Concrete Repair and Concrete Overlays for Delaminating Concrete

Let’s start this article with a brief explanation of delamination.  It is basically a fancy word for failure. Failure may not always be the best explanation of the word. When we are talking delaminating concrete, it depends on the circumstances whether or not failure is the the noun we should be using. Yes, concrete can fail due to many circumstances from improper mixing and placement to whether temperatures etc. On our last job we had a different delamination issue and that is due to over use. Many of us think of concrete as being almost indestructible but truth be told, it has it’s life expectancy and tolerance level.

Let’s use our last job as an example. We were called to repair delaminating concrete on a loading dock. In this image you can see the issue at hand:

This problem is not necessarily concrete failure so much as it is a usage issue. Day in and day out, this area is beaten up by carts filled to the brim with mail. The carts have rigid wheels and are heavy on their own, fill them with boxes and paper, then they become even more damaging. Concrete can withstand a lot of abuse, but it is not bullet proof.

What we did to remedy this was to use a concrete overlay as a protective coating which can sustain much more abuse that concrete alone. The polymer product we use have psi ratings of that surpass concrete just after seven days. At 28 days when it is fully cured they far surpass the psi ratings of concrete.

When we started grinding this last job we realized that the concrete used was very soft. It was easy to grind and we were finished 200 sq. ft. in under 45 minutes. If we tried to grind 200 sq. ft. of our products, that would take us at least 2 hours. So there is a definite difference in strength and tolerance.

Here is the finished product:

If you are considering replacing concrete because of delamination, consider a concrete overlay instead. It can stand up to harsh climates and conditions and add a beautiful decorative finish to boot!