Concrete Repair

Concrete Repair :

You see a crack in the concrete slab or wall and you wonder: Should I be concerned? Could this be a structural issue or just an aesthetic concern?

Concrete repair is a fact of life for an old building. This is especially true for buildings in South Orange County. The air and erosion is the main reason for this concrete failure.

Concrete repair is an inevitable part of the life cycle for old buildings and specially around a backyard kitchen where there is more people walking . This is especially true of places like Orange County , California where we use out backyards and our kitchen outside much more than the rest of U.S.. Concrete failure is mainly due to salt in the air. High concentrations of chlorides (salts) are found in coastal areas. These salts penetrate concrete through tiny holes. As rust begins to form and overtake the rebar, concrete cracks and begins to rupture.

The process of structural concrete repair and restoration involves returning the structure to its original condition and specifications. Structural damage can often be found where there is an edge , curb or where there is pressure on the concrete .

Commercial property owners should hire a construction company with expertise to inspect the building every two years. There are signs of concrete decay that can be detected by simple inspections by managers and maintenance staff. Boards of directors can be alerted early to potential risks by the manager. Some easy-to-spot signs of distress to the building are:

Concrete spalling, or the deterioration of concrete

Lifting tiles could indicate the concrete underneath has deteriorated.

Concrete cracks. That’s a fact.

After investigating the cracks and establishing the repair objectives, designing or selecting the best repair material and procedure is fairly straight forward.

Call our dedicated company in Mission Viejo and we will come to you for an assesment of the damage.

Cracks in concrete happen and are caused by several factors such as chemical degradation, corrosion of the reinforcement steel, mechanical attack, and physical damage. Keep reading to learn more about the methods used to repair concrete structures.

Stitching of Concrete

Stitching of concrete involves bridging the crack with U-shaped metal units known as stitching digs. After this process, the concrete is repaired with a rigid resin material.

Stitching is simple, quick, effective, and permanent. The grout combination gives your concrete an excellent bond. The masonry remains flexible enough and can accommodate the natural building movement because you get non-disruptive structural stabilization. Contact a concrete supplier and seek advice on whether stitching your concrete is the best method for you.

Routing and Sealing

Muting and sealing is the easiest and most common concrete crack repair method. The method can be used to seal both large and fine pattern cracks. The crack is enlarged along its exposed face then sealed with fillers. The fillers may be made up of silicones, epoxies, or urethanes.

This method is most appropriate for flat horizontal surfaces like pavements and floors. A lot of care and caution should be taken to make sure that the entire crack is routed and sealed. You will need concrete supply for this technique, so it is advisable to contact a reliable concrete supplier to ensure a smooth process.

Resin Injection

Epoxy resin injection is mostly used as the optimum concrete crack repair technique. The high mechanical strength and resistance to a wide range of chemical environments of resin injections make this technique exceptionally good. Resin injections can be used to repair cracks in walls, slabs, columns, and kerbs.

The technique involves injecting cracks into the concrete. Cracks wider than 0.22mm are injected with resins that have a low viscosity. Cracks that are wider are injected with a resin known as Thixotropic. The process ensures that water and air are not in contact with the reinforcement.

Before settling on this method, contact your local concrete supplier for advice on whether this is the best method for you and concrete supply.

Underpinning

Underpinning involves strengthening and stabilizing the foundation of an already existing building. If your building is tilting or sinking because of instability, then underpinning will support and stabilize it. You will need reliable concrete suppliers for this process to be effective, so it would be wise to contact a trusted concrete supplier.

Briefly, the critical items needed to design a proper crack repair are average crack widths (including minimum and maximum widths) and determining if the cracks are active or dormant. Of course, the objective(s) of the crack repair is just as important as measuring crack widths and determining the potential for future crack movements.

Active cracks are moving and growing. Examples include cracks resulting from continuing ground settlement or cracks acting as contraction/expansion joints for the concrete element or structure. Dormant cracks are stable and future movements are not anticipated. Typically, cracking caused by concrete drying shrinkage will be active at the beginning but eventually stabilize and become dormant as the moisture content of the concrete stabilizes. Also, if there is sufficient reinforcing (steel rebar, steel fibers, or macro-synthetic fibers) crossing through cracks, future movements are controlled and cracks may be considered dormant.

For dormant cracks, use either rigid or flexible repair materials. Active cracks require flexible repair materials and special design considerations to allow for future movements. Using a rigid repair material for active cracks typically results in cracking of the repair material and/or the adjacent concrete.

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