Minimize Moisture Problems With Concrete Waterproofing Admixture Products

By Rhea Solomon


Concretes are prepared using water but once they are laid down, moisture becomes a problem to the same concretes. During the preparation, replacement, and curing of concretes, water will be essential. After that, the concretes will become unfriendly to moisture. One way to protect the material from effects of moisture is to use a concrete waterproofing admixture. In concretes structures, cracks develop as soon as the materials are installed.

You may notice small cracks a few days after the construction. The cracks provide entry points for moisture. Even in concretes that are not exposed to water directly, moisture can migrate through the porous structures and reach the interiors of the material. Although concretes can perform well in moist environments, when there is excessive exposure to water, it could lead to great damages.

The admixtures reduce the permeability of concretes, something that prevents moisture from penetrating the materials. In their nature, concretes are porous and they allow water molecules to seep through the pores. This can lead to problems of molds and mildew. When water collects and freezes inside cracks, it may create pressure that enlarges the cracks. If moisture penetrates through the porous concretes, this could lead to problems such as structural defects in the buildings.

Besides preventing moisture, the admixtures help in mitigating other problems like water migration, freeze-thaw effects, carbonation, and efflorescence. Moreover, use of admixtures on concretes makes them damp proof. Buildings constructed using concretes material suffer from dampness when cracks occur. The cracks allow moisture to penetrate deep and may enter in buildings leading to moisture problems. The moisture can encourage growth of molds and mildew.

You can use a one-time protection material by adding admixtures during the preparation of concretes. This will last the lifetime of the buildings and you may not need to use the sealer and coating products in future. Moreover, the effectiveness of sealers and coating products depends on the level of exposure of concretes to moisture. If your concretes are exposed to high amounts of moisture, then using sealers will not solve the problems.

When you use sealers, you will need to recoat the surfaces after sometime. This process of resealing and recoating concretes can cost you a lot of money in the long run. Using admixtures makes the process of treating concretes much easier than coating. The admixture reduces permeability of concretes and moisture does not penetrate the surface.

The porous nature of concrete materials makes them susceptible to water migration. Moisture can move from one area of the concretes to another through the pores thus affecting other parts of the building that are not exposed to water. Other problems addressed by admixtures are such as freezing and snow effects. Water freezing inside concretes may put pressure on cracks and enlarge them causing more water to penetrate.

Carbonation and efflorescence are also tackled with use of admixtures. The admixture materials are used during batching and are blended with the concretes mix to make it waterproof. This ensures that your concretes are protected from the time of installation. The substance can reduce the probability of cracks occurring due to effects of moisture. For a longstanding protection of concrete material, you can consider using concrete waterproofing admixture to protect the material from water damage.




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