Efflorescence – Chicago, IL 60661
Understanding Concrete Efflorescence How It Leads To Unsightly Foundation Walls
At Permaseal, we all respond to customer questions about concrete issues every single day. Probably the most common, and most perplexing for home owners, is exactly what they should do when they find layers of white, flaky deposits on their cellar walls. This kind of powder is very popular on cement surfaces -- especially in cellars and crawl spaces -- and is called efflorescence.
What Causes Efflorescence?
Concrete is a permeable material -- and it has been since the day it dried. Because of this, it'll accept moisture from the ground outside, progressively releasing some of this moisture into your home. This really is most significant reasons that cellars are infamously damp, humid spaces.
As this moisture passes through your cement, it brings a little portion of minerals from the earth outside the house in conjunction with it, along with the lime in the cement itself. When it evaporates into your basement, it leaves these minerals behind. With time, they create the white, flaky powder that you observe on your walls right now.
Cleaning up Efflorescence from Basement Walls
There are several products currently available which are exclusively designed for getting rid of unsightly stains from concrete wall surfaces and floors. One great way to get rid of efflorescence is usually to rent a pressure washer from a local home improvement store and to combine it with these chemicals to successfully blast efflorescence away from the concrete.
For a more economical solution, however, you may substitute these customized chemicals with a solution of chlorine bleach. Combined with a power washer, pressure washer, or just by applying with a scrub broom and some effort, you should be able to clean off the majority of efflorescence challenges.
Phosphoric acid could also be used not only to remove efflorescence powder but also rust, grime, unsightly stains, and hard water deposits. However, phosphoric acid, as well as other chemicals, must be used carefully and with great attention.
Protecting Your Basement from Efflorescence
At Permaseal, we suggest protecting your cement floors from efflorescence before a problem arises. Having said that, if you clean already affected cement, protection can be applied after.
Our encouraged way to prevent efflorescence is by sealing your cement walls with a concrete sealer. This product works deep in the pores of your cement walls and floors to create a glass-like silicate bond in the cement.
This barrier puts a stop to the movement of moisture through the basement walls and floors, protecting your basement from both efflorescence and the water vapor transmission associated with basement humidity.
Concrete treatments can be applied as a spray, roller, paint brush, or other ways, and it dries out in 2-4 hrs. It's harmless for inside use in addition to external use, and can protect your basement in many different ways.
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