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Efflorescence
Our 2 Part Resin Color Sealer can slow down the growth
and sometimes eliminate efflorescence
problems!
Efflorescence is a curse affecting all cement
based building materials (pavers, brick
work, block work, concrete, natural
stone that is acid sensitive, grout and
tiled areas). Efflorescence can overtime
crack tile and grout if not taken care
of.
We often encounter efflorescence on tiled shower floors where
the water has been allowed to get into
the substrate. This usually happens
because the corners have not been
caulked and the grout has cracked
allowing water to penetrate through the
tile and into the mud bed.
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If water has been allowed to penetrate the grout into
the substrate the moisture needs to go somewhere. It
travels up through the grout which brings the calcium
and lime compounds from the mortar and grout to the
surface. This is where they react with carbon dioxide in
air to form insoluble crystalline calcium carbonate,
thus, the crusty white powdery stuff is efflorescence.
In extreme cases the efflorescence can obscure the
surface and the crystallization can cause erosion and
pitting. If you look into your shower drain and it will
make all the hair stick to the sides as the calcium
grows out through the weep holes.
Just washing the efflorescence off the surface usually starts an almost
endless cycle of more efflorescence rising to the
surface. After only a few days the surface is as powdery
as before. If it is a new installation, the answer is to
seal the surface with our 2 Part Resin Color Seal as
soon as possible after the building material is
installed. Our 2 Part Resin Sealer penetrates
deeply (5 to 10-mm), and is able to withstand the highly
alkaline and acidic chemicals. Most grout sealers
on the market will break down within 3-4 months when
harsh chemicals are used. Make
sure you do not use any silicone caulk in your shower as
it will peal over time and mildew.
Once the surface is sealed the resin chemically dries within
3-4 hours. The sealer will prevent dissolved lime
compounds from reaching the surface where efflorescence
could occur. At the same time the resin stops further
water soaking into the surface and so breaks the cycle
of efflorescence. The unused lime compounds are left
harmlessly immobile in the core of the building material
with little contact with carbon dioxide. Since the
sealer can breathe, sub-surface moisture can escape as
water vapor rather than in a liquid form.
If efflorescence has already occurred the surface can be permanently
restored with taking proper steps to ensure water will
not penetrate the grout or perimeter. Our 2 Part Resin
Sealer can perform this task without changing the look,
texture or frictional properties of the surface.
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Atlanta
