How To Prevent Concrete Voids

August 21, 2020by Jerald Sargent0

Voids within concrete floors can ruin the look of a floor, looking like air bubbles or pinholes are there. It’s important to take the necessary steps to prevent this from happening, as it negatively affects the aesthetic of the floor. There are steps that can be taken to prevent these voids, so it is never necessary to fill concrete voids.

Acknowledge Change in Concrete Mix Design

Concrete voids are caused when there is air trapped inside the concrete during the curing process. Any changes made to the concrete mix can have an impact on the viscosity. It’s important to be aware of these changes to make that the correct viscosity is available during the application process. By having the correct viscosity, this will greatly reduce the chance of air being trapped during the curing process.

Increasing Time Mixing Concrete Mold

By increasing the mixing times, this helps break up any bubbles formed and prevent excess air from forming within the concrete. With the mixing time being extended, this allows for the air and water within the mixture to break up. The final result will make the concrete mix more consistent than it would be with less mixing time. All of these actions decrease the chance of needing to fill concrete voids.

Using Vibrations</h3

Vibrations have the ability to deter the possible forming of surface voids. When vibrating the mold, any excess water or air will be pushed to the surface of the concrete mix. This makes vibrations an excellent tool to prevent any surface voids from forming in the concrete, allowing you to save time and money by eliminating the process that would fill concrete voids .

Using Aggregate

By using aggregate that is more uniform, the concrete gains a more fluid texture. With this positive change in the texture, the chances that any air or water will get trapped within the concrete mix decreases greatly. It’s important to use an aggregate that doesn’t have out of order pieces in your concrete mix. Performing this step is a great way to prevent ever having to fill concrete voids, which can be costly.

Use the Correct Method of Concrete Placement

When placing concrete down, this process can easily be the cause of concrete voids forming. It’s very beneficial to correctly place concrete down because doing so will eliminate a large chance of any voids forming. By slowing the placement method down, this can prevent any extra air from being encased in the concrete while the placement method is occurring. If you speed up the placement process this can cause the concrete to separate, which ends up causing more surface voids. Using the correct placement method is a great way to ensure that no surface voids affect the concrete surface.

Use the Right Release Agent

It’s vital to use the correct release agent for the process of removing concrete on the molds that form the concrete. If this isn’t done correctly, puddling can occur in the concrete. Puddling traps any air and water, effectively stopping them from being removed during the vibration process mentioned above. The release agent needs to be applied thinly and accurately for the best possible results. When it is thinly applied, this allows for air to escape the concrete and prevent any air bubbles from forming.

By avoiding concrete voids, this decreases the chance of needing to use a concrete crack filler. The best way to ensure that it won’t be necessary to fill concrete voids is to take these preventative steps beforehand. That way, the concrete will be placed and have the best possible quality.

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