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HYDRO BAN Coverage Calculator: How Many Gallons Do I Need?

Enter the area you want to cover and the calculator applies the rate LATICRETE gives in data sheet DS-663 (revision DS-663-1026): two coats, each at about 100 sq ft per gallon, so one gallon finishes about 50 sq ft. It then picks the 1 gallon and 5 gallon pails to buy. The same two-coat rate applies whether HYDRO BAN is your shower pan liner, a general waterproofing layer or a crack isolation membrane.

LATICRETE HYDRO BAN coverage

Source: LATICRETE Product Data Sheet DS-663: HYDRO BAN (North America), DS-663-1026, read 2026-10-17.

How the calculation works

gallons = area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) × coats ÷ sq ft per gallon per coat

Every coat goes over the whole area, so two coats at 80 sq ft per gallon use as much liquid as one coat at 40. The rate depends on what the membrane is for: the data sheet lists a heavier rate for code-listed waterproofing than for crack prevention alone. The calculator then picks the fewest pails that cover the job without leaving more than one small pail of liquid unused, so a job needing 3 gallons gets one 3.5 gallon pail rather than three 1 gallon pails. Extra passes over corners, seams, drains and pipe penetrations are not included; raise the waste figure if you have many of them.

Worked example

A 100 sq ft area, Waterproofing / shower pan (ANSI A118.10), with 10% extra: 100 × 1.1 = 110 sq ft. The data sheet calls for 2 coats at 100 sq ft per gallon each, so 110 × 2 ÷ 100 = 2.2 gallons (8.3 L). In the pail sizes on sale, buy 3 × 1 gal pails (3 gal).

LATICRETE HYDRO BAN key specs

What HYDRO BAN is

HYDRO BAN from LATICRETE is a single component, self-curing liquid rubber polymer that you brush, roll, trowel or spray onto the substrate before setting tile. It dries to a thin, flexible, seamless film that works as both a waterproofing membrane and a crack isolation membrane, and it does not need fabric in the field of a floor or wall, or in coves and corners. It goes on light sage green and turns a darker olive green when it is cured, which is how you tell when the next coat can go on and when the job is ready for a flood test.

LATICRETE's data sheet DS-663 lists it for interior and exterior work: shower pans, stalls and tub surrounds, bathrooms and laundries, swimming pools, fountains, spas and hot tubs, kitchens and food processing areas, terraces and balconies over unoccupied space, countertops and facades. It exceeds ANSI A118.10 for waterproofing and ANSI A118.12 for crack isolation, is approved to IAPMO PS106, has an ICC-ES report (ESR-2417) and carries a TCNA "Extra Heavy" service rating from the ASTM C627 Robinson floor test. Suitable substrates include concrete, cement backer board, cement mortar beds and plaster, masonry, poured gypsum underlayment, self-leveling and patching compounds, existing ceramic tile and stone, vinyl flooring with a skim coat of 254 first, and exterior glue plywood indoors only.

One coverage rate, two coats

HYDRO BAN is simpler to estimate than some other liquid membranes because the data sheet gives one rate for every job. Each coat goes on at a wet thickness of 15 to 22 mils, which LATICRETE puts at a consumption of about 0.01 gallon per square foot, or a coverage of about 100 sq ft per gallon per coat. The data sheet also says plainly that all areas must have two coats to ensure waterproofing. Two coats at 100 sq ft per gallon each means one gallon finishes about 50 sq ft.

That matches the packaging figures. The 5 gallon commercial unit is listed at about 250 sq ft (23.2 m²) and the mini unit at about 50 sq ft (4.6 m²). The mini unit is a carton of four 1 gallon pails, so the 50 sq ft figure is per gallon, not per carton; a full carton covers about 200 sq ft. LATICRETE's separate coverage chart for HYDRO BAN shows the same thing for the 5 gallon pail: 250 sq ft, 2 coats, 15 to 22 mils wet per coat, with a note that actual coverage varies with the substrate profile.

The calculator offers two settings, waterproofing and crack isolation, but they use the same two coats at 100 sq ft per gallon, because DS-663 does not give a lighter rate for crack isolation. The choice only changes the label in your result.

How the calculator works

Enter the area and a waste allowance. The calculator multiplies the area with waste by two coats and divides by 100 sq ft per gallon, which gives the gallons of undiluted HYDRO BAN you need. It then chooses pails: the fewest pails that hold enough, as long as you are not left with more than one 1 gallon pail's worth unused. A job needing 2.2 gallons gets three 1 gallon pails rather than a 5 gallon pail, and a job needing 4.5 gallons gets one 5 gallon pail. Prices are not part of the rule because they change by store and region. Once you are above about 3 gallons, compare the price of a 5 gallon pail against several 1 gallon pails where you shop; the large pail is often cheaper per gallon even with some left over.

The result does not include the pre-treatment LATICRETE asks for before the main coats. Cracks, cold joints, control joints, coves and floor to wall transitions each get a liberal coat about 8 inches wide, drains get a coat around and over the bonding flange plus a second coat, and pipe penetrations get two coats around the opening. On a simple shower this is a small amount of liquid; with a bench, a niche and several valves, raise the waste figure to 15 or 20 percent.

