A few days ago I noticed the concrete starting to have a different darker shade to it. As you see in the photo.
I watered it down and let it dry. But today I’m seeing these white blotches as well
Does anyone know what that is and how to cure it?
I have about 40 of these concrete steps and it’s just occurring at this section. We have a saltwater pool. could it be that? If so, why I would just happen there and not anywhere else?
Hoping someone can tell me what’s going on and how to fix it. I don’t want to experiment with the wrong cleaning agent before I run it by some experts in the field.
That is efflorescence. Water containing minerals/salts soaks up into the concrete. The water evaporates away and the minerals are left behind forming a white deposit. Light pressure washing or scrubbing with a mild acid solution (CLR, vinegar...) can remove most of it but it will return.
It's not stain. When you see darkened concrete and efflorescence the darkness is often caused by moisture but how the concrete was finished can affect it as well. Sealers don't really help since it's often moisture wicking up from below.
oh boy, well, the efflorescence is only on these 2 steps. And the darker areas on these 2 as well as 1 other step. I need to do something to stop the moisture from coming up. I have a concrete driveway, and nothing like this has ever happened.
Concrete can vary a lot depending on how it is finished. Just for fun go watch your driveway when it starts to rain. You may notice interesting patterns develop as it gets wet. You probably will be able to see various patterns that reflect how the concrete was finished.
Well, it's me again. The white stuff has gone away, but the darkness is still there on the edges. Any other ideas on how to remove it? if it's moisture, could I use a heat lamp or something to evaporate it?
Plus I've had more puddles of salt water, sit overnight on other concrete steps, and now the darkness is there too. (why didn't I seal it!??!) I don't think this is moisture from the inside as it was obvious, it's where the water was.
I've read about a mixture of vinegar and water. Any thoughts on that working as well on the dark area? I'm going to try it on a small area just to see what happens. And is it better to do this cleaning in the sunlight or after dark?
If the color of concrete bothers you so much maybe you should consider redoing things so you don't have plain concrete. Maybe go with a stamped concrete, brick pavers or some other non-concrete surface. I don't recommend pavers as they are concrete as well and darken when wet.
Concrete gets dark when it gets wet. That is just the nature of the material. Sealing almost never works long term as water will find it's way in from the sides or bottom.
My 50 year old attached semi-heated garage foundation has frost heave damage. Replacement is not an option and I've different views from contractors on how to prevent worsening of the damage going forward. One suggested foam board on the exterior, taped to a sloping 4' skirt of the same, that would presumably route water away and prevent frost reaching the buried foundation. This foam skirt would be buried under the topsoil. Expensive, and probably not going to happen. But I like the idea of keeping it from freezing.
The other didn't think insulating the exterior foundation would do much, and didn't think the foam would keep water from going underneath. He may be right, because I'm barely above on wet ground, being surrounded by swamp. He mentioned a stucco-like coating (not sure if he meant parging) but said it would deteriorate quickly. Reading up on it, it doesn't sound like a very good option for my severe climate.
Some websites mention various coatings, like 100% acrylic, that help repel water. Since snow builds up against the foundation, this sounds like a good idea to me, but its probably too late in the year to apply now. I also think I need to improve my stormwater runoff system-I currently have no gutters.
Anything else I missed in the potential DIY category? I wonder if I could do a poor man's combination hack of these ideas, waterproof the above grade portion with acrylic paint and lay down above ground foam board to reduce frost penetration?
I've noticed some small holes in my exterior walls at ground level next to my driveway. The pictures show the one right in the corner which is a small hole about the depth of my pinky finger and the other set of cracks/holes a bit further down the driveway are quite a bit larger, Probing with my hand I can fit half my fist into the largest hole, I'm not sure if they communicate with the interior but there are no obvious signs of damage in my basement.
Do I need to be concerned about my foundation and could I just get some concrete mix and patch it up?
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09-18-22, 01:32 PM
