When placing concrete and cementitious concrete repair mortars, especially in hot and dry weather, evaporation rate is one of the most critical factors to take into consideration. The evaporation rate is the rate at which moisture is being lost from the concrete or mortar surface, which affects a few elements of a concrete or repair mortar placement. If the evaporation rate is too high, water is leaving the surface too rapidly, and creates difficulty during finishing operations. Equally important is that a high evaporation rate during placement and initial curing greatly increases the likelihood of plastic shrinkage cracking in the concrete surface. Plastic shrinkage cracks leave a concrete surface vulnerable to the future intrusion of water and chlorides and leave the surface with an overall unpleasant appearance.
Sometimes you just don’t have the time to repair your floors and keep up with your production schedule. Especially if the damage is extensive and spread over a larger area than what you’d “patch” on a regular basis. In most cases, it’s more cost and time effective to repair rather than replace if the damage is localized.
While making these larger repairs may seem more difficult, it’s almost easier to address provided you use the right materials and can prepare the area without needing to rent any equipment.
Take a look at this step-by-step guide for a common large repair with epoxy mortar.
