Concrete quality in old houses

[tdam]

Wondering if anyone has facts about the lifespan etc. of concrete quality, hollow bricks etc. from the 1940s. I have heard that concrete from the war period is said to be of poor quality.

 

[Eld]

The quality of concrete varies enormously, so it is hardly possible to say anything generally. During the war, there was a shortage (rationing?) of cement, so often they skimped on the cement with alarming concrete quality as a result. However, it cannot be said that this was generally the case. Furthermore, mixing was often/(always?) done manually, resulting in varying quality.

I have a house built in 1942, and when I've chipped away at floors, walls, etc., I've found examples of both high-quality concrete and pure sand.

There is also the problem with aluminate cement that was used (1926-1941) when time was of the essence and it was cold. Read more here: http://www.cbi.se/cbin02-2.pdf

If you need to know the quality of the concrete in a specific case, sampling and analysis are the only sure methods. Check with, for example: http://www.cbi.se