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Honeycomb Concrete

Although Honeycombing may only look like a surface level cosmetic issue at first, it’s important to have a trained professional thoroughly evaluate the area. If the honeycomb runs deep into the concrete or is in an area exposed to lots of moisture, it can cause major structural issues and other problems in the future, including mold, concrete cancer, and more. Typical places we find honeycombs include walls, footings, columns, beams, and slabs.
 
A Honeycomb happens when part of the foundation begins to deteriorate. Also referred to as a Rock Pocket Concrete, this happens in a poured foundation when one or a few small sections deteriorated to allow a small void that allows water through the foundation. This reduces durability and allows water and air to enter freely, but it can also lead to rust and corrosion as well. Since the load bearing capacity is significantly compromised, you’re looking at a lot of structural related issues in the near future. Many times, this is a very simple fix from the interior.
Concrete Rock Pocket Repair in Chicago
Concrete Rock Pocket Repair in Chicago

Common Causes of Concrete Honeycombing Include:

  • Inappropriate Water-to-Cement Ratio. This ratio directly impacts the strength of your concrete. Depending on the scope of your project and the environmental conditions that this concrete will be exposed to, you’ll need a very specific water-to-cement ratio. If this is not met, it will cause poor workability—and it will not last like it’s supposed to.
  • Improper Concrete Consolidation. In order to eliminate those pesky air bubbles that make concrete weak, most people turn to concrete vibration. However, it can be tricky to determine just how long you’ll need to vibrate it for. It must be long enough so that all the bubbles disappear, but doing it too long will cause the aggregates and water to separate, causing even more issues.
  • Incorrect Aggregate Grading. Small particles have a hard time penetrating past too many larger, coarse aggregates. This leaves plenty of voids throughout and a weaker piece of concrete.
  • Unsuitable Reinforcement Bar Placement. When it comes to the structural integrity of a design, steel placement is crucial. Improperly placed steel bars can lead to complications with the concrete.
CONCRETE ROCK POCKET REPAIR IN CHICAGO

How to Repair Honeycomb in Concrete

Similar to a Foundation Crack, concrete rock pocket repair is completed by injecting an epoxy into the void, sealing and waterproofing the section. Should this not be possible, whether this be from a furnace blocking it or a finished portion of the basement that cannot/will not be removed, an exterior option is also available. We can dig down that one section and seal it from the outside. This is done with our 3-part seal and also comes with a Lifetime Warranty.

How Much Does Honeycomb Foundation Repair Cost

As you have read above, Honeycomb Repairs are very similar to Foundation Crack and Pipe Penetration Repairs. This is because it uses the same Epoxy Injection method. It is important to note, before we get into cost, the extent of the repair before costing it out.

 

Honeycombing Issues

The main problem with Honeycombing is that it isn’t always clear how far the Honeycombing extends. While it is easy to spot the entire repair on a middle section of a wall, what happens when the Honeycombing is at the bottom of the wall and goes under the floor? How do we know how far to seal and how much to seal?

It is broken down quite simply:

If Honeycombing is on the middle/top of the wall with all perimeters observed, the concrete pocket repair can be completed via Epoxy Injection.

If Honeycombing is at the bottom of the wall and disappears below the floor, we must then move to installing a Drain Tile System. This is because we cannot seal with Epoxy the Cove Joint (Where floor and wall meet), so instead a Perimeter Drain will need to be installed to stop that water.

Honeycomb Concrete Repair Cost

So, what does concrete rock pocket repair cost? The price range we use, depends on the size of the repair. Click the link below to view our pricing sheet:

If you have any questions, give us a call and remember:

“Not Everything’s Better When Wet”

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“Not Everything’s Better When Wet”®