Concrete is hard and long-lasting, making it a top-notch floor material for many types of installations. Given its reputation, it might stun you to hear that concrete is in reality porous. Given sufficient time, water from beneath slabs or walkways makes its way through the concrete to the surface, and the water then evaporates. During its travel, the water transports salts taken from the concrete. These salts become a white powder when the water evaporates on the surface of the concrete. This ugly material is called efflorescence.
If you notice cracks or joints in your floor that don’t dry completely, this points to a significant cache of moisture beneath your concrete. Some people attempt to cover the issue with ceramic tile or DIY epoxy. Without a quality sealant, however, the water finds its way through, resulting in loose tiles or coatings that bubble and peel away. Then the problem is worse and more costly to repair.
What to Do About Groundwater
Depending on the severity, you might need to resolve the water issue ahead of proceeding (sealing the concrete may not prevent issues in the walls or other locations). If the situation is localized to the concrete, some cleanup and epoxy sealing should halt water from accumulating. West Coast Epoxy adds a water barrier to our epoxy sealer that prevents peeling from water vapor. After this treatment is complete, the concrete floor is indeed waterproof on top. Therefore, you can confidently overlay it with ceramic tiles, wood, carpet, or laminates. The epoxy sealant makes sure your floor surface won’t be vulnerable to moisture again.
The water remediation procedure benefits a concrete floor of any age and is fast enough to avoid costly delays for planned renovations. If you have any worries about moisture remediation during your building or remodel project, please give West Coast Epoxy a call or schedule a free consultation online for help in Fair Oaks.
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