During the construction of a hardware and home furnishing store in Gisborne, New Zealand, the usual damp proof membrane under the floor slab was dispensed with and the concrete was waterproofed with Aquron 2000 penetrating waterproofing sealer from Allcrete Industries.
The contractor chose this method because it offered several advantages in speed of construction. For example he was able to have the vinyl and carpet flooring laid as soon as the concrete had achieved its structural strength. Further, by not having to wait until the slab dried out, he was able to lay the floor coverings very early, adding signficantly to the rapid construction and occupation of the building. Five years on, the floor has stayed totally dry.
Aquron 2000 is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications, wherever there is a requirement for concrete to be waterproofed or for the enhancement of corrosion protection to reinforcing steel. A spray application allows the sealer to penetrate the concrete to depths of over 100mm to “lock-up” moisture in the concrete, forming a dessicant gel below the surface. The product reacts with alkaline hydrates present in the concrete to form this insoluble gel, which prevents the transmission of any moisture through the pore reticulation, also “locking up” corrosion-causing salts ansd neutralising carbonation products that attack steel reinforcement.
The sealer is suitable for old or new concrete, and as it reacts and forms its pore blocking gel, it binds with and purges contaminants from the concrete, visibly driving embedded oils, salts and other contaminants to the surface.
Source: Building Products News.