Repairing crumbling concrete in commercial buildings
When concrete starts crumbling, trouble follows—especially in a commercial building.
If you start to see your concrete break down, you must take action immediately. Here’s where you start.
Assess the damage
There are two things you need to figure out up front.
- What caused the crumbling?
- Is it structural or surface?
It’s critical to fix the issue that caused the concrete to crumble in the first place. There are many areas in a commercial building that can fail and cause concrete damage. Wear and tear from traffic, chemical reactions, leaks, standing water, and more, the list is long. Find out where the damage came from, and you can ensure the problem doesn’t come back.
In some cases (especially if the building is new), the crumbling may be due to improperly mixed concrete. Too much water, too much hardener, not enough aggregate, or lack of structural support can all contribute to concrete issues, among other things.
Once you figure out the issue, you need to determine whether it’s surface or structural. Surface repairs can be complicated, but if you get them wrong, the building won’t fall. Structural concrete repairs are much more involved. In those cases, you need professional assessment and help.
Fix the crumbling concrete
If your problem is structural, you’ll need to either do a structural crack repair like epoxy injection or (in more severe cases) cut the offending area and replace it.
If your problem is only on the surface, there are several products you can use to fix it. You can clean the crumbling concrete away and add a new top layer; this usually involves a specifically-formulated concrete product for surface repair. Sometimes you can grind down and polish the surface, then pour a new, thin slab over the top—a concrete overlay.
The method and product will depend on your particular application. If you have crumbling concrete in your commercial building, contact a professional for help. Call JK Industries for a consultation, and we’ll make sure your concrete is taken care of.