Chloride Corrosion Treatment
If you need concrete spalling or rebar repair in Miami, the underlying issue is chloride corrosion of the embedded steel. We arrest the corrosion, treat or replace the affected rebar, and rebuild the concrete to current marine spec.
Spalling in Miami seawall concrete is a sequence: chloride ingress, rebar corrosion, expansion, crack, delaminate, fall off. The repair has to reverse the sequence.
Loose and delaminated concrete is removed back to sound material. We sound the concrete with a hammer to find delamination that has not yet broken loose, and remove that too. Half-measures here are the most common reason repairs fail again in 3 to 5 years.
Exposed rebar is cleaned to bright metal with wire brushes or sandblasting where access allows. A corrosion-inhibiting coating (zinc-rich primer, epoxy, or proprietary inhibitor) is applied to the cleaned steel.
Where section loss exceeds approximately 20 percent, the bar is replaced. Replacement rebar is epoxy-coated or stainless, tied to existing sound steel with engineered lap length.
Patch material is polymer-modified mortar for small repairs or structural concrete with corrosion-inhibitor admixture for larger sections. Cover over rebar is 1.5 inches minimum per ACI saltwater spec.
Silane penetrating sealer applied to the surrounding area slows future chloride ingress and extends the repair's service life by 5 to 10 years.
Why Miami Owners Choose Us
Our crew leads are trained on ACI 562 concrete repair. That means we follow a sequence proven to address the root cause (chloride-driven corrosion) rather than just hiding the symptom.
ACI 562 trained leadsStandard repair mortars do not include corrosion inhibitors. We use marine-grade patch materials with calcium nitrite or proprietary inhibitor admixtures that extend service life in chloride exposure.
Calcium nitrite or equivalent inhibitor in all patches1.5 inches minimum clear cover on rebar in patches per ACI 318 saltwater exposure category. Many older Miami walls had under 1 inch, which is the root cause of their failure.
ACI 318 minimum cover in every patchTypical Miami concrete spalling and rebar repair runs 80 to 280 dollars per linear foot of wall treated.
NACE estimates corrosion costs U.S. infrastructure roughly 276 billion dollars per year, with marine concrete a major share. ACI specifies 1.5 inches of clear cover for concrete in saltwater splash zones. Many Miami seawall caps from the 1970s and 80s were built with under 1 inch of cover and standard portland cement. The result is predictable spalling by year 25 to 30, which is exactly where most Miami caps are right now.
"Existing cap was past repair. Their team demoed it, did a full tieback inspection while we had access, and poured a new cap with corrosion-inhibitor concrete. Two helical anchors added at no extra cost when they found a corroded tieback rod."Carlos V.Bal Harbour · Seawall cap replacement
"We were re-permitting a project the previous contractor abandoned. They reviewed everything, fixed three issues DERM had flagged, and got us issued in 11 weeks. PE seal on every drawing. Clean professional package."Stephanie A.Miami Beach · Permit assistance
"Wall had visible movement and an obvious tieback failure. They installed four helical anchors with controlled pull-back and brought the cap within three quarters of an inch of plumb. 25-year warranty on the anchors. Could not tell anything had been done from the lawn side."Thomas G.Key Biscayne · Tieback and anchor repair
Chloride ingress from salt water reaches the reinforcing steel inside the concrete. As the steel corrodes, it expands up to 7 times its original volume per ACI, splitting the concrete from the inside outward. The visible result is delaminated and falling concrete with exposed rust-stained rebar.
Yes, with proper methodology. Removing all delaminated concrete, treating exposed rebar with corrosion inhibitor, replacing severely corroded bar with epoxy-coated or stainless, and patching with marine-grade inhibitor-added mortar will arrest the process for 15 to 25 plus years in our experience.
ACI 562 methodology, marine-grade materials, 5-year warranty.
Schedule Free Inspectionor call (555) 000-0000