Building owners, property management firms and municipalities should know that concrete restoration and shotcrete restoration require a thorough knowledge of concrete repair and restoration techniques and materials. Concrete restoration is a key part of the restoration of buildings, high rises, bridges, tunnels, ramps, dams, culverts, and decks. Shotcrete is also used in many of these applications.

Choose a company with many years of experience using the most advanced leak-sealing grouts, additives, bonding agents and injection materials in concrete repair and restoration. This approach provides permanent protection against cracking, spalling and erosion in concrete structures. The construction firm should have architects and engineers on staff and offer a free review of your restorations plans.

Road salt, wear and tear, water, temperature changes and other factors can cause deterioration of concrete and can impact the beauty, safety and strength of concrete structures.

In one case, a thorough structural evaluation of a parking garage revealed significant concrete damage, including water and salt penetration. The reinforcing steel rebar had rusted and expanded, causing the concrete to crack and spall. This project required removal and restoration of each level of the garage’s damaged concrete and supporting decks; repair and restoration of cracked, spalled, and broken concrete; and weatherproofing and sealing of the new concrete surface using an advance urethane coating system and watertight sealant.

Such advanced concrete restoration and repair calls for experts in concrete restoration. A quality construction firm will have architects and engineers who understand concrete and know how to carry out concrete repair and restoration using the latest concrete technologies, such as air entrainment for added freeze-thaw resistance, micro silica for greater compressive strength and resistance in acid conditions, concrete admixtures and curing accelerators.

Accelerating admixtures can be added to concrete either to increase the rate of early strength development or to shorten the time of setting, or both.

Concrete restoration can significantly enhance the lifespan, structural integrity and safety of concrete structures such as bridges, dams, reservoirs, sewers, waterways, as well as garage and stadium decks.

Concrete Restoration services can include:

- Sealing effectively closes the porous surface of concrete and makes it more impervious to damaging substances, such as gasoline, oils or melting agents.

- Shotcrete is a material that combines concrete with compressed air. The mixture is pumped through a hose at high pressure, and is then applied to the desired surface. The force of the air pressure consolidates the material on the surface.

- Concrete Demolition entails the removal of damaged or undesired concrete. It is most frequently accomplished with a jackhammer, or another piece of pneumatic equipment.

- Polymer-modified mortar repairs involve the addition of plasticizers to traditional mortar. These additives improve the mechanical performance of the mortars by improving adhesion qualities, extending working times and improving hot weather workability. Polymer-modified mortars can also offer improved chemical resistance, higher flow, increased flexibility and better levels of compressive and tensile strength.

- Parking deck repairs frequently involve repairs to both the deck surface and to overhead concrete structures that may have been damaged by water infiltration or exposure to melting agents.

- Most concrete structures are reinforced by reinforcement rods (rebar) or structural steel. If the concrete skin of the structure has been damaged or has deteriorated, it is frequently necessary to restore or replace the steel substructure. In cases where the building has been built with little steel in the structure, it is frequently necessary to employ and anchoring system to stabilize the building before repairs can be made.

- Balcony repairs typically involve structural stabilization and replacement of damaged or missing components. In many cases, due to water infiltration or damage from the environment, it is necessary to remove the facing surfaces and decking materials from a balcony, stabilize the steel framework that ties the structure to the building, and then replace the facing surfaces with new or recovered material.

- Façade repairs involve removing damaged or degrading concrete from the surfaces of a structure, stabilizing the repair site, and filling any voids or cracks with new material that has been formulated to match the color and texture of the existing material that surrounds the repair. Façade repairs can also demand the creation of customized forms to allow for replication of cast-in-place detail.

- Traffic coatings protect concrete surfaces from wear and tear caused by automobiles, machinery or pedestrian traffic. Most commonly formulated from an epoxy base, these coatings seal out moisture and damaging materials such as salts and oils. They are frequently impregnated with fine aggregates to improve traction and to minimize slipping hazards.

- Cementitious coatings are generally comprised of Portland cement combined with a vermiculite or perlite premix. These coatings are used to provide fire protection on steel or concrete surfaces, and are typically sprayed on while a structure is under construction.

Be sure to select an experienced concrete restoration firm that can provide you with a solid estimate for your restoration work, as well as a qualified list of references. A consideration to work out a yearly maintenance plan for restoration is also recommended.

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