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UNDERSTANDING AND AVOIDING DISCOLORED CONCRETE
Admin • Apr 12, 2018
The process of installing concrete may seem relatively simple on the surface. Yet the deeper your understanding of concrete goes, the more you can appreciate the nuance involved in installing it correctly. Homeowners and contractors who attempt to install concrete without proper knowledge often run into unintended consequences down the line.
One common issue encountered by less than experienced concrete installers involves an abnormal amount of discoloration. This problem typically stems from problems during the curing phase. If you would like to learn more about what causes discolored concrete, as well as what it takes to successfully avoid it, read on. This article will provide a useful overview of the subject.
THE CURING PHASE
As noted above, concrete discolorations tend to occur during the curing phase. Curing happens after the contractor has poured the concrete. During this process, water and cement molecules undergo a chemical reaction that results in the concrete hardening. Curing tends to be a slow process and may take several days before the concrete has reached a fully hardened state.
While undergoing the curing process, concrete can be quite vulnerable to certain problems. The most common involves an excessive amount of water evaporating out of the surface. This will negatively affect the curing process, resulting in weaker and more damage-prone concrete.
To protect against evaporation, contractors will cover the surface of the concrete during curing. This prevents water from evaporating outward. Historically, natural materials like sand and straw were piled up on top of the concrete. These days, however, it is much more common for contractors to use a thin sheet of plastic.
Sheets are carefully draped across the surface of the concrete, known as curing membranes. There they form a watertight barrier, preventing water from escaping out of the surface. In order to be effective, however, the membrane must sit flush against the entire surface of the concrete.
MEMBRANE BUBBLES
Discoloration tends to be a product of incorrectly applied curing membrane. The specific issue at fault are the bubbled areas of the membrane. Such bubbles often form in areas where the membrane was not pulled tight enough during installation. The larger the size of the concrete slab, the easier it will be for workers to overlook bubbled areas.
These bubbles lead to an unwanted phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. As the surface of the membrane heats up, water will evaporate out of the concrete and condense again at the top of the bubble. There it will roll back down the sides and onto the surface of the concrete, where it will collect in pools before evaporating once more.
The presence of this water alters the chemical reaction taking place in the concrete. Essentially it overhydrates the concrete in certain areas. Discolorations are one of the most commonly experienced side effects of this phenomenon. These discolorations will permanently affect the appearance of the concrete.
PREVENTING DISCOLORATION
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the solution to discolorations caused by the greenhouse effect. You must take extreme care when placing the curing membrane. Workers will need to reposition the membrane as necessary in order to eliminate any bubbles that form in the course of laying it down.
A reputable contractor will check - and then recheck - to ensure that the membrane lies in direct contact with the entire concrete slab. The sooner you can identify any problem areas, the less chance that they will lead to permanent discolorations in your concrete. For more information about what it takes to get the best results when installing your next concrete surface, please don't hesitate to contact our industry experts
at Carolina Concrete Designs, Inc.
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