Treating Efflorescence – Prairie View, IL 60069

Being familiar with Concrete Efflorescence How It Leads To Ugly Foundation Walls

At Permaseal, we all answer client questions on concrete problems every single day. Just about the most common, and most puzzling for homeowners, is what they should do once they find layers of white-colored, flaky residue on their cellar wall surfaces. This kind of powder is very common on cement types of surface -- particularly in cellars and crawl spaces -- and it is known as efflorescence.

What Causes Efflorescence?

Concrete is a porous material -- and it has been since the day it dried up. For this reason, it'll take moisture from the ground outside, progressively releasing some of this moisture into your house. This really is one of the primary reasons that cellars are infamously damp, humid areas.

As this moisture moves through your cement, it brings a little portion of minerals from the soil outside in conjunction with it, along with the lime in the cement itself. When it evaporates into your cellar, it simply leaves these minerals behind. With time, they create the white-colored, flaky powder that you find on your walls right now.

Washing Efflorescence from Basement Walls

There are many products currently available which are specifically geared towards removing stains from cement wall surfaces and flooring surfaces. One great way to remove efflorescence will be to rent a pressure washer from a nearby home improvement store and to blend it with these types of chemicals to successfully blast efflorescence off of the cement.

For a more economical solution, however, you could substitute these custom made chemicals with a solution of bleach. Combined with a power washer, pressure washer, or just by applying with a scrub broom and some work, you ought to be in the position to thoroughly clean off the majority of efflorescence issues.

Phosphoric acid can also be used to not only remove efflorescence powder but also corrosion, grime, stains, and hard water build up. However, phosphoric acid, as well as other acids, should be used carefully and with great attention.

Protecting Your Basement from Efflorescence

At Permaseal, we suggest protecting your concrete surfaces from efflorescence before an issue comes up. However, if you clean already affected cement, protection can be applied afterward.

Our recommended way to protect against efflorescence is by sealing your cement walls with a cement sealer. The product works deep in the pores of your cement walls and floor surfaces to create a glass-like silicate bond in the cement.

This barrier halts the movement of moisture through the basement walls and floor surfaces, protecting your basement from both efflorescence and the water vapor transmission linked to basement moisture.

Concrete treatments can be applied as a spray, roller, paint brush, or any other ways, and it dries in 2-4 hours. It's harmless for indoor use in addition to external use, and may protect your basement in numerous ways.