Efflorescence is caused by vapor migrating through the slab bringing soluble salts to the surface of the concrete.
White powder on concrete walls.
Efflorescence definition efflorescence is the white powdery substance on the surfaces of unsealed concrete and the white blush seen with sealed floors.
At some point or another everyone will see white chalky or fuzzy looking growth on their concrete basement walls.
Calcium hydroxide or lime is formed by the hydration reaction between portland cement and water.
Concrete can be stained when salts and other materials will come off the concrete surface.
Efflorescence is the term for lime salts leaching from concrete and crystallizing on the surface of the concrete.
While the white powder often found on basement walls and mold are caused by similar conditions they are actually different materials.
Concrete efflorescence is a very common problem on concrete especially decorative concrete.
The white powder is efflorescence or minerals left behind as water that has flowed through the concrete walls evaporates.
Efflorescence is a white powdery film or dusty residue that shows up on masonry surfaces on the inside or outside of a house.
It s usually found on the concrete blocks in basements but can be found many other places.
Masonry is by nature porous so any moisture travels.
If the white powder is creating up on your concrete surfaces only then the substance is most likely not mold.
It s the result of a chemical reaction that happens when acidic ground water gets inside your concrete blocks and reacts with the alkaline lime in the concrete to create a salt.
The stains are normally white and are present in darker colors more than white or pale colors due to the contrast created by the chemical reaction.
Efflorescence is normally worn off or washed away on unsealed concrete surfaces.
When moisture and water vapor migrate to the surface of hardened concrete floors walls and colored concrete it carries with it calcium hydroxide.
Mold is a living organism that occurs in wet environments.
Efflorescence will be triggered by low temperatures humidity condensation and rain.
This can occur on floors masonry walls foundations and even soil.
It has a white or greyish tint and consists of salt deposits left behind when water evaporates.
Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit of salts that can form when water is present in or on brick concrete stone stucco or other building surfaces.
This builds up on concrete surfaces in basements and in crawl spaces regularly occurring as part of the process of moisture coming from the earth passing via the concrete and evaporating into your basement.