As a specialty repair contractor, one of BuildIn’s core business is concrete repair and restoration.
BuildIn is not limited to a single concrete repair method; our experience and expertise combine specialized and conventional concrete repair methods to provide the most practical solutions for all concrete repair projects. From small concrete repair projects to multi-faceted full scale restoration projects, BuildIn can deliver on every phase including:
Common Reasons Why Concrete Requires Repair
Concrete is widely used for everything from foundations to bridges. Water tanks, buildings, and even dams can be made with concrete. It’s a strong, durable, and well understood material. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to last forever without a bit of attention and sometimes repair. In fact, concrete today isn’t even the same as the concrete that was poured for your commercial parking garage twenty years ago. Below are some of the most common reasons that concrete requires repair:
o Rebar Corrosion
Concrete is often reinforced with steel rebar. The rebar is meant to help keep the concrete from crumbling. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be the real problem. If rebar is exposed to excess carbon chlorides or dioxide, it will begin to corrode, causing the concrete around it to crumble too. Rust can burst concrete.
o Alkali-Silica Reactions (ASR)
This is a serious problem for some concrete structures that were built before the reaction was well understood. ASR is a reaction within the concrete due to the chemical make-up of some aggregates. Alkaline cement will react with water to form a gel, causing cracks in the concrete.
o Cavitation | Abrasion
Water will wear away at concrete over time, which is commonly seen in pipes. Abrasion can also be due to physical wear from items such as forklifts.
What to Look For
Visual signs of concrete deterioration are cracks, rust stains, efflorescence, water leakage, concrete spalling and hollow sounding delamination. Other signs of deterioration include wear, exposed aggregates, discoloration and settlement.
Repair is Possible!
Fortunately, it is possible to repair concrete that is showing signs of any of these problems. Ensuring that the concrete structures will remain safe and functional for years to come requires maintenance and repair, but most importantly the cause of the deterioration should be identified so that the concrete repairs last and the problem doesn’t reoccur. Depending on the severity, large portions of the structure may need to be re-built. But with the right concrete repair team, you can often avoid a complete tear down.
To ensure that the concrete structures will remain safe and functional for years to come requires maintenance and repair.
BuildIn offers a range of durable concrete repair and protection techniques that we mostly use in our projects including:
1. Concrete Replacement
Replacement concrete is a method of repair for defective concrete when the defects or cracks in concrete have large area. In this method of concrete repair, defective concrete is removed from the structural member and area is prepared for repairs and then replacement concrete is used. This is often still the most effective and economical way to repair concrete. Removing deteriorated concrete and replacing it with traditional Portland cement concrete is often still the most effective and economical way to repair concrete.
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2. Specialized Repair
This includes repairs where specialized methods are used for concrete repair, such as fast-sealing mortars, acid resistant mortars and coatings and other special methods. BuildIn has the in-house expertise and equipment to offer innovative solutions for completing the most challenging concrete repairs in time and on budget. Many of our projects are carried out during brief plant shutdowns when there is no
time for the use of conventional repair methods or materials. Hence, specialized repair techniques are used instead, and these may include hydro demolition, surface preparation using high pressure water blasting, concrete pours with pre-placed aggregate, tremie concrete, shotcrete repair, work with cofferdams, overhead pumping of concrete into suspended forms, and the use of a wide variety of fast setting or other special performance repair materials.
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3. Concrete Overlays & Resurfacing
BuildIn applies overlays to resurface deteriorated floors that vary from several inch thick structural toppings to thin 1/4 inch-thick polymer concrete overlays. Bonded overlays can be installed on new precast slabs to increase the load carrying capacity of the slab or can be installed on top of repaired/patched concrete slabs to extend the durability of the repairs. For concrete overlays to perform as required, specially formulated shrinkage compensated, latex modified, high density, low slump concrete can be used. Thin systems provide resurfacing without adding much weight to the existing slab and can be trowel applied, spray applied, or self-leveling. Specialized iron-aggregates overlays can be used for high impact and abrasion resistance.
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Why Choose BuildIn
BuildIn has extensive experience in the rehabilitation of all sorts of concrete structures, from small repairs to major concrete restoration projects. We have mastered the process of selecting the most suitable materials and equipment for your application. Our team can meet the precise requirements of any client, as our repair works comply to the standards and guidelines set by the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI). Contact us and let us prove why BuildIn should be your single source contractor for all your concrete problems.