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Blog - cement

Moisture is a "concrete" problem...Aerocoatfloorcoatings has a concrete answer.

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From coatingspromag.com

"When it comes to moisture content within concrete substrates, it’s all about water and pressure. Water is the lifeblood of concrete — without enough water in a concrete pour, the substrate is weak and will crumble. However, if a concrete slab contains too much water, pressure will force the moisture to the surface, creating a substrate condition that is not conducive to proper coating adherence. Coatings that are applied to substrates with too much moisture are subject to delamination and, ultimately, to complete coating system failure.

Although many people use the terms “concrete” and “cement” interchangeably, one is actually part of the other. Cement is the powder that is mixed with water, sand, and aggregate to create concrete. When cement is added to these ingredients, a chemical reaction takes place that binds them together and forms a concrete substrate. Depending on the thickness of the concrete pour and environmental factors, such as ambient temperature and the humidity of the air, concrete typically takes several weeks to cure. Even after this time, a cured concrete substrate can still contain almost two-thirds of the moisture from the original mixture. This amount of water is too much for a coating system to adhere properly to the surface. Over time, the concrete continues to dry through moisture vapor transmission. The pressure within the porous substrate draws moisture up through capillary action to the surface of the slab where it evaporates into the atmosphere."

AeroCoat MOISTURE VAPOR EMISSION PRIMER AND ALKALINITY CONTROL is a two-component water based epoxy coating that exhibits excellent characteristics that rival our competitors products. PROVIDES WATER VAPOR REDUCTION UP TO 80% WHEN TESTED TO ASTM E96-95. Recommended for priming cement or concrete substrates that are prone to existing moisture in the slab.