Tag Archives: concrete mender

Swimming Pool Repair with Concrete Mender

Pool spalls are cleaned and prepared for repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.
Pool spalls are cleaned and prepared for repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

What do you do when your pool has cracks and spalls and it has to be open is three days? Back in 2001, the City of South Saint Paul, Minnesota had a problem with their new splash pool. Just before opening the pool for its second season, cracks and spalls were discovered in the concrete pool bottom and along corner where the floor meets the wall. The damaged was probably caused by the first Minnesota winter for this neighborhood splash pool facility. The repairs needed to be done fast. The pool was scheduled to be open in just three days. Any delay would be a disappointment for local families and political problem for the City who spent a lot of money to build this water recreation facility.

The call went out to see if anyone could come up with a solution. Roadware Incorporated, also located in the City of South Saint Paul, received a call from the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Department to see if we had any ideas. It turns out, Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is a great product for repairing concrete pools. The cross-linked polyurethanes in Concrete Mender and very resistant to water, chlorine and other pool chemicals.

Roadware personnel were at the pool within a few hours and repairs were made using a mixture of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and manufactured sand.

Mixing 10 Minute Concrete Mender with sand in a bucket prior to repairing a spall in the concrete pool floor.
Mixing 10 Minute Concrete Mender with sand in a bucket prior to repairing a spall in the concrete pool floor.

 

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender is flooded into the spalled ares and seeded with manufactured sand.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and sand are applied to spalls in the pool floor.
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and sand are applied to spalls in the pool floor.

 

The Concrete Mender and sand bland can be troweled in place and will cure in about 10 minutes.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender mixed with sand is troweled into place.
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender mixed with sand is troweled into place.

 

Vertical surfaces can be repaired by mixing Concrete Mender with fine manufactured sand and troweled in place.

Pool repairs at the pool edge are made with Concrete Mender mixed with sand and troweled in place.
Pool repairs at the pool edge are made with Concrete Mender mixed with sand and troweled in place.

 

Repairs can be painted using standard methods in 10 minutes after application at 70 degrees F (23C).

Finished Concrete Mender spall repairs in pool were ready for paint in minutes.
Finished repairs were ready for paint in minutes.

 

All the repairs took just a few hours to complete and the pool was ready for a fresh coat of paint in minutes. The pool was painted and filled with water the next day. The Concrete Mender repairs have largely been forgotten, but continue to perform to this day.

The South Saint Paul Splash Pool in 2017. Concrete Mender repairs in the pool still look good 16 years later.
The South Saint Paul Splash Pool in 2017. Concrete Mender repairs in the pool still look good 16 years later.

 

 

Products:

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ 600ml cartridge item 80300.

 

 

Crack repair at the Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP)

The Milan-Malpensa MXP International Airport in Ferno, Italy handles nearly 20 million passengers per year and over 500,000 tons of international freight annually. Crews are using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ to repair cracks in taxiways. The deep penetration of Concrete Mender and the 10 minute cure helps keep the historic airport running at top efficiency.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is a tough high penetration polyurethane quickly soaks into small cracks and repairs them before they become big problems.

The MXP Airport saves time and money by repairing cracks early when they are small. The Concrete Mender cures in just 10 minutes. This is perfect for repairing taxiways that have to remain open 24 hours per day.

Crews use Concrete Mender supplied in self-mixing 600ml cartridges to quickly apply material exactly where it is needed. No material is wasted. Manufactured sand is added to extend the product volume and control how much Concrete Mender flows into the crack.

Repairs are ready for airport service in about 10 minutes at 70 degrees F (23C).

Roadware at the Global Cold Chain Expo, June 13-15, 2017. Chicago

 

JUNE 13-15, 2017 | MCCORMICK PLACE | CHICAGO, IL

Roadware will exhibit in the Global Cold Chain Expo 2017. Look for us in Booth 5128.

The GCCE covers all aspects of cold storage warehousing and logistics.  Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is the go-to product for repairing cracks, joints and spalls in all kinds of refrigerated and freezer warehouse applications.

The cold environment and heavy weight traffic in a freezer warehouse represents the ultimate challenge for a concrete repair material. Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ has been used for over 20 years in tough cold storage environments.

The Roadware booth will feature Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ and Safety Yellow Concrete Mender™ for creating permanent yellow safety lines in freezer floors.

 

The 2016 Global Cold Chain Expo in Chicago.

 

See Roadware in Booth 5128 at the 2017 Global Cold Storage Expo in Chicago.

 

For reduced or free admission to the GCCE, contact Kelton Glewwe – kglewwe@concretemender.com, by June 1st, 2017. For qualified attendees only. Limited time offer.

