Maintenance Tips

Concrete Rehabilitation:
From Initial Repair to Coating Protection
By H. Michael Simpson, Fox Industries Inc.
Preparation of the Concrete

I
n many instances, concrete has should involve a structural engineer
deteriorated to the point where and/or architect. Project participants through Removal
some or all of it must be removed can develop a plan for a successful Whether the repair work is vertical,
and repaired before the sur- horizontal, overhead, above or below
face can be coated. General grade, determining the proper type of
practices may apply across concrete preparation depends in large
many markets. Most readers part on which of many different types
are familiar with SSPC-SP of concrete structures and substrates
13/NACE No. 6, Surface need the repair and on the nature of the
Preparation of Concrete. The concrete to be repaired. (Concrete
standard is applicable to mixes vary widely, and they do not cure
preparing concrete surfaces uniformly.)
that either do not need to be Some criteria for selecting the method
repaired, have already been and equipment are the size of area to be
Figs. 1-3 (top to bottom): Deteriorated concrete on a variety of
repaired, or are ready to be structures
repaired, exposure of reinforcing steel,
coated. This Maintenance Tip Photos courtesy of Fox Industries Inc. location of structure (horizon-
focuses on concrete condi- tal/vertical/
tions that require removing some or overhead, indoor/
all of the concrete before standard sur- outdoor,) height, tem-
face preparation for coating applica- perature, other weath-
tion. After broadly describing key er considerations, and
issues in preparing and repairing con- the specified end
crete, the article will outline examples result. Again, depend-
of different proven types of repairs ing on the project,
that owners, engineers, architects, and other requirements
contractors can use. may include tempo-

Repair Conditions
rary shoring and sup-
port for overhead and
Key Issues vertical repairs; and
Before a successful repair temporary formwork for vertical, over-
project can begin, several head or horizontal applications (Fig. 4).
key issues should be dis- Among the methods to prepare dete-
cussed. Most important is riorated concrete are handchipping;
identifying the cause of con- electric, air- or hydraulic-powered chip-
crete deterioration or dam- pers; hydrodemolition; coring; concrete
age (Figs. 1, 2, and 3). Other Continued
important issues are select-
ing the most suitable repair Editor’s note: This article is based on a
method, equipment, and paper the author presented at PACE
materials; determining the 2010, a joint conference held February
ICRI, ASTM, or ACI stan- 2010 by SSPC: The Society for Protective
dards that should be followed (see side- repair, from concrete removal to repair Coatings and the Painting and
bar); and deciding whether the project and coating. Decorating Contractors of America.

www.paintsquare.com JPCL December 2010 27

 Maintenance Tips

Selecting the Repair

Product
Selecting the appropriate
repair product depends large-
ly on the type of concrete
repair project at hand.
Over the past 30 years,
many materials and repair
systems developed have
Fig. 4: Deteriorated concrete on overhead surface proven to be successful for
particular types of concrete
planing; and concrete sawing. Some of repair projects. These widely
Fig. 6: Crack in concrete retaining wall
the basic repair methods will include varying products and systems
creation of a repair perimeter using con- include fiber-reinforced, polymer-modi- before applying coating systems. Epoxy
crete saws or carbide- or diamond- fied, cement-based patching materials grouts dry to a tile-hard finish that may
tipped grinder blades. The deteriorated for vertical and overhead applications; need to be profiled before coating appli-
and/or cracked concrete is removed epoxy-based grouts for patching and cation.

Examples of Concrete Damage and

using small electric- or air-powered crack injection applications; methyl

Repair in the Field

chipping hammers in small or sensitive methacrylate patching materials; flexi-
areas (such as concrete covering power ble urethane-based grouts to seal water
lines, water lines, gas lines) or large, intrusion; and specialty cement-based Crack Repairs
pneumatically-driven concrete breakers patching and grouting materials. The cause of cracking must be deter-
mounted on a back hoe for large con- Another consideration for selecting a mined before a crack repair method can
crete repair areas. All of these methods repair product or system will be the be selected (Fig. 6). For instance, if the
require equipment and tools that have coating or coating system that will be cracks result from settlement of the
applied over the repaired areas. For structure and the likelihood of further
instance, cement-based products have a movement is very low, the cracks can
hydration process (the evaporation of be repaired by epoxy pressure injection
water used in the mix) and take longer utilizing a low viscosity epoxy resin.
to cure than epoxy-based or methyl However, if the cracks will continual-
methacrylate-based materials. In addi- ly move due to thermal expansion, con-
tion, once cured, cement-based patching traction, or the absence of adequate
materials will need surface preparation Continued

Resources for Repairing Concrete

Fig. 5: Properly prepped overhead area before
application of repair products Before 1988, very few standards, guide- of concrete restoration, repair, and protec-
lines, or other resources existed to help tion through standards development as
basic standards for operation and use.
contractors, owners, architects, or speci- well as education of and communication
Once the concrete removal and sur-
fiers to repair concrete. In response to the among the members and those who use
face preparation have been accom-
plished, the specific type of concrete lack of guidance and contractor expertise, their services. The American Concrete
repair or restoration—such as vertical, the International Association of Concrete Institute (ACI) and ASTM International are
overhead, and horizontal crack repair, Repair Specialists was formed in 1988 and also resources for concrete repair.
patching, or grouting—can proceed (Fig. is now known as the International
5). Readers should note that in most Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI).1 The pur- Note
concrete repair scenarios, removal of pose of ICRI, whose members include 1. About ICRI. (2009). Retrieved
damaged and deteriorated concrete specialty concrete restoration contractors, September 16, 2009 from International
must be accomplished in conjunction engineers, and manufacturers of concrete Concrete Repair Institute Web Site:
with the surface preparation techniques repair products, is to improve the quality http://www.icri.org/ABOUT/about.asp
in SSPC-SP 13/NACE No. 6.
28 JPCL December 2010 www.paintsquare.com
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 Maintenance Tips

