How to treat and paint when efflorescence is present
Efflorescence is the crystalline, salty deposit you often see on surfaces like brick, cement, lime, sand and clay. This white, powdery substance can occur both inside and outside of a property, most often during the colder seasons.
While it may seem harmless, efflorescence can be frustrating as it leaves an unsightly residue all around your clean home. However, it can also spread further, increasing the risk of more serious moisture problems that may damage the structure of your building materials.
So, how do you solve this problem? What’s the best approach to treat and paint your building’s surfaces when efflorescence is present?
Read on to find out.
Efflorescence and its causes
Most of the time, efflorescence develops when water-soluble salts and other water-dispersible materials are present in or on the surface of concrete, bricks or mortars. Efflorescence is what remains when the water or moisture then evaporates from the surface.
Efflorescence is often a seasonal problem – it typically occurs more frequently whenever rain, snow and sleet persists for long periods of time. However, if a room has a lower temperature or higher moisture levels and is exposed to groundwater and dew, efflorescence may also be a problem.
Efflorescence can also happen during or after construction, especially when there are issues with the installation of building materials.
Addressing efflorescence
Also referred to as “cancer of a building”, efflorescence can lead to significant damage such as the disintegration of masonry, the crumbling of plaster, the rotting of woodwork and the deterioration of surfaces.
Fortunately, there are practical ways to effectively remove efflorescence. The most common approaches include:
- Using pressurised water – With the help of equipment like a pressurised water jet, you can remove efflorescence quickly. However, adding more water to the substrate may activate even more salt to leach out, therefore make sure to completely dry the water off afterwards to ensure that it won’t happen again.
- Using diluted vinegar – Household diluted white vinegar can also be used for simple cases of efflorescence. However, just be careful, as the use of diluted acidic solutions can potentially damage surface colours and textures and given that the actual amount of efflorescence within the substrate is unknown, you may require great quantities of vinegar (especially diluted) to address the problem.
- Using a strong brush – A quality bristle broom or brush with a bit of force can also eliminate efflorescence effectively from the surface of the substrate.
- At Scientific Waterproofing Products (SWP), we offer a wide range of superior products that can help you address efflorescence within, as well as on the surface of the substrate.
Here are some of the solutions we offer for your repair and maintenance needs:
- BLUEE-POWERCLEAN – is a degreaser and cleaner specially formulated for industrial, commercial and residential use.
- EFFLORESCENCE-RID – is a unique, scientific, industrial-strength salt (efflorescence) remover specially designed to effectively remove efflorescence in industrial, commercial and residential situations.
- ULTRA MASONRY BLOCK SEALER – is a non-toxic, non-caustic, non-flammable formulation with no equal. It permanently waterproofs and preserves with one easy application.
- Drizoro MAXSEAL® FLEX – is a two-component product. Component “A” is a water-based special acrylic resin and component “B” is a mortar-based mixture of special cement, additives and well-graded aggregates. Once applied and cured, it provides a non-toxic, flexible and waterproof coating with very high adhesion on common substrates in construction-concrete, natural and artificial stone, traditional mortar plasters, bricks, concrete blocks, Hebel®, etc, available in white or grey.
- Drizoro MAXSEAL® FLEX-M is a one-component cement-based mortar. Once mixed with water, it provides a high-performance flexible coating for waterproofing and protection of concrete against positive and negative pressure. Available in white or grey.
- Drizoro MAXMESH – MAXMESH is a woven fibreglass mesh designed for use with waterproofing coatings to reinforce and strengthen the areas that are subject to movement.
13 steps to treat and paint when efflorescence is present
Now that you have an idea of what products to use, let’s move on to how you can properly treat and paint your surfaces when efflorescence is present.
Here are the steps to keep in mind when you’re using SWP products:
- Prepare the area to be treated by removing any surface efflorescence and loose materials. If required use, BLUEE-POWERCLEAN.
- Decant EFFLORESCENCE-RID into a low-pressure sprayer – do not dilute it.
- Spray onto the substrate and observe the slight foaming when EFFLORESCENCE-RID reacts with the salt. Brush areas with heavier salt using a stiff nylon brush.
- Without rinsing between applications, continue spraying EFFLORESCENCE-RID onto the substrate until foaming no longer occurs upon application.
- Rinse the substrate and surrounding area and allow the substrate to dry completely.
- Next, decant ULTRA MASONRY BLOCK SEALER into a low-pressure sprayer. Remember not to dilute.
- Apply to the substrate, one section at a time, saturating (just short of running) the substrate.
- Ensuring the ULTRA MASONRY BLOCK SEALER remains wet, brush the 1st coat of MAXSEAL FLEX or MAXSEAL FLEX M onto the substrate.
- Proceed along the substrate doing a section at a time. This ensures that the ULTRA MASONRY BLOCK SEALER is wet on application of the MAXSEAL® FLEX or MAXSEAL® FLEX-M.
- Embed MAXMESH into the first coat across the wall floor joint and lightly overcoat the MAXMESH to hold in place.
- Allow the first coat of MAXSEAL® FLEX (14 hours min.) or MAXSEAL® FLEX-M (6 hours min.) to set.
- Wet the first coat with water and brush-apply the 2nd coat of MAXSEAL® FLEX or MAXSEAL® FLEX-M.
- Now, you can proceed to paint your substrate with a colour and design you like to make it look new again.
Just keep in mind that the information above must be used in conjunction with the appropriate technical data bulletins and material safety data sheets available from our office or website: see Drizoro or Saturants pages.
If you want to learn more about our waterproofing products and how they can solve your efflorescence and other water-related damages, you can also consult our local Australian waterproofing specialists.
As always, SWP is committed to providing the right solution to any problem or application.
Find the right products to solve efflorescence
Our team at SWP is here to provide you with the right waterproofing for your unique situation. We offer a number of Drizoro cement-based waterproof coatings and other waterproofing solutions for all of your maintenance or restoration requirements.
If you’ve got any questions or concerns around waterproofing, or you’d like to find out which product is best suited to your efflorescence problem, contact us today!
Aside from our local Drizoro resellers and applicators, our products are also available at all Paint Place branches.
Each Paint Place store is locally owned and operated, so you can always guarantee expert advice and professional service. Their specialists can also help you with all your painting project needs, including colour advice and step-by-step guidance.