 

 

 

Concrete Mender on the Busan Metro Line 4

The Busan Transportation Corporation uses Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender to repair the roll-way of Busan Metro Line 4 in South Korea. Metro Line 4 is a rubber-tired line with 14 stations and runs driverless with pneumatic tires on a 6.7 mile (10.8km) concrete track. Concrete Mender is used to structurally repair the cross joints in the track approximately every ten meters.

Concrete Mender is the right product for the job because it has a long service life and cures in about 10 minutes. This allows for minimal down time and keeps the Busan Metro Line 4 running on time with minimal service interruption.

Repair crews of a very limited repair window, The train operates approximately 20 hours per day from 5am to 1am the next day. That leaves a minimal amount of time for maintenance and repair operations. Crews have to be efficient and productive. The fast cure and rapid strength gain of 10 Minute Concrete Mender is well suited for these mission critical applications.

 

 

Having a smoother roll-way saves wear and tear on the rubber tires and reduces operating costs.  Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender will keep the Busan Metro Line 4 running smooth and efficiently for years to come.

Edward Cheon of Concrete Doctor in Seoul on the concrete roll way at Busan Metro Line 4.

 

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender is a self-injecting structural polyurethane for the permanent repair of commercial floors, decks, slabs and surfaces. The exclusive Microdoweling™ action in Concrete Mender allows it to migrate past bond lines, restore aggregate interlock and make long lasting repairs.

Crack in concrete floor ready for repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

 

Click here to request more information of find a local Roadware distributor.

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ comes in 50ml or 600ml cartridges or two and ten gallon bulk kits.

 

Warehouse floors can be repaired and open for traffic in about 10 minutes after application.

 

Click here to request more information or find a local Roadware distributor.

Hoover Dam Demonstration Project Update

Project Update: Almost 7 years after application, this Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ and MatchCrete™ Clear repair still looks good.
Concrete repair with Roadware MatchCrete Cleat and Concrete Mender at Hoover Dam almost 7 years after application.
Roadware Hoover Dam Demonstration Project
Use Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and MatchCrete™ Clear to make decorative and color matching repairs.

 

1) Top of dam shows various cracks.

 

2) Damage is built up with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender.

 

3) A top layer of MatchCrete™ and matching brown silica sand is applied.

 

4) Structurally bonded and blended well with surrounding concrete.

Special thanks to Randy Sisson and Minitman Supply Colorado for sending this in.

Floor repair stands up to forklift damage.

 

The Microdoweling™ action of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ can structurally, “glue” concrete back together. Pictured here is a concrete break-out caused by a forklift hitting an anchored steel bollard.

Anchored post hit with forklift causing damage to floor.

 

Concrete Mender™ was used to re-attach the broken concrete piece and repair the crack.

Damaged floor anchoring steel post is repaired and loose concrete piece re-attached with Concrete Mender™.

 

After about 10 minutes, the repair was buffed smooth and open for traffic.

Concrete Mender™ repair is buffed smooth and ready for service.

 

About a week later, the bollard was again hit with a forklift and at the same angle. The repaired concrete held in place. The concrete broke on the other side of the bollard this time. Concrete Mender can’t stop forklifts from hitting bollards. It can help minimize the damage and make lasting repairs.

Concrete Mender floor repair one week after installation. The steel post was hit again with a forklift and is still holding in place.

The Control Joint Problem

There is a big problem with control joints or contraction joints. They are the saw cut joints we cut into concrete slabs to control cracking as the concrete cures. The problem is the floor owner typically wants the floor poured, joints cut, joints filled, and building occupied in 60 days or less. Concrete cures hard in typically 28 days, but it continues to shrink and crack for a about a year.  The contraction joint that was 1/4″ when it was cut, can almost double in width in that first year leaving the 1/4″ of joint filler a bit short, cracked and generally a mess. The sidewalls of the joint are left unprotected and the joint spalling begins. You can replace all that gummy polyurea or brittle epoxy with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ and leave your control joint problem behind.


contraction-joint-slab-dynamic-load

See more about Control Joints here:

Crack Repair Under VCT or Laminate Flooring

Use Concrete Mender™ to repair  cracks, joints and curling slabs under VCT or tile floors. The permanent performance and 10 minute cure turns this 2 day job into a one day (or one night) job. Keep business running with minimal down time.

Repairing control or contraction joints under VCT.
Repairing contraction joints under VCT.

For spalled or failed control joints that are reflecting through the tile and the slabs are not curled, clean out the joints with a dust collecting diamond grinder.

Control or contraction joints repaired with 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ under VCT.
Control or contraction joints repaired with 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ under VCT.

Repair the control joints with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™, grind the surface flush and replace the tile.

 

For curled and buckled slabs, a major retailer specifies this heavy duty solution. This is the ultimate fix it once and fix it forever repair.

crack-repair-concrete-mender-vct-flooring_03

Step 1: Remove VCT, Ceramic, or vinyl floor coverings.

