ABP Advanced Drain® is a below-grade drainage composite — also called a horizontal drainage mat or drain board — manufactured by Advanced Building Products to relieve hydrostatic pressure behind foundation walls, retaining walls, planters, plaza decks, and balconies. It's built from an extruded polymer core with parallel drainage channels, heat-bonded to a nonwoven polyester filter fabric on one or both sides. The fabric keeps soil and sediment out while water and air move freely through the core. Spycor Building Products stocks it in fabric-on-1-side ($498.40 MSRP) and fabric-on-2-sides ($605.20 MSRP) configurations, both in .25" thickness, 39.5" x 135' rolls.

Key Takeaways

• Relieves hydrostatic pressure behind below-grade walls and structures.
  
  
• Available from Spycor in Fabric on 1 Side (SKU BGD250F1) and Fabric on 2 Sides (SKU BGD250F2).
  
  
• Installs in either vertical or horizontal orientation.
  
  
• Used for foundation walls, retaining walls, planters, plaza decks, and balconies.
  
  
• Backed by Advanced Building Products' Limited 25 Year Warranty.
  
  
• In stock and ships within 5 business days from Spycor Building Products.

What Is ABP Advanced Drain®?

If you're a contractor, waterproofing installer, or specifier pricing out a below-grade wall system, you've probably run into the same problem more than once: water sitting in the soil against a foundation wall, building up pressure with nowhere to go. That pressure — hydrostatic pressure — is one of the most common causes of foundation cracking, basement seepage, and callbacks that eat into your margin months after the job is closed out.

ABP Advanced Drain® is manufactured by Advanced Building Products, and it's built specifically to solve that problem. Per the manufacturer, it's a drainage composite mat: a polymer core shaped into parallel, porous channels, produced from tangled monofilament strands and heat-bonded to a nonwoven polyester filter fabric. Instead of water pooling and pressing against your wall assembly, it moves through the mat's channels and drains away — while the fabric layer blocks soil and fine sediment from clogging the system.

It's a category most people in the trade know by function rather than brand name — a "drain board," "dimple mat," or "drainage composite" — and ABP Advanced Drain® is one of the established products in that category.

How ABP Advanced Drain® Works

The system does two jobs at once, which is the core of its value on a jobsite:

1. Drainage — The extruded polymer core's parallel channels give water a clear path to flow in all directions and drain downward, instead of building up against the wall.
   
   
2. Filtration — The heat-bonded nonwoven polyester fabric layer keeps soil, silt, and sediment from migrating into the core and clogging the drainage channels over time.

Per the manufacturer's product data, the polymer core resists most common solvents, acids, and bases, so it holds up in a range of soil conditions without breaking down — which matters for a product that's going to be buried and inaccessible for the life of the structure. Advanced Building Products backs the product with a Limited 25 Year Warranty.

Advantages Over Traditional Gravel Drainage

Contractors have historically relieved hydrostatic pressure with a gravel backfill and perforated pipe system. A drainage composite mat like ABP Advanced Drain® is commonly used as a faster, lighter-weight alternative:

• Faster installation — rolls out and adheres or fastens in place, versus hauling, placing, and grading loose gravel.
  
  
• Lower labor — fewer trades and less time on site compared to a full gravel drainage bed.
  
  
• Consistent drainage path — engineered channels provide a uniform flow path, rather than relying on variable gravel gradation.
  
  
• Reduced backfill volume — a thin composite mat takes up a fraction of the space a gravel drainage zone requires, which can matter on tight sites.
  
  
• Lightweight rolls — easier to transport, stage, and handle on site than pallets of aggregate.
  
  
• Integrated filtration — the bonded fabric layer does the job a separate filter fabric or sock would otherwise need to do around gravel.

Fabric on 1 Side vs. Fabric on 2 Sides — Which Do You Need?

This is the decision most buyers actually need help with, and it comes down to what's on the other side of the mat.

	Fabric on 1 Side	Fabric on 2 Sides
SKU	BGD250F1	BGD250F2
Best for	Installed directly against a solid substrate (poured concrete or block foundation wall) where only the soil-facing side needs filtration	Applications where both faces of the mat contact backfill or loose material — planters, some retaining wall configurations, freestanding applications
Thickness	.25"	.25"
Roll size	39.5" x 135' (438 sq ft)	39.5" x 135'
Rolls per pallet	8	8
MSRP	$498.40	$605.20

Rule of thumb: if the drainage mat is going up against a solid wall, the 1-side product is almost always the correct — and more cost-effective — choice, since the wall itself blocks soil from that face. Reserve the 2-side product for applications where both faces of the mat will be in contact with soil or loose backfill.

