Although solid, concrete is still porous. Water can be wicked up by concrete and travel through it. Along the way, the water picks up salts in the concrete and transports them to the surface. After the water reaches the surface and evaporates, the salts are left behind. This makes the unseemly white product that often forms on concrete called efflorescence. To halt efflorescence, you need concrete moisture remediation.
If you see cracks or joints in your floor that never completely dry, this points to a significant cache of moisture underneath your concrete. Many people try to hide the problem with tile or cheap epoxy. Without a good sealant, however, the water finds a way through, resulting in loose tiles or coatings that bubble and peel away. Then the problem becomes worse and more costly to resolve.
What To Do About Efflorescence
Depending on the severity, you might need to resolve the water issue ahead of proceeding (sealing the foundation may not prevent problems in the walls or other parts). If the situation is localized to the concrete, some cleanup and epoxy sealing should stop water from accumulating. West Coast Epoxy adds a moisture barrier to our epoxy sealer that stops delamination from water vapor. After this process is complete, the concrete floor is indeed waterproof on top. Then you can confidently overlay it with ceramic tile, wood, carpet, or laminates. The epoxy sealant makes sure your floor surface will not be vulnerable to moisture again.
With epoxy sealers, the age of the concrete usually does not matter, if it is reliable. Epoxy coatings dry rapidly, minimizing delays, but it cannot be applied to brand new concrete until the material is fully set. To learn more about water remediation for concrete foundations, talk to West Coast Epoxy for help in Davis.
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