Polished concrete floor "blistering"

Bethm321 · Dec 12, 2016

In October, I hired a professional to prep, stain and polish my floor in my living room and hallway. My house is around 40 years old and had some foundation repair done before I purchased it in 1999.

He did the flooring and it looked beautiful. A couple of weeks later, I noticed a spot that had "blistered," meaning it was like the stain had separated from the concrete. The area had been stepped on, and a crack had appeared. I called the guy, he removed the area and patched it. While he was working in that area, two more areas popped up, and he patched them. He was fitting in the repair work in between other jobs. I had given him a key and he would stop by while I was at work and do each step.

Well, another spot has happened. I don't blame the concrete guy; obviously, my house is older and with the past foundation issues, it is going to be an issue. I'm not going to call him back over this. I also don't want to leave the crack exposed. Can I roll sealant or polyurethane over this area to keep the stain from peeling off? I don't mind the rustic look. I just want the floor protected. Thank you.

havasu · Dec 12, 2016

Seems you have a moisture problem.

Bethm321 · Dec 12, 2016

Yes, I believe that to be true, too. How can I mitigate this issue? Sealant or polyurethane over the blisters?

havasu · Dec 12, 2016

Unfortunately, full removal, the addition of a moisture barrier, then repour. Tell us more about drainage, gutters, slope, location, etc, as there may be something else to help you. Also, pictures really help.

Bethm321 · Dec 12, 2016

I live in SE Texas, on the Gulf Coast, where I have what is called gumbo soil. Like I said, the house is more than 40 years old. At this point, I'm not going to fix the foundation right now. I just want to quick-fix my floor for now.

Floorist · Dec 12, 2016

If no moisture barrier was put under the slab before it was poured you are most likely fighting a losing battle. Did the installer moisture test the floor before installation?

Bethm321 · Dec 12, 2016

I don't believe he did. He had to do an overlay of concrete on my existing concrete because it was pitted and had some cracks. He saw the concrete in its raw state before giving me an estimate and doing the work. It took him a week to do the entire thing. I am probably going to eventually just get vinyl plank flooring installed, as I have in my three bedrooms, but I want to mitigate this issue for right now. I realize that I will likely be sealing or ppolyurethaning spots until I do get something else installed.