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Homeowner Forum / Repair / November 2003White residue on cement floor
I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so I'm figuring that maybe this is a mineral deposit? The basement has high humidity and is musty at times. Ideas? I was wondering if applying a seal coat would elimate this. Thanks for any suggestions. Bob Z > I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am > getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Bob Z Is that what is called "Efflorescence"; i.e. what happens when excessive moisture leaches lime and other chemical 'salts' out of the cement. Since cement is made with lime (Calcium Hydroxide?), an alkaline, I guess that using bleach (Sodium Hydroxide/Hypochloride or is it Hypochlorite?) wouldn't do anything to 'dissolve' the whitish residue or crust? Is acid ever used? What's that stuff that bricklayers use to clean up lime mortar splashes etc. Perhaps someone with a better grasp than my out of date and poorly remembered High School Chemistry could come to the rescue? High humidity? Wet ground? Poor drainage under basement floor? Rot, allergies to mould, damp insulation etc. Some ventilation might help? Water is pushing up and effloresing, muriatic acid will remove it . You should run a dehumidifier . I take it you have no drain tile system. You probably have a high water table and it will continue. Paint will only peel till you fix it. i wonder, is it only seen on the floor slab? do you see anything at the foundation walls? how old is the house? was there work done to increase the basement height by digging down? its going to be hard to find if you have a drain tile or not, and harder to install not to mention big bucks. you have to help minimize the water going to your foundation. start out with the downspouts, make sure they extend out from the wall about 6ft, the further the less water outside your foundation. >Water is pushing up and effloresing, muriatic acid will remove it . >You should run a dehumidifier . I take it you have no drain tile >system. You probably have a high water table and it will continue. >Paint will only peel till you fix it. > > I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am > > getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Rot, allergies to mould, damp insulation etc. Some ventilation > might help? Whoa, some correct names are: lye is sodium hydroxide, bleach is sodium hypochlorite, lime is calcium oxide, and slaked lime is wet calcium oxide (calcium hydroxide). All are basic, so to dissolve them you need an acid. Weak hydrochloric acid will dissolve the white stuff. Improved drainage would probably help, and you might improve your situation if you better manage runoff from your roof (move it away from the house) but if you have poor subsurface drainage you might not be able to do much about it without great expense. Beyond that I'll leave it to the concrete specialists. Ventilation will certainly help in reducing any possible mold problems. > I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am > getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so > I'm figuring that maybe this is a mineral deposit? The basement has high > humidity and is musty at times. Ideas? > > I was wondering if applying a seal coat would elimate this. Not likely - a surface coating won't overcome the hydrostatic pressure. > I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am > getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Bob Z Waterproofing Membranes from Laticrete may help you.  SignatureMike Hunt > > I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am > > getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Waterproofing Membranes from Laticrete may help you. (I remember you) drylock works great for keeping water out! > "Mike Hunt" <hunt@comcast.com> wrote in message > > -- > > Mike Hunt > (I remember you) right.. "3rd Generation" <Roger@3rdGeneratiion.zzn.com> wrote don't forget the website www.clicktoremodel.com > > "Mike Hunt" <hunt@comcast.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > right. Hey! I remember both of you! hahahahahahahahahaha! is Chief, Art or is Art, Chief if your not sure ...........goby yourself a clue. or I could sell you one real cheap. hahahahahahahahahaha! want to play "Where's Art"? admit it.....you miss me! Search the web for "Efflorescence". You have it. -Bruce > I have a cement basement floor that has never been sealed or painted. I am > getting a white residue from time to time. Bleach does not get rid of it, so [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Bob Z > Search the web for "Efflorescence". You have it. > -Bruce Wow thanks B. That makes a half dozen in this thread that have ALLREADY said that. For a top-posting imbecile you're originality is exceptional.. SignatureLiam For a bottom posting imbecile your spelling is "aLLready" the best we've seen. > > Search the web for "Efflorescence". You have it. > > -Bruce > > Wow thanks B. That makes a half dozen in this thread that have ALLREADY > said that. For a top-posting imbecile you're originality is exceptional.. > For a bottom posting imbecile your spelling is "aLLready" the best > we've seen. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> ALLREADY said that. For a top-posting imbecile you're originality is >> exceptional.. Not to mention the incorrect usage of "you're." Signatureremove nospam to use email Casey Stamper mstamper@nospamwideopenwest.com "The dogs bark . . . but the caravan moves on" old Arabic saying >>For a bottom posting imbecile your spelling is "aLLready" the best >>we've seen. > Not to mention the incorrect usage of "you're." ahh.. hook line and sinker. stinkbait. always the ticket. SignatureLiam |
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