Water Ingress on Microcement Surfaces
This guide tells you everything you need to know about how water gets behind the microcement surface & what you can do to fix it.
How does Water get behind the Microcement Surface?
Water is very good at finding its way through any open or unsealed gaps.
If you’re adding fixtures & fittings to microcement surfaces, it’s important to apply silicone along open edges & around fixtures & fittings to avoid problems with water ingress.
If any open edges or fittings have been missed in wet areas, or if the silicone has failed over time, it is possible that water could find its way behind the microcement.
How can you tell if Water has got Behind the Microcement?
There are a number of signs that water has got behind microcement. The surface may be soft to touch. There may be some darkening in the microcement as the water has got to it. And if the water is trapped, over time, it could start to form small blisters in the surface.
How to Resolve Water Ingress
If you notice that water has got behind the microcement, the 1st thing to do is to let the surface dry out.
Once completely dry, you can assess the substrate for damage. Ultimately, the substrate will need to be repaired. If the substrate has been weakened by water damage, it may be possible to strengthen it by injecting Impripox into the opening. This will strengthen the substrate & may prevent the need for more extensive repair work.
Once the repair is done & the substrate is strong. You can turn your attention to the mirocement.
Repairing the Microcement Surface
We don’t recommend patch repairs generally, because it’s very difficult to do them seamlessly. Repairing, then recoating the entire surface is the only way to achieve a seamless repair.
This guide explains the best process for repairing microcement surfaces: https://relentlessmicrocement.com/training/repairs-to-microcement-surfaces/
Whilst we don’t recommend patching, and can almost guarantee it can’t be done seamlessly, we understand you may want to give it a go, so have written a guide explaining the best approach for minimising visibility of patch repairs: https://relentlessmicrocement.com/training/microcement-patch-repairs/
And here’s our guide to touching up the microcement in very small areas, like chips, and into corners: https://relentlessmicrocement.com/training/touching-up-microcement/