Protection of Concrete Against Water Damage

             When one talks about concrete, the word impenetrable barrier comes to our mind. Concrete is one of the impervious, composite man-made material consisting Cement, Aggregates & Water. Modern day concrete comes with addition of Admixtures to impose additional strength, imperviousness & work-ability to the concrete.

With similar understanding, most developers/realtors & people choose concrete or concrete products while making structure especially foundations, columns, beams, slabs, terraces & roofs.

             Concrete consists of Cement; Cement consists essentially of compounds of lime (calcium oxide, CaO) obtained from calcareous (lime containing raw materials) mixed with silica (silicon dioxide, SiO₂) and alumina (aluminum oxide, Al₂O₃), these oxides are obtained from clay. This all raw material when processed for Crushing – Grinding, Blending, Burning and Fine Grinding forms cement. This process makes the cement rich in calcium carbonate content which has water impervious property. Due to competitive market and imposed regulation by government considering environmental hazards in formation of Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) for cement; Effective content of Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in concrete is getting restricted.

Also, purity & grade of modern day raw material are compromised due to restricted availability of natural resources. Resulting in formation of concrete with poor resources.

It’s matter of fact that concrete is now modified to be used with fly ash, which is relatively considered to be safe in environmental hazard then manufacturing of cement. Concrete made using fly ash are tending to become more & more in day to day use.

The imperviousness of the concrete in case of concrete made with fly-ash rests on quality of fly ash used. The poor the quality of fly ash; porosity of concrete increases along with loss of strength.

Water in any of its form is not good for any concrete / cement structure to be present within; but also, specified amount of water is mandatory towards mixing & curing of cement or concrete structure. Water needs to be barred at their surface only. If not, may cause development algae & fungus around which not only deteriorate the concrete from within but also damages the reinforcement.

Yes, you got it right; Even Moisture is an enemy of concrete. This is very much true because it starts to weakens up the concrete and deteriorates it from within.

Due to the moisture; fungus, staining and efflorescence are obvious visible reasons towards Concrete problems.

To keep your structure safer in longer run, you need to protect the concrete; To protect the concrete from water damages you need to have Terrace Waterproofing & Basement Waterproofing.These types of services could be carried / rendered / executed by Waterproofing expert.

Also Read: Importance of Choosing the Waterproofing Expert!

Concrete seeps water in form of small capillary formed during casting and curing process of concrete. These capillary sucks the moisture / water due to difference of pressure within and outside the concrete, which result in presence of moisture or water content within concrete.

Making waterproofed concrete from within is a unique way of sealing the concrete from any form of water. If it’s core is waterproofed, it doesn’t allow passage of water through it.  Concrete waterproofing could be done for New as well as old concrete.

Ideal choice would be to seal the concrete with good concrete sealer after complete curing of casted concrete.

Many types of Concrete sealers are available that protect your concrete from the moisture as their prime function; also, there are few sealers which help restore the concrete damages occurring to & within them.
These sealers can be:

• Admixer
• Penetrating Sealers
• Surface Coating sealers.

Use of admixture barres the formation of capillaries and restrict passage of any form of water. Coating sealers creates a layer over the concrete that stops the moisture from penetrating the exterior.
On the other hand, penetrating sealers that get into the concrete and protects the surface area & concrete from inside.

These sealers do not change the colour, appearance or primary performance of the concrete. These are very easy to apply and can be coloured as per the needs of the individuals.

Admixtures:
Admixtures are a compact word to speak but is a world in within. Role of admixture is for many purposes like:

• Air entraining
• Water Reducing
• Retarder
• Accelerating
• Workability
• High Early Strength
• Segregation reducing
• Waterproofing
• Etc etc

Among all this, Waterproofing admixture plays important role in strengthening the core of the concrete by removing the voids from a concrete & sealing the capillary formation.

Penetrating Sealers (Crystalline Sealers):
With crystalline sealer & waterproofing kit you can get permanent solution to concrete deterioration happening at foundations and Basement. In these sealers, crystalline compound when comes in contact with water it reacts with the water to form narrow long needle like crystals of calcium by reacting with free lime within concrete; This heals the cracks & save the concrete from deterioration. Crystalline waterproofing agent fills the gaps, cracks and pores. Once these spaces are completely filled, water cannot enter or pass through it. Few of this category product includes: RiCrystaSeal, etc

Coating Sealers (Cementitious Waterproofing):
These are effective systems that entail the use of blended products. These are readily available with the suppliers of Waterproofing materials and can be applied very easily while building a structure.Few of this category product includes: WP, Base Coat, Sealer Coat etc.

So, make sure you have chosen right sealer for your home and safeguard you home from moisture.

Tip for Better Waterproofing Results: The best waterproofing happens while constructing a structure. The waterproofing at construction stage gives more protection & durability to structure then waterproofing post construction process.