An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and nowhere is this adage more relevant than the maintenance and upkeep of concrete, masonry and stone buildings and structures. Oftentimes, major restoration costs can be avoided by proper preventative maintanance and treatment of problems in a timely manner.
Below is a brief visual guide to recognizing common problems in concrete, masonry and stone buildings and structures. If you suspect you may have some of these problems, or want an expert evaluation of your building or structure, please fill out the “contact us” form to the left of this page and one of our team members will be in touch with you.
Concrete Coatings – Oftentimes concrete is seen as a solid impenetrable material that can withstand any abuse or environment. In reality, concrete is very pourus and allows water to seep through it like a sponge. Because of this, it becomes vulnerable to water intrusion and contaminants from the environment, which results in deterioration. Concrete coatings waterproof the surface to protect the concrete from the elements. This also protects any valuable property the concrete may be sheltering.
Concrete Sealers and/or corrosion inhibitors are a crucial component to any concrete structure’s preventative maintanance plan. Sealers and corrosion inhibitors greatly reduce the long-term cost of repairs by reducing water intrusion and minimizing the damage done by electrochemical reactions between road salt and embedded reinforcing steel.
Typical indications that sealers or corrosion inhibitors are necessary include, delaminating concrete, spalling, potholes, rust staining, exposed reinforcing steel, a pock-marked surface and micro-cracking.
Expansion joints are integral to the structure of a parking garage. When expansion joints are deteriorated, damaged or improperly sealed, your structure is at risk of water intrustion, spalling concrete and potential post-tension cable deterioration.
When fractures occur in structures or additional loading capacity is necessary beyond the original design, carbon fiber strengthening may be the answer. This commonly occurs in parking garage decks, columns, beams, bridges and elevated industrial floors.