Measuring a shower or floor

Measure every surface that will get membrane, not just the floor. In an alcove shower that is the floor, the three walls up to the height you waterproof, the top and both faces of the curb, and every face of a niche or bench. A 3 x 5 ft shower with walls coated to 7 ft is 15 sq ft of floor and 77 sq ft of wall, 92 sq ft before waste. On a floor, measure the room and add a strip up the walls if you are turning the membrane up at the perimeter. For crack isolation over a single crack instead of the whole floor, LATICRETE asks you to coat a band at least three times the width of the tile being installed, so a crack under 12 inch tile needs a band 36 inches wide along its length.

Application notes from the data sheet

The surface must be between 45 and 90°F during application and for 24 hours after, structurally sound, clean and free of dirt, oil, paint, laitance, sealers and curing compounds. It can be damp but not wet. Concrete should not exceed 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft per 24 hours of moisture emission or 85 percent relative humidity, and fresh mortar beds should cure 72 hours first. Poured gypsum underlayment needs a primer: 1 part HYDRO BAN to 4 parts cool, clean water, applied at 250 to 300 sq ft per gallon of the diluted mix and left to dry, about 24 hours, before the two full coats. Primer is not counted in the calculator.

Apply the first coat over the whole area, including pre-treated spots, and wait until it is fully cured before the second; LATICRETE says the second coat should not go on while light sage areas are still showing. Check each coat with a wet film gauge. Inspect the dried top coat for pinholes, voids and thin spots and seal them with more HYDRO BAN. If you spray, the data sheet calls for a sprayer of up to 3,300 psi with a 0.521 or 0.631 reversible tip and warns that bounce back and overspray use more product, so add to the waste figure.

HYDRO BAN is not a vapor barrier and should not be used on its own in steam rooms. It should not go over OSB, particle board, interior glue plywood, luan or hardwood, under self-leveling underlayments, over cracks wider than 1/8 inch or structural cracks, or where there is negative hydrostatic pressure. Do not leave it uncovered in sun or weather for more than 30 days.

Check before you buy

The numbers on this page come from LATICRETE data sheet DS-663, revision DS-663-1026, the North American English version linked from the HYDRO BAN product page, and from LATICRETE's HYDRO BAN coverage chart. If your estimate is right at a pail boundary, round up: running out between the first and second coat means a trip to the supplier while the first coat waits.

FAQ

How many square feet does a gallon of HYDRO BAN cover?

About 50 sq ft of finished membrane. LATICRETE's data sheet DS-663 gives a coverage of about 100 sq ft per gallon for each coat, and every area needs two coats, so one gallon does about 50 sq ft and a 5 gallon pail about 250 sq ft. The data sheet notes that actual coverage varies with the substrate profile, and spraying uses more because of bounce back and overspray.

How much HYDRO BAN do I need for a shower?

Add up the floor, every wall surface you will waterproof, the curb and any niche or bench. A 3 x 5 ft alcove shower with three walls coated to 7 ft is 15 sq ft of floor plus (5 + 3 + 3) x 7 = 77 sq ft of walls, 92 sq ft in total. With 10 percent extra that is about 101 sq ft, and two coats at 100 sq ft per gallon come to about 2 gallons, so three 1 gallon pails is the safe buy. The 8 inch wide pre-treatment coats over coves, corners and the drain come on top, so do not cut it finer than that.

The data sheet says the mini unit covers 50 sq ft. Is that the whole carton?

No, it works out to one gallon. The mini unit is a carton of four 1 gallon pails, but 50 sq ft is what one gallon covers with two coats at 100 sq ft per gallon each. The 5 gallon pail is listed at 250 sq ft on the same basis, and LATICRETE's coverage chart for the 5 gallon pail shows the same 250 sq ft with 2 coats at 15 to 22 mils wet. Four gallons in a full carton therefore cover about 200 sq ft.

Does HYDRO BAN cover more than RedGard?

On the manufacturers' own figures, yes, for a code-listed shower. HYDRO BAN is two coats at about 100 sq ft per gallon each, about 50 sq ft finished per gallon. Custom's data sheet for RedGard gives two coats at 80 sq ft per gallon each for ANSI A118.10 waterproofing, about 40 sq ft finished. The coats are thinner too: HYDRO BAN goes on at 15 to 22 mils wet per coat, while RedGard allows up to 40 mils per wet coat. Compare price per finished square foot, not per gallon.

How long before I can flood test or tile?

Wait until the second coat has turned from light sage to olive green with no light areas left. At 70°F and 50 percent relative humidity the data sheet allows a flood test 2 hours after final cure; between 50 and 69°F allow 24 hours. Tile can be set with a latex thin-set once the membrane is dry to the touch; the data sheet lists 50 minutes over concrete, 30 over cement board and 15 over fiber cement underlayment. Wait the full 2 hours before thick bed mortar, epoxy adhesive or moisture sensitive flooring.

LATICRETE and LATICRETE HYDRO BAN are trademarks of their owner. This page is an independent estimate based on the published data sheet; check the bag label before mixing.