Concrete dusting is usually a chalky white or gray dust coloring over the natural gray of concrete, leading to an unpleasant visual facade for your concrete. Concrete dusting is an awfully unattractive and unappealing situation that can plague concrete floors. While it is not an indicator of failing structural strength or compromised structural integrity, concrete dusting can be a nuisance.
Concrete is created through a process that involves mixing together water, Portland cement, and some sort of aggregate, such as sand or gravel. Once these materials are mixed together properly, they can be poured and cured to result in strong concrete.
Concrete dusting is, unfortunately, a natural by-product of the concrete mixing process when the curing process has not been properly completed. Concrete gains much of its famous strength through the process known as concrete curing. After the aggregate, water, and Portland cement are mixed together, the new concrete sets and must be kept at a certain level of temperature and moisture in order for it to cure properly. Without a consistent temperature and moisture level, the concrete will not cure to the full potential of its strength. Poorly cured concrete can also lead to undesirable conditions like concrete dusting.
Curing concrete is incredibly important to its structural integrity: improperly cured concrete will never reach the full potential for its strength, and it will always also have problems.
A main cause of concrete dusting is troweling concrete with bleed water and mixing the excess water back into the surface. Other causes include water exposure during finishing, a weak cement content, curing issues and temperature issues.
Concrete dusting is usually a chalky white or gray dust coloring over the natural gray of concrete, leading to an unpleasant visual facade for your concrete. Unfortunately, you likely are not actually overseeing the curing process; its even likely that youre living in a home whose concrete has been poured and cured long ago. Fortunately, there is still an easy and cost-effective way to help reduce and remove concrete dusting without repouring and recuring the concrete, which can be incredibly expensive and tiresome. Fortunately, there is still an easy and cost-effective way to help reduce and remove concrete dusting without repouring and recuring the concrete.
Concrete sealers are a great option for the homeowner, contractor, or other concrete owner faced with concrete dusting. The best product to use is more of a coating than a sealer since a concrete coating will be able to lock in the dust and completely stop the concrete from dusting altogether.In order to reduce concrete dusting a concrete densifier may be applied to the concrete. A concrete densifier will work to harden and strengthen the concrete and will reduce light cases of concrete dusting.
Concrete coatings are a great option for the homeowner, contractor, or other concrete owner faced with concrete dusting. Concrete coatings will coat the surface of the concrete and prevent any concrete dust from coming to the surface. If you already applied a concrete densifier and it did not resolve the dusting issues, you can apply a concrete coating system right on top. You do not need to remove the concrete densifier prior to applying the coating.
One of the best concrete coatings to stop concrete dusting is the Armor-Tek 830. The Armor-Tek 830 is a two-component, polysiloxane top coat that leaves a high-gloss or satin-gloss finish with added chemical, oil, acid and abrasion resistance.
One of the best chemically reactive concrete densifiers to combat concrete dusting is the Lithi-Tek 4500. Designed to strengthen, harden and reduce the porosity of concrete, the Lithi-Tek 4500 is the most advanced lithium based densifier. Because of the technological advances in chemistry, the small particle size allows the Lithi-Tek 4500 to penetrate depths previously throught unattainable. This in turn results in calcium silicate hydrate filling in pores and voids of the concrete making the concrete stronger, harder, less porous and less susceptible to concrete dusting.
