Saleem points out. “We are proud to be Mariseal’s partners and we are also using its high-quality flooring products for all our ongoing projects that are in full swing.”
Having also been named sealant applicator, DRFCO carried out all interior sealant works at Al Qasr as well. In addition, it installed spray-applied polyurethane foam systems for all the domes in the Phase II area. “All this was possible due to the vast experience that the company has gained in the waterproofing field over the past 30 years, backed by our quality workmanship and dedicated staff, ISO-certified products, a systematic techno-commercial approach in handling complex situations and the overall trust of the consultants and contractors have in us,” says Saleem. “We thank Al Habtoor-Murray and Roberts (HMR) and Mirage Mille for their co-operation and support for this fast-track project.”
Besides work at the Madinat Jumeirah, Desert Roofing has recently completed a contract for six towers at Dubai Marina (Phase I) for Emaar. The project entailed application of sealants as well as waterproofing of the basement, substructure, podium, planters, balconies and roof – exceeding more than 250,000 sq m of Index waterproofing and Mariseal polyurethane coatings. “Incidentally, the same system was used at the tallest building in the world the Petronas Towers in Malaysia,” Saleem points out.
DRFCO has recently been awarded a large waterproofing contract for the current Dubai International Airport expansion. In addition, it is currently installing:
• The Indeseal range of SBS waterproofing membranes for three basement levels of the WaterFront Tower project at Dubai Marina and at Al Thuraya Tower at Dubai Media City and bowling centre project at Al Quoz;
• Sahrafoam spray-applied polyurethane systems and Mariseal polyurethane UV (ultra-violet)-resistant coatings at the Arabian Ranches and the roofs of several Emarat filling stations;
• Ultraguard EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) membranes at the National Theatre, Abu Dhabi:
• Index Waterproofing system for substructure of palace of the chairman of Dubai Municipality.
• Sarnafil PVC membrane system for roofs of various showrooms; and
• Index waterproofing system at Reef Mall for Al Ghurair at Muraqqabat, where the company was preferred over others to ensure timely completion, Saleem says.
The company’s expertise and infrastructure allows it to execute several projects simultaneously in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.
DRFCO is associated with MBT Degussa and uses the firm’s quality construction chemicals on its projects as well.
Established in the late seventies, Desert Roofing has gained a reputation as a reliable and respected organisation, having carefully selected international manufacturers with proven records of top-performance and quality products to add to its portfolio.
“All the ISO-certified products that we import have been developed to suit the local weather conditions,” he explains.
In addition to marketing bituminous, liquid and sheet waterproofing membranes, Desert Roofing and its associate companies manufacture polyurethane chemical systems in association with Bayer of Germany, residential and commercial door systems/equipment, car-parking systems and carries out multicolour tri-dimensional decorative printing for the furniture and interior design industry.
“Desert Roofing provides total quality management and a full range of services, systems and solutions from sales, technical support through to application and most importantly, after-sales service. The satisfaction of our customers is the only true measure of our success. We are currently expanding into related activities within the construction sectors to better serve the industry, given our commitment into the future,” he concludes.