Concrete Joint Sealing: How It's done

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Sealing of concrete joints is an important process administered during maintenance or repair of worn pavings. It can be carried out on sidewalks, driveways, patios, playing courts, roads, runways and any other surfaces with concrete, including indoor walls and floors. The sealing process binds the concrete together to make it stronger. It also prevents entry of water, which can deteriorate your surfaces and cause cracking or wear. If you're planning to get concrete sealing services, this is what you can expect from the process.

Surveying: Identifying damaged joints

Once the sealing team arrives at your property, they will start by evaluating your concrete surfaces and detecting problem areas that need sealing. This could be on the walls, floor, between the wall and stair cases, between concrete blocks or slabs or between paving and sidewalks. The team will mark these areas and assess the magnitude of the problem.

Preparation: Cleaning the joints

Next, the team will clean the joints that are earmarked for sealing. The cleaning process removes dirt, grit, leaves and any remnants of concrete sealer already in the joints. For small joints, the team will use a special brush to complete the process. Once done, the joints will be blown to remove any loose sand or dirt remaining. In some cases, joints may be saw-cut if they need to be enlarged or given definite shapes. This helps the contractor administer the sealant much easier.

Pre-sealing stage: Priming

Once the joints are clean, the contractor will then apply a priming substance – usually an adhesive material. The aim of the adhesive is to ensure that the concrete sealer binds permanently to the surrounding paving or walls. Doing so prevents the sealer from moving about or popping out once it has dried.

Sealing

During the actual sealing, the concrete sealer is administered to the prepared areas directly using various tools. For small joints, a syringe tool is used to increase accuracy. For large joints a hand-held rod with a nozzle is used. The rod is connected to a small sealant mixer that is moved about on wheels. Once applied, the sealant is then leveled with a scraping tool to ensure a smooth finish. Sometimes a putty filler is applied to cover the concrete sealant.

Post sealing stage: Coating

Sometimes the concrete joint sealing process is followed up by a coating process. This stage is optional and is carried out on request by the client. The joints are covered with an asphalt or bitumen sealer to waterproof the joints and ensure the just concluded areas do not look overly conspicuous.

Once done, your paved areas or floors can resume use immediately.

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3 April 2015

Decorative Concrete: Project Ideas and Uses

Concrete may seem boring to the uninitiated, but as the wife of a concrete contractor, I have learned, over the years, that it is anything but boring. Contemporary concrete can be used in a range of applications from functional sound walls to decorative koi ponds, and it can be left gray, stamped or acid stained. If you are getting ready to do a project, you have come to the right place. In this blog, I am going to post a myriad of information about concrete with an emphasis on project ideas and the different uses of concrete. By the end, I hope you find concrete as exciting as I do!