Recently, BellMont was employed to undertake an inspection of this property by the strata committee in charge of it. During our diagnostic investigations, we discovered that there was a large amount of concrete in the structure that was unsuitable and in need of remediation.

As you can see below, the defects were quite extensive and required some consideration on how to best approach the task at hand. It was decided that the most effective method to repair the damage before it worsened and caused any catastrophic failures, was to use hand applied repair methods.

This approach involves:

1. Identifying the affected areas, and removing the surrounding concrete from the rebars
2. Cleaning rust off the rebars to prevent further corrosion.
3. Prime the rebars in order to prevent oxidisation from occurring again in the future.
4. Patch the affected areas back up with sufficiently suitable concrete to make the slab whole again.
5. Re render and paint to apply the desired finish.

Below are some pictures of this process.

Often these defects are a safety concern and will only worsen over time. So if you're concerned about your concrete, don't hesitate to contact us and start the process now. 

There are a great number of defects that can occur throughout the lifetime of a building. To deal with them effectively it takes knowledge and experience. Our engineers come across building defects daily and have gained all the  skills to deal with them.

One such defect that we have expertly serviced an innumerable amount of times is concrete cancer. If left untreated, the effects it has on a structure can be devastating but with the right approach and some time it can be fixed.

The cause leading to the cancer almost always has water involved. It usually progresses in the following way:

• A crack will develop within the slab of concrete.
• Water will track its way through the crack to the centre of the slab. Water can find its way into a slab for a number of reasons, regardless of whether it is situated internally or externally.  Which is why it is important to waterproof them. (see our article for more info)
• As the water sits in the slab around the rebar in its centre, the rebar will begin to rust and corrode.
• During this time, the corrosion of the rebar will cause it to expand within the concrete slab and because there is nowhere for the rebar to expand to, the outward pressure exerted by the expansion will cause the slab to crack, delaminate and eventually become structurally unsuitable.

Depending on how and where the cancer affects the slab determines the kind of interventions that are used to facilitate an effective remediation. There are three main ways to treat concrete cancer and they are as follows:

• Hand applied solutions
• Spray solutions
• Cathodic protection

All of our engineers are familiar with each treatment and can readily identify which method is the best approach in any case that presents itself.

​So if you’re worried about your concrete’s health, or you’re looking for the right team to help you find your solution, then don’t hesitate. Get in touch with us now and let’s start solving your issues.