Stitchbond fabric

A Complete Guide to Leebo’s High-Performance Polyester Reinforcing Fabric.

In the field of waterproofing, success often depends on the strength of what’s beneath the surface. While liquid-applied coatings such as acrylics, bitumen, or polyurethane provide the visible barrier, the real structural integrity of a waterproofing system comes from its reinforcement layer.
This is where the stitchbond membrane plays an indispensable role.

A stitchbond membrane is a non-woven polyester fabric designed to reinforce liquid-applied waterproofing systems. It is not a waterproof layer by itself. Instead, it functions as a flexible and durable “skeleton” that holds the coating together, improving tensile strength, elongation, and resistance to cracking or tearing. When embedded between coats of a liquid waterproofing product, the stitchbond membrane creates a seamless, monolithic barrier capable of withstanding years of exposure and movement.

How Stitchbond Membrane Is Manufactured.
The name “stitchbond” comes from its unique manufacturing process — a hybrid technique that combines nonwoven web formation and warp knitting. Unlike woven fabrics that rely on the crisscrossing of yarns (warp and weft), or other nonwovens that are thermally or chemically bonded, a stitchbond membrane is created using high-speed stitching needles that interlock polyester fibers into a reinforced web.

Web Formation: Polyester fibers (often from recycled sources such as PET bottles) are spread evenly to form a fibrous base layer or “web.”
Stitching: A series of needles rapidly punch through this web, pulling additional yarns or the fibers themselves through the layer.
Looping: These stitches form a pattern of interconnected loops, producing a tough yet flexible sheet with high dimensional stability.
This combination of mechanical bonding and polyester’s inherent resilience gives the material a distinctive stitched texture and exceptional strength-to-weight ratio.