CONCRETE CANCER – A Common House Defect That Often Goes Undetected

When you have a house made of concrete it’s easy to believe that it will last forever. After all, concrete is one of the toughest materials in the world and used in all types of construction projects.

Unfortunately concrete is not always as tough as you think. It can actually suffer from cancer; the result is a safety hazard as the building you’re living or working has an increased likelihood of collapsing.

What Is Concrete Cancer?

Most buildings made of concrete will have steel reinforcement running through the centre of the concrete. This helps to give your building strength.

Unfortunately in some cases the steel can be exposed to moisture. This causes it to start rusting. As it rusts it will expand, placing pressure on the surrounding concrete.

Ultimately the concrete will start to crack and even break away from the steel; leaving you with pieces of concrete missing and poor structural integrity.

Of course, when pieces break away more moisture can enter the concrete and affect the steel; speeding up the progress of the concrete cancer.

How Do I Know If I Have It?

It is a good idea to get a professional firm such as Corrims in to assess your building and confirm whether you have concrete cancer or not.

The professionals will use specialized equipment to check the moisture levels in your concrete and assess the structural integrity of your building.

After the concrete cancer has started to do its work you’ll also be able to see signs of the damage. The most obvious is the appearance of rust on your concrete; this simply reflects the damage already occurring and tells you that you already have an issue.

You should also keep your eyes open for signs of cracking and concrete dust on the floor. Any crack, hole or dust that appears needs to be investigated further.

The important thing is to spot the signs and minimize the issue as early as possible.

What Can I Do About It?

One of the most common causes of concrete cancer is poor waterproofing where the building is exposed to the weather. As many buildings use concrete in their exterior walls it is essential to ensure the concrete is properly prepared and the steel is not too close to the surface.

As well as a good waterproofing layer it is important to look for cracks in the concrete and fill them early. This will help to prevent the water from getting in.

It is also a good idea to coat any exterior surfaces in order to protect the concrete. You can do this by painting them or applying a specialized transparent waterproof coating.

Once the concrete cancer has started then the only way to get rid of it is to remove the concrete and the supporting steel. This can be an expensive process as support will be needed for the rest of the building while you operate.

In some cases the concrete cancer will simply have progressed too far to be safely replaced; leaving with you with no option but the ultimate demise of your property.