Brand new exposed aggregate crumbling!! HELP!!

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

We are renovating part of our mid-century modern home and wanted to expand the front patio/walkway. We loved the original exposed aggregate but because we couldn't match it, we had it removed and replaced (and expanded). BUT the general contractor was not on-site and so they forgot to pour a small section of the patio. They poured it a week later and now there is an obvious difference - in both height and aggregate exposure between what was poured originally and what was poured a week later. ALSO some of the control joints have crumbled and there are large gaps!! It looks terrible and I am concerned about the integrity of the concrete in those areas - Now that it has already begun to crumble, how will it hold up? The large holes at the intersections of control joints happened during cutting - could they have been prevented? The new concrete was not protected (also, where was the general contractor we ask!) and skid loaders have rolled across it causing more crumbling at the joints. AND, there is an area next to the brick wall where the acid was excessive and the aggregate has crumbled away. Is all of this inevitable or should we insist that it be repoured?? They say if they repour all of these issues will come up again. Is that true?? It is frustrating that we paid for a brand new patio and it already has many damaged areas. Please help!!

Yes that hole is large enough for an earthworm to have moved in

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Comments (5)

Melissa A
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

too much acid exposure here!

You can see here the difference between what was poured first (most of it!) and what they had to come back a week later to pour because our general contractor was not onsite to make sure they did it correctly to begin with! That's the two squares (vertically) right next to the new asphalt (they also did a terrible job on that transition!). So should we have them repour it all? They said if they did they would mess up the asphalt. And if they repour, they said we would still have the potential for giant holes forming at the corners when they cut the control joints and areas of too much exposure because of difference in shade and sun! Is this true?? HELP!!
SJ McCarthy
6 years ago
Colour doesn't concern me. It will even out over time. The crumbling is my concern. Did the GC use a company that specializes in poured concrete or did s/he use some 'guy's' who will do what they are told for $13/hr?
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Melissa A
Original Author
6 years ago
It was a decorative concrete company that was subcontracted to do it
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
6 years ago
It looks very cool and the slight variation in color will soften with time (little consolation when you have spent a ton of money on this i know)

I too am most concerned with the crumbling. When they struck the forms on a small walkway here at my house ten years ago some crumbled away, but it hasn’t changed since. Was it fully hard when they cut the control joints?
Melissa A thanked HALLETT & Co.
Melissa A
Original Author
6 years ago
It was poured at about noon on May 1st and then they returned the next morning around 9am to cut it and then remove the acid that was used to expose the aggregate. Would that be enough time for it to be hardened enough? The weather was in the 60s I think. How long do they need to wait to cut the joints? Those corners crumbled when they cut the joints. The contractors said that the joints would still crumble like that if they repoured the whole thing. Is that true??