January 06 2015 0Comment

An In-Depth Look at Structural Concrete Repair

62765737-1000-ffccccccWhite-3333-0.20.3-1 Concrete is the building material of choice for all sorts of projects ranging from sidewalks and driveways to commercial parking structures and high-rise buildings. Although concrete is widely used for its strength and durability, it’s not impervious to damage. When a crack or other imperfection affects the performance of the structure, a concrete contractor in Tampa will need to repair the concrete to restore its structural properties. This guide will give you an in-depth look at the steps and methods involved in structural concrete repair in Tampa.

Epoxy Injection Repair
The most common type of repair is epoxy injection. After a crack is cleaned and flushed, it is then sealed with an epoxy gel to prevent the injected epoxy from running out. Injection and venting ports are installed and the epoxy is injected. While epoxy injections can restore strength and stability to concrete structures, they will not address the underlying problems that caused the cracks in the first place—which is where an experienced concrete contractor comes in.


Concrete Replacement

For structures that are too deteriorated for epoxy injection, the unsound concrete will need to be removed and new concrete poured in its place. Great care must be taken to stability the structure prior to removing the damaged concrete. Attempting concrete replacement on your own can be extremely dangerous, especially if you are working on a load-bearing concrete structure. Hire a concrete repair professional to safely and effectively repair any concrete structure around your home or business.

External Reinforcing
As mentioned earlier, structural concrete repair is most successful when the underlying causes of instability are addressed. If strengthening is needed, your concrete repair provider can reinforce your concrete structure by bonding some sort of flexible reinforcement, like carbon or glass fibers, to the exterior of the concrete member and then covering with placed concrete, troweled-on concrete, or shortcrete.