If you're unsure which configuration fits your specific wall assembly or application, it's worth a quick call to confirm before ordering — the wrong side count on a below-grade job isn't a cheap mistake to fix after backfill.

Applications

ABP Advanced Drain® is rated for:

• Residential foundation walls — the most common application, installed against the exterior of below-grade walls before backfilling
  
  
• Retaining walls — managing hydrostatic pressure behind structural retaining walls
  
  
• Planters — draining excess irrigation and rainwater away from plant beds and structures
  
  
• Plaza decks — relieving pressure and managing moisture beneath paved or occupied surfaces
  
  
• Balconies — draining water away from below-grade or semi-below-grade balcony assemblies

Installation Basics

Installation follows a consistent process regardless of which fabric configuration you choose:

• The mat can be installed in either vertical or horizontal orientation, depending on the application.
  
  
• Secure it to the substrate using either construction adhesive or a termination bar.
  
  
• Butt panels together without overlapping the polymer core itself.
  
  
• Overlap the fabric flap at each joint and seal with construction adhesive — this is what prevents soil intrusion at the seams, so don't skip it.
  
  
• Always run the drainage mat down to and over the positive drain pipe at the base of the wall so water has somewhere to go once it reaches the bottom.
  
  
• Protect installed mat from damage — punctures or tears in the fabric compromise the filtration layer — until backfill is complete.

Manufacturer Specifications

The specifications below are documented by Advanced Building Products at the product-line level. Spycor currently stocks the .25" thickness in both fabric configurations (see the table above); contact Spycor to confirm availability of other thicknesses.

Related Reading

• Advanced Drain: The Best Drainage Mat for Foundation and Retaining Wall Protection — jobsite-focused deep dive on hydrostatic pressure and drainage performance
  
  
• Shop ABP Advanced Drain® — Fabric on 1 Side
  
  
• Shop ABP Advanced Drain® — Fabric on 2 Sides
  
  
• Browse all Below Grade Moisture Barriers

Have questions about which ABP Advanced Drain® configuration fits your project? Contact Spycor Building Products or call (843) 517-8180.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ABP Advanced Drain® used for?
It's used to relieve hydrostatic pressure and manage moisture behind below-grade structures — primarily foundation walls, retaining walls, planters, plaza decks, and balconies.

What's the difference between fabric on 1 side vs. fabric on 2 sides?
The 1-side product has filter fabric bonded to only one face and is designed to install against a solid substrate like a concrete or block wall. The 2-side product has fabric on both faces and is used where both sides of the mat will contact soil or backfill.

What thickness does ABP Advanced Drain® come in?
Spycor.com stocks the .25" thickness in both fabric configurations. The manufacturer's broader product line also offers ⅛" and ⅜" options — contact Spycor to confirm availability for your project.

Can ABP Advanced Drain® be installed vertically and horizontally?
Yes. It's designed for installation in either orientation, secured with construction adhesive or a termination bar.

How is ABP Advanced Drain® installed at panel joints?
Panels are butted together without overlapping the core, and the fabric flap at each joint is overlapped and sealed with construction adhesive to prevent soil intrusion.

Is ABP Advanced Drain® itself a waterproofing membrane?
No. It's a drainage composite, not a waterproof barrier — it manages and redirects water away from the structure. It's typically installed alongside a separate waterproofing membrane, not in place of one.

Can ABP Advanced Drain® replace a traditional gravel drainage system?
Yes — it's commonly used as a lighter, faster-installing alternative to a gravel-and-pipe drainage bed, while performing the same hydrostatic-relief function.

What geotextile fabric is used on ABP Advanced Drain®?
A nonwoven polyester filter fabric, heat-bonded to the polymer core.

Does ABP Advanced Drain® require a footing or positive drain pipe?
Yes. Installation instructions call for running the mat down over the positive drain pipe at the base of the wall so collected water has a path out of the system — the mat isn't a standalone drainage outlet.

Does ABP Advanced Drain® clog over time?
The bonded filter fabric is specifically designed to block soil and sediment from entering the drainage core, which is what prevents the channels from clogging over the life of the installation.

What warranty does ABP Advanced Drain® carry?
Advanced Building Products backs the product with a Limited 25 Year Warranty.

Where can I buy ABP Advanced Drain®?
Both configurations are in stock and ship within 5 business days from Spycor Building Products: fabric on 1 side ($498.40) and fabric on 2 sides ($605.20).