 

crack-repair-concrete-mender-vct-flooring_06

Step 2: Saw cut parallel lines to the crack at a depth of no less than 1.5 inches. Ideally 30% of the slab depth.

 

crack-repair-concrete-mender-vct-flooring_08

Step 3: Chip out the concrete between the saw cuts. Clean the surface well with a wire brush and vacuum.

 

crack-repair-concrete-mender-vct-flooring_10

Step 4: Add Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender and Sand to the finished grade. Also use Concrete Mender to repair the underlaying crack. See Concrete Mender™ Bulk Application Instructions.

 

crack-repair-concrete-mender-vct-flooring_13

Step 5: Replace the floor treatment and open to store traffic.

 

 

UPDATED: Less INvasive Concrete Repair | Reducing Silica Dust

UPDATED FOR 2020 – Less Invasive Concrete Repair

Reducing worker exposure to silica dust is an OSHA and job site priority.

“Workers may be exposed to dangerous levels of silica dust when cutting, drilling, grinding, or otherwise disturbing materials that contain silica. These materials and tasks are common on construction jobs. Breathing that dust can lead to serious, often fatal illnesses.” The Center for Construction Research and Training. Click here to learn how to work safely with silica.

Core sample of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ repair shown under UV light.
Core sample of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ repair shown under UV light.

With Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™, you can make excellent crack and spall repairs with much less cutting and grinding.  Standard preparation for most concrete repair products calls for invasive actions from square cutting and removal to deep cutting, grinding and sandblasting. Aggressive preparation is necessary for standard repair material like epoxy and polyureas. They are too thick to penetrate and bond to compromised concrete surfaces. Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ has an extremely low viscosity of less than 8cps when applied with a surface tension one third of water. Concrete Mender™ can penetrate and bond concrete surfaces where other materials will fail.

Less grinding and cutting means less dust to mitigate.
Less grinding and cutting means less dust to mitigate.

Many concrete crack repairs can be made with Concrete Mender™ with just a light scoring with variable speed diamond grinder. This reduces dust production by nearly 70% over conventional methods.

deep-vs-shallow-cut-joints

Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ needle tip application.
Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ needle tip application.

In some situations, cracks can be repaired directly with only a shop vacuum used to remove dirt and dust. Roadware’s needle tip application mixers are great for getting Concrete Mender™ into small cracks in fissures.

The Roadware Easy Injection System for crack and delamination repair.

Roadware Easy Injection can make low dust repairs 24 inches deep or more without cutting, ports, or pumps.

1006-STR Roadware Easy Injection static mixer for Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender 600ml Cartridge.
Concrete Mender crack injection into 24 inches of concrete.
Concrete Mender crack injection into 24 inches of concrete. Notice the material penetrating full depth.
Amazon Warehouse full depth crack repair without cutting.
Weatherstrip is used to hold Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender in place while it soaks deep into cracks.

Amazon Warehouse:  Full depth crack repair without sawing.

Full depth crack repair in warehouse floors usually involves cutting open the cracks with dry diamond saws. This is a slow process and creates a lot of hazardous silica dust that needs to be mitigated. Repair contractors at an Amazon Warehouse project are using an innovative way to repair cracks in the floor without the traditional cut and fill methods.

A wire wheel can be used for preparing cracks and spalls. We recommend using a variable speed grinder with a twisted wire wheel. This generates less dust than diamond blades and still does a good job preparing the crack for a Concrete Mender repair.

A wire wheel in a variable speed grinder generates less dust than a diamond cutting blade.
A wire wheel in a variable speed grinder generates less dust than a diamond cutting blade.

After the crack or spall is repaired, grinding and buffing to make the repair flush can be made using wet methods in just 10 minutes after application when using Concrete Mender™.  Other low dust methods include razor scrapping and dustless grinding equipment.

Wet and damp grinding and polishing reduces dust generation.
Wet and damp grinding and polishing reduces dust generation.
concrete-mender-scrape-razor-feature
Razor scrapping is a low-dust method of finishing Concrete Mender™ repairs.

Whenever cutting or grinding concrete, have a plan to keep harmful dust away from workers and bystanders. Using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ with these minimal invasive techniques can help keep dust exposure to a minimum.

Broken Step Repair with Concrete Mender™

Vertical concrete repair with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is simple if you use a few basic techniques. The following is a repair to a spalled out concrete step. As with any concrete repair, the first step is to remove any loose concrete with a chisel and clean the repair area with a wire brush and a shop vacuum. Remove all dust, dirt and loose materials. Any moisture on the concrete surfaces should be allowed to dry. On occasion, I will use a heat gun to dry the concrete.

Click here for Concrete Mender Bulk Application Instructions.

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