Construction · 7 min read
Concrete structures: common pathologies and how they are repaired
Cracks that matter and cracks that don’t, what carbonation is, and how a structure is reinforced without vacating the building.
By the Andalucía Reformas team ·
Which cracks are worrying?
Diagonal or X-shaped cracks, cracks that grow, and cracks with doors going out of square; fine stable cracks in partitions are usually harmless shrinkage.
A dated plaster tell-tale over the crack is a simple monitor: if it breaks within weeks, the crack is live — call a technician.
What is carbonation?
A slow loss of the concrete’s protective alkalinity: rebar rusts, expands and spalls the cover — typical in 1960s–80s buildings.
Repair: remove affected concrete, passivate the rebar, rebuild with structural mortar and reinforce where calculation requires. Systems: concrete structures.
Can it be fixed with residents in place?
Almost always: works proceed by phases with local propping. Structural repairs carry the statutory 10-year guarantee; ground-borne problems are fixed via underpinning.
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