Concrete Blisters ?

[Choppedsled]

Hello, I've got a question about concrete blisters. I had the slab poured in my new shop last friday 24' X 44'. 6" thick throughout with 8" pour where my lift will go. I noticed some blisters on Sunday, maybe 20 - 30 of them, 1 in the smallest a few maybe 2 1/2" or so across. Haven't noticed any new ones but haven't kept a real close eye on them. I'm not a concrete guy but have seen them before on new construction occasionally. Causes I've been told are working the surface too soon or over working it sealing the moisture in? But the big question is how should I hold the contractor accountable? Should there me a monatary adjustment, or should I insist they repair the surface after it's cured? I've done quite a few epoxy jobs on concrete, some with blisters that I've repaired over the years. So I have the ability, but I paid for a quality job and expect that. Thoughts / advice on how to deal with the contractor? Thanks in advance!

 

[boiler7904]

First thing to do is talk to the concrete guy and see what he is willing / able to do about this. Is it in sections where you could cut and remove concrete between control joints and leave the better areas as is and then patch them later?

It sounds like you'll be doing the epoxy yourself. Do you want to deal with the hassle of prepping these areas before you can do the whole floor? If you hire it out, will the flooring guy charge an extra for prep or can he work around it. In either case, you shouldn't have to pay (either your time or your money) to fix the problem.

Ultimately, you paid (or soon will pay) for a complete job with a smooth even surface. It is your concrete guy's job to deliver that. At my job, we never release money on commercial construction jobs for inferior work or incomplete work.

If he's already been paid there is another route to go and that is to contact his bonding company. If you can't get him to fix the problem, they will cut a check to fix the problems and then go after him to make good with them. Contractors hate to have bonds called because it limits their ability to do work and bid on future work (at least on commercial jobs).