Is Your Concrete Deteriorating Under Your Feet?
Living anywhere in the United States, the most common surface area we have, own and share is concrete. Concrete has proven to be a reliable surface to handle the weight of home or building structures and the wear and tear of daily traffic. However, concrete has one major nemesis, water!
Water is the source of damage and accelerated deterioration of concrete and it happens in many ways. Concrete softens over time if it stays wet for long periods of time, concrete can be broken apart by the freezing of water that has filled its pores and concrete becomes weakened by the growth of mold, mildew, algae and other organic life. You may have seen a documentary of the concrete decay that has taken place in Detroit after the auto makers moved their production facilities to other locations and the factories were left to the weather without any maintenance. Well, if you live in the South, you may be tempted to chalk it up to northern weather. Let me bring it home to you.
In any area where you currently live, reside or happen to be, just look around. You likely have some concrete deterioration visually taking place right under your nose or feet as it may be. Old walls covered in slime, basement walls that stay wet and hazardous mold or mildew odor permeating the space from lack of ventilation, sidewalks and driveways turning green where the sprinklers regularly keep the concrete wet, or maybe the concrete stepping stones and back patios that stay in the shade turning black, are all visible signs of concrete deterioration.
Concrete cracking and buckling are actually caused by a completely separate function of soil instability but still, the common culprit is water. According to the concrete experts, buckling is usually caused by plant life or tree roots and subsiding concrete is caused by the washing away of dirt below the surface, allowing the weight of objects that travel over the surface to push down on the soft spots where the concrete has flexed. Again, the culprit is water.
So, the question is …. How do we protect our concrete investments and surfaces from this damaging water?
You may not be aware just yet but, the most effective products out on the market are nano-technology hydrophobic solutions that when applied, penetrate deep into the pores of the surface area and strengthen the concrete upper layers but more importantly, repel any form of moisture molecules and still allows the concrete to breath. One such product is offered by NanoSeal, located in Texas. The detailed information of this revolutionary product can be found at www.NanoSeal.com but for now, I will make it very simple to understand.
The nano-sized molecules which make up the solutions are smaller than liquid molecules, so the liquid cannot penetrate the pores of the surface the sealant has been applied to. Likewise, for any moisture that is residing in or getting into the concrete from other sides, when the concrete heats up the moisture turns to vapor which is smaller molecular structures than the nano so the vapor escapes allowing the concrete to dry. Although there are other concrete sealants in the market, many of them are a topical sealer that seems to keep the surface dry. The reality is, the polymer sealant is trapping the moisture into the concrete and accelerating the damage.
Apply the Nano and save the reno!
By David Kent
January 25, 2018
Author is a nanotechnology sealant application trainer.