Mixing Str ength With Satisfaction

TECHNICAL REPORT

SURFACE PREPARATION FOR CONCRETE REPAIR

INTRODUCTION
A concrete substrate must be properly prepared prior to the placement In order to ensure the proper surface roughness and bond strength, KING
of a concrete repair material, in order to ensure a successful repair that recommends a Concrete Surface Profile (CSP) ranging from 5 to 10† in
meets the expected service life of the repair. Proper surface preparation accordance with ICRI Guideline No. 310.2R (Selecting and Specifying
requires the selection of the most suitable removal method, patch or Concrete Surface Preparation for Sealers, Coatings, Polymer Overlays,
profile layout selection, saw-cutting around patches, concrete removal and Concrete Repair). As indicated in Table 7.1 from ICRI Guideline No.
and cleaning and saturating the repair surface with water prior to placing 310.2R, only certain concrete removal methods can be used to achieve
the repair material. The intent of this Technical Report is to establish a minimum CSP of 5. Therefore, KING recommends the methods of
the recommended procedures for the surface preparation of a concrete concrete removal and surface preparation indicated in Table 1 prior to the
substrate prior to the placement of KING Construction Products in a placement of KING Construction Products in a concrete repair application.
concrete repair application.
TABLE 1: RECOMMENDED CONCRETE REMOVAL AND SURFACE
The project specification, contract documents or direction of the design PREPARATION METHODS
professional (Architect or Engineer) responsible for the specific project,
should be followed and would supersede any recommendations in this
Technical Report. It should be noted that the removal of concrete can METHOD CSP RANGE

affect the structural integrity of the structure, and therefore the design
professional (Architect or Engineer) responsible for each specific project Abrasive Blasting 2 to 7
should be consulted prior to the removal of concrete. Shotblasting 2 to 9
Hydro-demolition 3 to 10
CONCRETE REMOVAL METHODS
Scarifying* 4 to 7
The concrete removal method used for a specific repair will play a major
role in the overall success of the repair and therefore the future service Rotomilling* 6 to 9
life of the structure or element being repaired. While some materials that Scabbling* 7 to 9
are applied to concrete substrates only require the use of mild surface
Handheld Concrete Breaker* 7 to 10
treatments (e.g. grinding, acid-etching, needle scaling and low-pressure
water cleaning), concrete repair materials require a more aggressive
concrete removal method and therefore a much rougher surface in order
to achieve adequate bond between the concrete repair material and the TABLE 1: *The indicated concrete removal methods can introduce a
concrete substrate. moderate to high risk of micro-cracking which can reduce bond strength.
It is mandatory to subsequently use abrasive blasting or shotblasting
Bonding between the repair material and the substrate is crucial to the following these concrete removal methods in order to remove any concrete
success of the repair, and is often specified by the design professional damaged by micro-cracking.
(Architect or Engineer) to be tested in accordance ASTM C 1583 or
CSA A 23.2-6B. Typically, the minimum in-situ bond strength must be
achieved at a specific testing date following the installation of the repair
material. It should be noted that the bond strength can be affected by
the soundness and quality of the parent concrete, and when a successful
bond is achieved the bond strength will be governed by the tensile
strength of the substrate.

K I N G PA C K A G E D M A T E R I A L S C O M PA N Y
1-800-461-0566 • constructionproducts@kpmindustries.com • w w w. k i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o d u c t s . c o m
 Mixing Str ength With Satisfaction

TECHNICAL REPORT

SURFACE PREPARATION FOR CONCRETE REPAIR

SURFACE PREPARATION
Patch repairs in the concrete substrate should have a layout that minimizes
irregular shapes and the number of angles in the patch. Using 90° angles
in the patch layout simplifies the saw-cutting operation and limits the high
stress points in the patch that can increase the risk of cracking. Following
the mapping and layout of the repair areas all loose or delaminated
concrete should be removed from the repair section, leaving a minimum
of 25 mm (1”) clearance behind any reinforcing steel. The perimeter
of the repair should be saw-cut a minimum of 6 mm (1/4”) for shallow
repairs using a repair mortar (6 mm-50 mm or 1/4”-2”), or a minimum
of 20 mm (3/4”) for deeper repairs using concrete or shotcrete (38 mm
or 1/2” to full depth).

If not already performed, any corroded reinforcing steel should be cleaned

using abrasive blasting or equivalent in order to remove as much rust as
possible††. The substrate must then be cleaned with potable water in order
to remove any dust, or any other foreign substances that may interfere
with the bond of the applied KING Construction Product. The substrate
should be saturated but free of any standing water in a saturated-surface
dry (SSD) condition. Mixing and application procedures indicated on
the technical data sheet should be followed for the applicable KING
Construction Product to be used in the repair.

This report is intended for use as a guide only. Refer to ICRI Guideline
No.310.2R or contact your KING Technical Representative for more information
regarding concrete removal and surface preparation.

†: In certain situations it is possible to use a CSP lower than 5. Contact your

KING Technical Representative for more information.

††: Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete is a very complex chemical

interaction. An expert in corrosion mitigation and remediation techniques
should be consulted for further information.

K I N G PA C K A G E D M A T E R I A L S C O M PA N Y

Burlington Office Boisbriand Office Brantford Office Sudbury Office

3385 Harvester Rd. 3825 rue Alfred-Laliberté 541 Oak Park Rd. 644 Simmons Rd.
Burlington, ON Boisbriand, QC Brantford, ON Dowling, ON
L7N 3N2 J7H 1P7 N3T 5L8 P0M 1R0
Phone: (905) 639-2993 Phone: (450) 430-4104 Phone: (519) 756-6177 Phone: (705) 855-1155
Fax: (905) 333-3730 Fax: (450) 430-6855 Fax: (519) 756-7490 Fax: (705) 855-1122