Hello everyone! In early September, I poured a new drainage edge with mortar to create a nice surface for steps to my mother's apartment and then painted it, and everything looked good all along. When I visited a few weeks ago during the heaviest snowfall here (Skåne) to shovel for her, she mentioned that this edge looked a bit strange. I took a look and about 70% of the entire casting is now just a pile of gravel starting from the surface and in, which was pretty disappointing, but underneath that, it's basically hard again.
She has salted the path to the steps, and saltwater has likely run over the casting, but this shouldn't matter since it had cured months ago, right?
Someone told me it could be frost damage, but why would that happen to this casting and not in other places with mortar? It's not something I've heard about before, anyway.
/Göransson
She has salted the path to the steps, and saltwater has likely run over the casting, but this shouldn't matter since it had cured months ago, right?
Someone told me it could be frost damage, but why would that happen to this casting and not in other places with mortar? It's not something I've heard about before, anyway.
/Göransson
Salt really ruins everything that is cast. But why did you use mortar? You should use concrete for such constructions. Frost shattering only occurs on horizontal structures due to rainwater that remains, freezes, and frost shatters the surface - vertical structures don't have that problem.
I suspect that the root of the issue is that you used mortar - you should have used concrete.
I suspect that the root of the issue is that you used mortar - you should have used concrete.
Thanks for the answer, I had thought that salt could damage even after it has been burned for a few months, but apparently not. Mortar was mostly used because it was what I had at home at the time in slightly larger quantities, and there wasn't enough concrete, so I thought it would work fine anyway, but that wasn't the case. I thought that since it's not a load-bearing part in any way, mortar would suffice in this case, but it is cast at a 45-degree angle from the upper edge of the stairs up to the house, so water was intended to run off, so it's the salt that has done this in some way, and concrete in that case doesn't have these problems?
I was considering possibly building something similar with silicone otherwise if concrete doesn't work because my mom will continue to use salt there in the winter so she doesn't fall on the stairs and break her arms and legs, so it has to be something that holds.
I was considering possibly building something similar with silicone otherwise if concrete doesn't work because my mom will continue to use salt there in the winter so she doesn't fall on the stairs and break her arms and legs, so it has to be something that holds.
Of course, you read on the bag what the mixing ratio is. But then the question is what to cast this with to withstand salt as well? Because it seems now that concrete cannot be used either.
Even if you mix a high-quality concrete, that concrete will also deteriorate due to salt - the difference is that it takes a little longer. The laws of nature are simply such that salt ruins all kinds of concrete + salt causes the reinforcing bars to rust within the structure.
Never use salt on a concrete structure! Use pure gravel or sand to prevent slipping.
In response to your question about what to cast with to withstand salt, the answer is: nothing! There is no casting material that withstands salt, that’s how the laws of nature are.
Never use salt on a concrete structure! Use pure gravel or sand to prevent slipping.
In response to your question about what to cast with to withstand salt, the answer is: nothing! There is no casting material that withstands salt, that’s how the laws of nature are.
Ok then I know, I didn't think it was that sensitive, but then I have to use something completely different instead or have a talk with mom to use sand instead just there. But then I thank you for the information here, thanks everyone!
/Göransson
/Göransson
Member
· Västerbottens län
· 18 058 posts
BUT it could be something else too, I had half a bag of mortar left over so I cast a well cover with reinforcement and everything but after a week it was possible to expose the reinforcement. This was in the summer and here only the food is salted.
I'm wondering how it is with the masonry inside the wall, it was covered over quite quickly so there are probably loose stones there.
Protte
I'm wondering how it is with the masonry inside the wall, it was covered over quite quickly so there are probably loose stones there.
Protte
Yes, that does sound a bit strange. The mortar wasn't exactly newly bought in my case but had been stored dry and was about a year old or so, which I think should be okay. However, there's been quite a bit of salting here this winter because of the largest amount of snow we've ever had here, so in my case, based on what's been said here, I'm probably 99.9% sure that salt is the cause.
In the summer cottage, which is quite old, it was built with mortar and saltwater from the sea was used as water... I'm almost afraid to touch the joints. It's stable, but the outermost surface is like a fine powder that falls off just by looking at it.
In the summer cottage, which is quite old, it was built with mortar and saltwater from the sea was used as water... I'm almost afraid to touch the joints. It's stable, but the outermost surface is like a fine powder that falls off just by looking at it.
may suggest "töutansalt"
I can add that I have a lot of concrete constructions on my large driveway - including a cast-in-place concrete stair with landings.
You can guess if I almost had a heart attack when I saw my wife pouring salt over the entire stair!!! Even though I always use pre-mixed concrete with a quality that is far above the construction's requirements. I was about to explode and took out the garden hose to wash away all the salt - even though I created a hockey rink out of the driveway in the process - no salt on my concrete constructions!
It was a hell of a job to sand away the ice I created. But my wife definitely won't be salting our property anymore.
You can guess if I almost had a heart attack when I saw my wife pouring salt over the entire stair!!! Even though I always use pre-mixed concrete with a quality that is far above the construction's requirements. I was about to explode and took out the garden hose to wash away all the salt - even though I created a hockey rink out of the driveway in the process - no salt on my concrete constructions!
It was a hell of a job to sand away the ice I created. But my wife definitely won't be salting our property anymore.
one gets a little annoyed when concrete stairs are abused by too much salt. just because property managers rely so much on salt,
no, use gravel or in the worst case use "töutansalt".
no, use gravel or in the worst case use "töutansalt".
saturnus said:
Of course, Töutansalt is a variant, I must look into this and impose it on mom because concrete or something similar must be used since the staircase is not attached to the house wall with anything else but this.