Spring is the perfect time to think about what aspects of your property need improvement or maintenance for the summer months to come. At Reitano Concrete Ltd, we’d like to remind you to inspect your home’s concrete walls and driveway or your company’s parking lot for any damage this spring. If you need any repairs in the Ottawa area, we’re here to help. Here are just two causes of concrete damage that you should keep an eye out for when deciding to contact an expert.
FREEZE-THAW DETERIORATION
Most concrete contains two main parts: an aggregate and a cement paste. The aggregate provides body, solidity, and strength, while the paste keeps it all together. Whenever concrete is poured in a liquid form and dried, however, evaporating liquid leaves behind small tunnels, called capillaries, in the dried concrete. If water gets into those capillaries and freezes in the winter, it creates outward pressure from within the concrete. If that pressure becomes more powerful than the tensile strength of the paste that keeps the concrete together, it will crack. Once a crack occurs in concrete, its structure will be compromised and the whole will be even more susceptible to damage.
CORROSION FROM EMBEDDED METAL
If your company’s parking lot required any metal reinforcements to support the weight of all the traffic or you have any concrete walls that have metal pipes in them, that metal may have corroded over the winter. In general, metal corrosion is the most common cause of concrete deterioration. When it comes to concrete, corrosion typically occurs when metals contained in the concrete come into contact with water. When the metal inside concrete corrodes, the rust it creates takes up more room than the metal that it was created from. This expansion can wreak havoc on the structure and stability of concrete and will need to be repaired or, if the damage is bad enough, replaced.
If you notice cracks in your concrete, rust around concrete walls or parking lots, or pooling water anywhere near any kind of concrete, you may need repairs. Our experts at Reitano Concrete Ltd in Ottawa have been helping our community find solutions to their concrete-related issues since 1993. Contact us today to find out how we can keep your concrete looking its best.