CHALLENGE:
A century old government building, constructed of concrete, was in need of painting. Upon removal of the old paint, a reoccur-able, unpaintable powder continued to resurface on the building. The client had explored this issue with many paint companies and other paint consultants, but none of them could not explain the phenomena.
ACTION:
On short notice, Chemical Dynamics performed an onsite inspection and collected representative samples of the residue. The team performed a paint and coating failure analysis of the soluble components of the residue.
RESULT:
Chemical Dynamics was able to demonstrate that the powder residue is a result of secondary efflorescence of the concrete. Secondary efflorescence is the result of concrete degradation and the migration of water soluble salts to the surface of the concrete. With the proper diagnoses of the problem, Chemical Dynamics was able to recommend corrective action.