Processing the blind area around the house: technology and materials for protection

More than just a decorative feature, the blind area surrounding your home is essential for preventing water damage to the foundation. By diverting rainfall away from the foundation, this pavement strip around your house helps avoid erosion and possible structural problems. To guarantee that the blind area works well and endures for many years, processing must be done correctly.

The selection of materials and methods is crucial for the construction and upkeep of the blind area. Paving stones, asphalt, and concrete are typical materials. Although each material has advantages of its own, concrete is frequently chosen due to its low maintenance requirements and durability. Whichever material you decide on, it’s critical to have adequate drainage to prevent water from collecting close to the foundation of your house.

There are several crucial steps in the technology involved in creating a functional blind area. The base must first be prepared by clearing the ground and adding a layer of crushed stone or gravel. This facilitates drainage and gives the paving material a solid base. After that, the paving material is laid, being sure to direct water runoff by making a small incline away from the house. Lastly, caulking the seams and edges prolongs the blind area’s life by preventing water infiltration.

To maintain the blind area operating correctly, regular maintenance is also necessary. This entails cleaning up any debris, keeping the slope functional, and looking for cracks or other damage. You can preserve the integrity of your property and safeguard the foundation of your house by following these precautions. Processing the blind area around your home can offer enduring security and comfort if the proper supplies and methods are used.

Why blind area defects occur?

Materials like concrete, cement, paving stones, and artificial and natural stone are used to create a strip around a building. The most popular choice is the first one. Seldom are materials like asphalt and a few others used. However, any blind area eventually starts to deteriorate.

Deep or shallow fissures, the shifting and sinking of individual pieces, and the crumbling of specific edges or sections are examples of flaws. Another possibility is that the tiles will come loose from the object’s base. It is vital to determine the causes of this strip’s vulnerability to destruction before taking any action to strengthen it.

1. Incorrect laying technology. This may include the absence of a waterproofing layer, uncompacted and uneven backfill, non-compliance with the standards for width and depth. Perhaps the work was carried out in the hot season, before rain or imminent frosts – all these factors affect the uncured solution. It is also possible that the correct recipe for the concrete composition was not followed, for example, a lot or little binder was added: in the first case, the surface will crack, and in the second, it will crumble.
2. Absence of a damper layer. Temperature joints are located between the slab and the base, becoming a shock absorber and contributing to the correct distribution of the vibrations that arise. Their absence will increase the risk of defects on the blind area.
3. Making a strip around the perimeter of the building without a slope to the outside. Rain moisture stagnates on flat surfaces, which has a negative effect on artificial stones and cement coatings. A slight slope away from the object will allow water to drain naturally. Without it, small cracks will form, which over time will turn into deeper breaks.
4. No reinforcement in the concrete blind area. This procedure is not required by current regulations, but it gives the water drainage strip the necessary strength.

How to restore the blind area?

The drainage strip surrounding the house is showing signs of cracking, partial crumbling, and peeling, which means repairs are needed. Eliminate all flaws right away to stop moisture from penetrating the house’s foundation and further deforming the coating. It is best to replace the damaged coating entirely in cases of severe damage and deep subsidence of fragments. The type of material determines which method is best:

1. If the blind area is made of tiles, then it is easier to simply replace its defective parts with new ones. Before this, you need to partially fill the depressions with sand.
2. Restoration of the asphalt strip involves dismantling the deformed section. The resulting hole must be cleaned, and its edges and bottom are treated with liquid resin. Only after this is new asphalt laid, which is carefully compacted with a roller.
3. Defects in a strip made from a mixture of glue and concrete can be eliminated using moisture-resistant polyurethane foam and special polymer materials. Such mixtures penetrate into all cracks. They harden quite quickly. Cement is not suitable for this task, because.To. it will only cover the top of the crack, not the entire cavity. Large defective areas of the concrete blind area are best replaced completely.
4. Restoration of a protective tape made of cobblestones involves replacing damaged fragments. For this purpose, you will need a hammer and chisel. After removing the deformed cobblestones with their help, you will need to pour a mixture of crushed gravel and sand onto the empty spaces to level the layer. After this, you need to tamp it, fill everything with mortar and cement and put a suitable fragment on top. Small cracks can be sealed with concrete mixture.

The point where the drainage tape attaches to the object’s base is one of its most troublesome spots. The majority of issues stem from the coating coming off the house’s foundation. Use sealant or waterproofing pore fillers if there is minor peeling. The following tasks should be completed during repairs, according to experts:

1. Clean the defects that have appeared (cracks, cracks) from various types of debris, as well as earth and sand. Small cracks can be combined into one zone and expanded.
2. Fill all the depressions with concrete mixture. To ensure durability, add a steel reinforcement mesh during pouring.
3. After the solution has hardened (this will take several days), treat the surface with a primer for exterior use.
4. For prevention, you can dig holes approximately 20-30 cm deep. Fill them with solution.
5. Fill gaps and cracks with the same material that was used to install the tape around the house.

It is advised to restore the blind area either in late autumn or early spring. This time of year allows for better defect opening and the concrete mixture is in a "calm state," meaning it will expand in the event of extreme heat.

Preserving the blind area, which is the area surrounding your home, is crucial to preserving the foundation of your house and avoiding water damage. Homeowners can build a sturdy barrier that protects the foundation from moisture and soil erosion by using efficient materials and technologies like concrete, waterproof membranes, and appropriate drainage systems. This procedure not only increases the property’s lifespan but also lowers the likelihood of future expensive repairs. Ensuring a safe and stable environment for your home through proper processing of the blind area offers long-term protection and peace of mind.

