Concrete Surface Acceptance

[eatapeach]

Does anyone know of an ACI or some other standard of acceptance for a concrete slab surface? There was no previous agreement between the owner and the contractor or anything specified in the specifications of a acceptable floor finish. There are some areas of spalling and delamination on the surface. The owner states he wants all areas he considers bad corrected and the contractor feels he doesn't owe the owner anything since there was no reference in the specification of an acceptable finish.

The contractor has stated he will correct the areas the owner has written up as a deficiency however he expects to be paid. The contractors stance is he used the design mixed required, he placed the concrete within the perimeters of the specification and he cured the concrete in accordance with the specifications. The contractor feels he owes the owner nothing.

 

[concretemasonry]

It sounds like the contractor is correct because the specifications and inspection(if any) was weak and he probably had to be the low bidder based on the plans and specs. A reference to the appropriate standards should be included in the project documents and is common in the "boilerplate" of routine projects.

Dick

Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.

 

[Ron]

Properly placed and cured concrete from a reasonable mix design does not scale or delaminate in the manner you describe. Further investigation would likely show that the mix was adulterated (most likely water addition at the site), not finished properly or not cured properly. All can be determined after the fact.

ACI floor finish guidelines are contained in ACI 302.1R "Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction", Table 2.1, depending on the use classification of the floor.