Figs. 7 and 8: Repairs needed on concrete spalls caused by corrosion of reinforcing steel (left) and partially embedded steel (right)

expansion joints, then a more flexible volume due to the corrosion product selecting a repair method. (Corrosion of
repair system is needed to prevent re- causes the outer layers of the concrete steel partially embedded in concrete can
cracking in the repaired area or areas to detach, or spall (Fig. 7). If the rein- similarily cause spalling [Fig. 8].)
adjacent to the repaired areas. forcing steel is set too close to the sur- The recognition and exposure of rein-
face of the concrete, the amount of forcing steel is another important com-
Spall Repair spalling will be greater. If the setting of ponent of a successful repair applica-
Spalling of reinforced concrete is com- the rebar is the cause, additional thick- tion. There are basic standards for the
monly associated with corrosion of the ness in the coverage of the existing rein- treatment of rusted and deteriorated
reinforcing steel (rebar). The increase of forcing steel should be considered when reinforcing steel. These may include

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 Tips
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Fig. 9: Form work in place while applying repair

mortar
wire brushing or abrasive blasting the
exposed reinforcing steel and coating it
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concrete can proceed. The depth of the
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spalled and damaged concrete will
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to be used, as will the thickness of the
repair; the projected allowance for cure
time of the repair material; climate con-
ditions; exposure to chemicals, water,
heat, cold; and the specified end result.
Once the repair materials have been
selected, the applicator must follow the
mixing and placement recommenda-
tions of the material manufacturer. The
method of placement of the repair mate-
rials will be determined by the same fac-
tors as the selection of repair materials.
Methods can include hand-troweled
placement and pumping and/or pour-
ing the materials into a temporarily
formed area (Fig. 9).

Water Intrusion
Water intrusion (Fig. 10) often is the
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cause of damage to concrete below

grade as well as above grade. The
sources of water intrusion vary: water
may be coming through cracks in the
concrete structure, between concrete
and piping through the concrete struc-
ture, through honeycombs in the con-
crete, through control or expansion
joints, or through other voids in the con-
crete.

Continued
www.paintsquare.com JPCL December 2010 31
 Tips
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Fig. 10: Water intrusion

Before any coating can be applied

over these areas, the water intrusion
must be stopped (Fig. 11). Damp areas
may be sealed with rapid-setting,
hydraulic-based cement compounds;
polymer-modified, cement-based mate-
rials; or rapid-setting epoxy, urethane
j or acrylic coatings designed for damp
proofing and low-pressure waterproof-
ing. Where water is flowing through the

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Fig. 11: Workers repairing concrete to stop water

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 Tips

Conclusion
This article has outlined important com-
ponents of repairing concrete, resources
for concrete repair, and examples of how
to successfully repair concrete. Proper Deep charcoal bed
Unique catalyst removes tastes, odors,
identification of the cause of damage to removes CO gaseous hydrocarbons
concrete as well as the selection of appro-
CO monitor
priate repair methods and materials is Unique, patented low
important not only to successful patching temperature catalyst AIR IN
but also to successful surface prepara- purifies compressed Particulate
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For further information regarding con-

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• for continuous use to Liquid
crete repair methods visit ICRI, contaminate
remove carbon monoxide removal
www.icri.org, or ACI, www.concrete.org. • no expensive desiccant
For information about surface prepara- drying equipment needed AIR Portable CO
OUT
tion of repaired or otherwise sound con- • helps provide comfortable, removal units from
crete, visit www.sspc.org. humidified compressed air to 8 SCFM to 50 SCFM; fixed
meet Grade-D requirements systems up to 1000 SCFM.
• by far, the most economical
H. Michael (Mike) Simpson is the CO-removal alternative
Technology & Application Specialist for (800) 542-6646
Baltimore-based Fox Fax (419) 542-6475
www.modsafe.com
Industries, Inc., which Don’t Just Filter...Purify! Email: [email protected]
makes specialty con-
crete repair materials,
coatings, sealants,
fiberglass forms, and
waterproofing materi-
als for infrastructure and industrial
applications.
With the company for 38 years, Mr.
Simpson has worked on a wide variety
of concrete restoration projects in appli-
cations ranging from nuclear power,
bridge and highway, marine infrastruc-
ture, utility, and petrochemical to water,
wastewater, subway, light rail, and food
and beverage as well as other industrial
settings.
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Mr. Simpson started out in the

Technical Services division of Fox
Industries, working in the field along-
side contractors, applying various Fox
materials. After 5 years in the field, Mike
moved to a technical sales and service
position where he worked with contrac-
tors, engineers, and owners to help
solve concrete restoration problems. He
is a long-term member of the ICRI.

www.paintsquare.com JPCL December 2010 33