Ironing

By following this process, the drainage tape will be less likely to develop noticeable fissures and gaps when it operates. By ironing the strip, you can fortify its surface and raise its hardness and strength levels. This process also enhances the blind area’s waterproofing properties.

Iron is unrelated to this technology, despite its name. Cement and a specific agent—Lithurin, SPEKTRIN, PENTRA, etc.—are typically used. It may consist of elements like corundum, sodium aluminate, liquid glass, granite and quartz filler, etc. The actual process itself can be:

Dry ironing

After the blind area has been poured, this kind of procedure is carried out as soon as possible; this usually takes 1-2 hours. The tape will remain moist after a while, which is advantageous for the process. Specific guidelines:

1. Take dry cement and sprinkle it on the wet blind area. This must be done so that the layer is 2 mm thick.
2. Lay the cement evenly, using any suitable sieve. Pour the material into it and lightly tap on the device.
3. The resulting layer of cement must be leveled. Use a hand polyurethane float for this purpose. It takes a little time to strengthen the surface.
4. Due to the porosity and moisture content of the concrete mixture, the water-repellent tape will become stronger and more durable. This will ensure proper adhesion to dry cement.
5. You can walk on a surface that has been reinforced with iron after a day.

Wet ironing

There is only a material difference between this procedure and the previous one. You must use a cement mortar in this situation, and it should be fairly liquid. A 1:1 ratio between sand and cement is ideal. Add lime paste to them; it should make about ten percent of the cement’s total volume. It is possible to mix other ingredients, such as cement, PVA glue, and liquid glass.

The blind area should be poured no sooner than two weeks after wet ironing. The coating’s moisture-to-strength ratio ought to stabilize during this period. Apply the combined mixture using a sprayer or spatula.

Polymer ironing

This technique makes use of impregnation with polyurethane. Concrete compositions such as Elakor, PENTRA, SPEKTRIN, Liturin, etc. are highly sought-after. Any hardware store will carry them. Polymer ironing technology is comparable to the dry method. The one exception is that using a metal grater to level the composition on the concrete surface after application is preferable.

By using polyurethane impregnation, you can obtain a coating of higher quality. Even at 0 °C, the method described can be applied. Ironing, both wet and dry, requires positive temperatures to be done. The drainage tape needs to be covered with a film or another material that can hold moisture, regardless of the technique selected.

Using impregnations for concrete blind areas

Since concrete is a cheap material that lasts for decades, it is most frequently used to create drainage strips. Any concrete structure that is exposed to air will eventually develop cracks and other flaws. Water that has seeped into the material’s pores freezes and causes microtears to form in the structure.

The blind area is submerged in water for a longer period of time than other areas. If the strip has already started to crumble and you did not take any precautions after installation, you can use concrete impregnations to get it back to how it looked before.

Types of means

Selecting the right composition is the first step towards treating and restoring the blind area. Certain inorganic and organic compounds are used to make impregnations:

1. Organic products are liquid mixtures containing epoxy resins, polyurethane, acrylic. In contact with concrete, they fill all the pores of the outer layer of the material, which provides it with the ability to repel water and resist the aggressive effects of external factors. Such compositions make the material more durable and prevent the appearance of cement dust.
2. Inorganic agents react with external molecular compounds of the coating, which can dissolve. As a result, they are converted into inert. Thanks to this, the top layer of the material becomes immune to external factors.

How to use impregnation for restoration?

While treating freshly laid concrete surfaces with the aforementioned products will yield superior results, older blind areas can also benefit from this technique. Take the following actions prior to using impregnation:

1. Clean the drainage tape from dirt and dust.
2. Repair all chips and cracks.
3. It is advisable to dry grind the concrete using a grinder.

If the surface is flaky and uneven, there is no purpose in impregnating it. It is recommended that the newly constructed structure be treated within 15 days of its pouring. Please abide by the following guidelines when applying:

1. Apply impregnation at temperatures from +5 to +40°C. If you carry out work outside this temperature range, the properties of the impregnation may deteriorate.
2. Treat the blind area using personal protective equipment for the respiratory system, skin and eyes.
3. Apply the impregnation to a dry strip for drainage. Do not carry out the procedure during rain or fog.
4. To apply the composition, use rollers and brushes that are resistant to solvents.
5. Process the blind area in several layers – some time must pass between applications. The second time the impregnation is applied approximately 1 hour after the first, and the third time – 2 hours after the second. These are general recommendations, because. . the instructions for each composition have their own instructions.

In order to preserve the integrity of your home’s foundation and avoid water damage, you must protect the blind area surrounding your property. By constructing a barrier to divert water away from the foundation, this procedure lowers the possibility of leaks and structural problems. You can give your house long-lasting protection by selecting the right materials and using the right installation methods.

The most often utilized materials for this are geotextiles, gravel, and concrete. Concrete offers a strong barrier against water and is a low-maintenance, long-lasting material. When combined with geotextiles, gravel provides superior drainage capabilities that keep water from collecting around the foundation. The decision primarily comes down to your individual requirements and preferences, but both options are effective.

For the blind area to be effective, installation must be done correctly. This entails digging a trench around the foundation, filling it with the material of your choice, and then covering it with a layer of geotextile. Making sure the ground slopes slightly away from the house will aid in efficiently directing water runoff. Frequent upkeep, like looking for cracks or obstructions, will keep the area operating as it should.

Making an investment in the correct processing of the blind area surrounding your home can prevent future expensive repairs. By offering a strong barrier against water intrusion, it extends the foundation of your house and increases its overall durability. You can make well-informed decisions and put into practice a solution that best meets the needs of your home by being aware of the materials and technology that are available.

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