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Concrete much like
wood is a dense but very porous product that requires protection
from mother nature.
The life of
concrete is limited by a
number of disintegrating factors:
Weathering by rain and frost action is chiefly a function of
water-tightness or impermeability, since leach and attack by the
carbonic and other acids present in rainwater, and disruption by
frost action, depend on the penetration of water into the
surface. This water once absorbed is the source of many
problems to come. These include:
SPALLING:
Where surface layers of
the concrete pop out leaving the aggregate to show underneath.
CRACKING:
Freeze and thaw cycles cause concrete to heave. When
moisture within concrete freezes it causes expansion within the
concrete and at some point this expansion will reveal a stress
point in the slab.
EFFLORESCENCE:
is the loss of water (or a
solvent) of crystallization from a
hydrated
or solvated
salt
to the
atmosphere
on exposure to
air.
Moisture wicking within the concrete or masonry adds greatly to
this problem leaving a salty like residue on the surface.
VIDEO EXAMPLES
You'll see in a demonstration
video below a project where we were contracted to remove a
failed film based sealer from several thousand square feet of
concrete pads within storage units. This was accomplished
through the use of specialty finish removers and a high volume
low pressure cleaning with our Surface Cleaners.
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