Moisture

Air Leakage and Moisture Intrusion in Single-Wythe Masonry Walls

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While water is life-sustaining to humans, it is detrimental to buildings; especially ones made from single-wythe concrete masonry walls.  It causes paint to fail, cracks to form in mortar joints, and blocks to spall.  These deficiencies are unsightly and reflect poorly on brand, and over time, moisture intrusion can result in the complete deterioration and …

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field moisture detection

Coating Failure Analysis Learning Series – Part 2 – Field Moisture Detection

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Welcome to the KTA Coating Failure Analysis Video Learning Series! This is a six-part video series that demonstrates the field and laboratory methods that were used to determine why a new coating system applied to a previously painted concrete floor had failed. Each part is standalone, addressing a different aspect of the evaluation, but when viewed …

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Rilem Tube

Mitigating Moisture in Concrete and Masonry Walls

1 Comment / Coating Standards, Coatings, Commercial, Concrete Floors, Concrete Walls, Inspection, Moisture / By

In commercial buildings, the uncontrolled intrusion of moisture into concrete and masonry walls may have costly consequences. Moisture supports the growth of mold, and causes wall coatings to blister and peel. It also saturates insulation, reducing energy efficiency. In extreme cases, moisture intrusion leads to spalling and could even necessitate wall replacement. Coatings and water …

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aliphatic polyurethane bubbling

Common Causes of Blistering and Bubbling in Industrial Coatings

18 Comments / Coating Failure, Coatings, Moisture / By

Blistering formation in high performance industrial coatings is a common phenomenon. Understanding why blisters form is sometimes very simple and in other instances quite complex. For example, understanding and describing the process by which moisture migrates through a coating film at a molecular level to achieve equilibrium can be very complex, especially to the layman. …

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delamination on top surface

Rehabbing Concrete Floors: Coat, Cover, or Polish?

2 Comments / Buildings, Coating Assessment, Commercial, Concrete Floors, Moisture / By

Concrete is the most commonly and widely used construction material for commercial building floors. While the decision to specify concrete is an easy one, the selection of the floor finish or coverings to be installed on the floor can be quite complicated. There are endless floor finishing options for new construction projects. Owners and designers …

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concrete wall coatings

Treating Exterior Concrete Walls with Coatings

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Concrete is widely used in commercial building construction and is present in a number of forms: poured concrete, tilt-up concrete and concrete masonry units (CMU). CMU also comes in a number of different forms: standard block, split-face block and scored block. Because of the dull gray appearance of concrete, however, coatings are usually applied in …

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Tools and Techniques for Measuring Coating Quality- Part 2, Moisture Detection

Leave a Comment / Buildings, Coating Standards, Commercial, Concrete Floors, Concrete Walls, Inspection, Instruments, Moisture / By

This is Part 2 of a 2-part series describing the instrumentation used to inspect the quality of cleaning and painting.  Part 1 described the instruments used for determining the quality of cleaning and paint.  Part 2 addresses moisture detection.  The moisture content of the concrete should be determined prior to painting. In the author’s experience, …

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wagner gage

But I Can’t Wait 3 Days

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No time for standard concrete slab moisture evaluations? Try these accelerated methods. Let’s face it; we live in an age where instant results matter. Assessing concrete floors for moisture is no different. Most owners, contractors and manufacturers agree that these assessments are necessary prior to installing flooring treatments to achieve quality results. Numerous resources exist to …

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